Chapter Fourteen

Ronin walked into Darian’s office.

Darian looked up and frowned. “What’s up?”

“Where is Courtney?” he asked and paced. “I don’t like her out on her own.”

“I don’t either. I know she didn’t come back last night, and the girls were worried,” Darian said.

“Do you have the lawyer’s number?” Ronin asked.

“Yes. Let’s call him. He might know something.”

The secretary put them through to James.

“Well, hello, Darian. What can I do for you?” James Stewert asked.

“Good morning, James. I’m here with Ronin, and we’re both worried because we haven’t heard from her. Would you know anything?”

“She talked about staying in a hotel. I thought it strange, but she’d had a few shocks.”

“What were they?” Ronin asked.

There was a pause. “I’m sorry. She’s a client, and I can’t divulge her business.”

Ronin sighed. He knew that. Dammit. He’d had to work with lawyers for years and still had to in some respects. “I knew that. I’m sorry. “

“Can you give us anything?” Darian asked.

“All I can tell you was the last time I saw her she was upset and wanted to be alone, so shedecided to stay at a hotel in town,” James told them. “I’m sorry I don’t have more information.”

“Could you please have her call me if she gets ahold of you?” Ronin asked.

“Of course. Have a good day,” James said.

“Thank you,” Darian said and hung up.

Ronin flopped into a chair. “Fuck.”

“Hold on a second. Let’s ask the girls. They might know something,” Darian said and walked out of the office.

Ronin heard him yell for the girls and then several sets of hurried footsteps coming down the stairs. He knew something was up when they caught sight of him and froze. He’d dealt with enough perps in his life to know these girls knew something, and a few seemed mad at him.

He waited for Darian to take the lead.

Darian stood in front of the girls, who were standing in a line, gripping each other’s hands.

Darian cleared his throat to get their attention. “Girls, Ronin is looking for Courtney.”

He caught the shocked expression on several faces and a lot of scowls he didn’t understand.

The girls stayed silent but glanced at each other. Ronin could tell theywere debating on saying anything.

He stood. “Girls, I’m really worried about her. You know how hard it is for a little to be on her own. The fact that she’s been sheltered all her life makes it worse. Can you please help me?”

Ronin knew he got through to most of them.

“Why do you have to be the one to find her?” Sienna asked.

He was confused. “Why shouldn’t I be the one? Unless she doesn’t like the idea of being with me, I’d like to take care of her.”

“What about the girlfriend?” Brylee asked.

“What girlfriend, Honey?” he asked, confused.

“The one at the hotel,” Larkin said.

His eyes widened. That had been her he’d seen the night before. Fuck, she thought Veronica, his friend, was his girlfriend? He could see why she might think that, seeing him walk off the elevator in a hotel with a beautiful woman. To make it worse, he had his arm around her. He and Veronica knew it was a friendly jester, and it didn’t mean anything sexual, but his little Courtney didn’t know that.

Ronin sighed. “I’m asking you girls to believe me when I say that she was a friend. We were there with several other people in one of the conference rooms on the second floor. The woman wants to put on a charity ball to raise money for the Animal Rescue League in town.”

The girls huddled together and talked so fast and slowly thathe didn’t catch a word. When he heard thepinky-promise, he knew he was probably screwed until their daddies got to them.

They all turned to him and stood in a line.

“We have decided we will tell you because, one,” Larkin said and held up a finger. “We feel she needs help. And two,” she said and held up two fingers. “We did not pinky-promise.”

Ronin felt some of the tension released.

“She’s at the hotel you were at last night,” Brylee said.

“So, she’s still there?”

They nodded.

“Will she be there when I get there, or did she talk about moving somewhere else?” Ronin asked.

“She’ll be there. She’s in one of the office rooms researching condos and job openings,” Siena told him.

His brows snapped together. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting her live anywhere but with me, and I won’t allow her to get a job. I’ll find something for her to do.”

“We want to be able to see her all the time,” Nia stated.

“You can see her as much as you want. I think you girls are good for her,” Ronin said.

That cheered them up, and they all smiled.

“I’ll have her call you later. How does that sound?”

They all clapped and cheered.

Darian snorted. “Why don’t you go back up to the playroom, girls?”

They scurried out of the room, and Ronin grinned when he heard Elder yell for them to slow down. He outright laughed when Darian just sighed in frustration.

“I’m going to head out and get my little,” he said.

“Good luck,” Darian said and laughed.