Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Liam

After we eat, Jasmine curls up on the sofa with Jamie’s book. She’s still wearing my sweats, which are way too big for her. She needs clothes—she needs a lot of things—but I don’t see us making a shopping trip anytime soon. Since she’s terrified of leaving my apartment, we’ll have to shop online.

“Hey, I need to make a quick phone call,” I tell her, “and then how about we do some shopping online? You can order clothes, shoes, toiletries, anything you need. Sound good?”

She nods warily. “We won’t have to go out?”

“Nope. The packages will be delivered right to the apartment.”

“Okay,” she says, although she’s still frowning. She glances down at my sweats. “I guess I can’t wear these forever.”

While she’s reading, I step into the spare room and call my eldest brother, Shane, who lives upstairs on the penthouse floor. Shane is the founder and CEO of McIntyre Security. He’s my boss.

He answers on the second ring. “Liam, hi.” He’s laughing, and I hear my nephew, Luke, jabbering with excitement in the background. “Yes, buddy, just a minute,” Shane says, laughing. “Daddy’s talking to Uncle Liam.” Then to me, he says, “What’s up?”

“I take it you’re at home?”

“Yes. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. It’s just—I need to see you. I need some advice.”

“Of course,” Shane says. “Do you want to come up?”

“I think that would be best. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

I return to the living room and sit on the coffee table facing Jasmine. “Will you be all right on your own for a few minutes? I need to run upstairs to the penthouse to talk to my brother.”

Her eyes widen. “You’re leaving me alone?” There’s more than a hint of panic in her voice. She really is scared.

“Just for a short while. I won’t be gone long. Half an hour tops. I’ll lock the apartment door so no one will be able to get in. I’ll even set the alarm. If you want, I can ask Jason and Layla to come stay with you.”

“No, that’s okay,” she says, sounding far from sure. “I don’t want to bother them. Just please don’t be long.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

I do exactly what I said I’d do—set the security alarm and lock the door behind me. Then, using a special code, I summon the penthouse elevator, step inside, and take it up to the top floor. My brother, who owns this building, lives in the sprawling penthouse, which takes up the entire top floor. He and his wife share the spacious apartment with another couple, their close friends and co-workers, Sam and Cooper.

The elevator lets me out into a formal foyer. On the far side of the space is the door to their apartment. When I knock, my sister-in-law, Beth, answers. She’s holding their infant daughter, Ava, in her arms. “Liam, hi!” She smiles as she steps back. “Come on in.”

I step inside and kiss my sister-in-law on the cheek. Then I follow her into the great room where I find Shane seated on a sofa in front of the fireplace, holding their blue-eyed toddler, Luke, on his lap.

“What’s up?” he asks as he tickles the boy.

Luke squeals as he wriggles in Shane’s arms.

“Can we talk?” I ask him. “In private?” I can hear voices coming from the kitchen. It sounds like Cooper and Sam are home as well, probably in the middle of making dinner. Cooper is sort of the resident chef here, as my brother barely knows how to boil water. And I don’t think Beth cooks much either.

“Of course.” Shane sets Luke on his feet. “I’ll be back, buddy,” he says, patting the little boy’s shock of white-blond hair. Shane nods toward the hallway that leads to his home office. “Let’s talk in my office.”

I follow Shane into his office. He shuts the door behind us and takes a seat behind his desk. I’m too worked up to sit, so I end up pacing.

“All right, spill it,” he says. “What’s going on? You said you needed my advice. About what?”

I laugh. “I don’t even know where to start.”

He grins. “How about at the beginning?”

I sigh. “Last night, I was at Tanks with the guys, like we do every Friday night. As I was heading to my vehicle, I came across a guy physically assaulting a young woman in an alley. I broke it up, and the guy ran off.”

Shane raises a brow. “And?”

“I brought the girl home with me.”

“You did?” His tone is neutral. “I’m listening.”

“I had to, Shane. She was hurt and needed medical attention, but she refused to go to the hospital. The next best thing I could think of was to bring her home with me and ask Jason to look at her. He did. He treated her numerous cuts and abrasions and patched her up.”

Shane sighs. “You always had a penchant for bringing home injured strays.”

“I couldn’t leave her on the street, Shane. She’s so young. She says she’s twenty-one, but I’m not sure I believe that.”

“She says?”

“She doesn’t have any ID, so I can’t be one hundred percent sure.”

“I see. So what’s the advice you need?”

“Look, I’ll just put it out there, okay? She’s a prostitute.”

Shane’s electric blue eyes widen slightly. “I figured that much already.” He pauses for a moment as that sinks in. “Maybe you should sit.” He points at one of two chairs placed in front of his desk.

I take a seat. “She ran away from home when she was seventeen, and she’s been working ever since. The john who assaulted her last night had a knife to her throat. He could have killed her, Shane.”

Shane shakes his head. “Okay. So, where do you come into all this?”

“I want to help this girl get out of that life. I want to help her get on her feet, get an education or a good job—whatever she wants.”

Shane nods. “That’s admirable, Liam. But she has no ID?”

“That’s right.”

“From a practical standpoint, she’ll need identification. She’ll need a birth certificate, her social security number, and a state-issued photo ID. She can’t do anything without those. Does her family—”

I shake my head. “She says her mom won’t be any help.”

“And the girl’s father?”

I shake my head again. “Unknown.”

Shane frowns. “All right. Troy can help you obtain any documentation the girl needs. What’s her name?”

“Jasmine Grant. Her mother’s name is Faye Grant.”

Shane nods as he reaches for his phone. “I’ll call Troy to get the ball rolling.”

“Thanks.” I wait while Shane has a quick conversation with his attorney and friend, Troy Spencer. Troy’s the lead attorney for Shane’s company, but he also handles family legal matters.

While he’s on the phone, Shane asks me, “Do you know her birthdate?”

“Yes. It’s March 28, 1996.”

Shane relays the info to his attorney. When he finishes with Troy, he ends the call. “Troy will be in touch with you as he needs more information.”

“Thanks, Shane.”

“Anytime.” He leans back in his office chair. “I don’t know what your personal interest is in this girl—”

“I’m just trying to help her get on her feet, that’s all. There’s nothing else.”

“Well, regardless, I think it would be prudent for her to get checked out by a doctor. I could call Dr. Shaw—she’s Beth’s OB-GYN—and make an appointment for Jasmine. I think a basic screening for STDs wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

I straighten in my chair. “We’re not—I’d never—”

“Hey, relax. I’m not suggesting otherwise. I just think it would be prudent for her to get tested, for her own health and welfare.”

I relax in my seat. “Yeah, definitely. Go ahead and make the appointment, and I’ll discuss it with Jasmine.”

Shane nods. “Good. Anything else?”

“Yeah.” I exhale a deep breath. “She’s afraid to leave my apartment. She’s afraid her pimp will find her and drag her back. And I really don’t want to leave her alone for long periods of time. She was anxious when I said I was coming up here for a quick visit. So, what I’m getting at is I’d like to take some time off this week, to stay home with her until she feels more comfortable. I don’t have much planned this week. My next self-defense classes don’t start until the following week.”

“All right, then. Take the week off. Help her get adjusted. If you need anything, just let me know.”

I stand. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. And make sure she sees Dr. Shaw.”

“Just for the record, I want you to know that I’d never do anything inappropriate where Jasmine’s concerned. I’m sure that’s the last thing she wants. And it would be highly inappropriate for me to have any personal involvement with her. I’d be taking advantage of her, and she’s had enough of that in her life.”

My brother nods. “I know you’ll do the right thing, Liam, whatever that is. I never had any doubt.”

On my way back down to my apartment, I try to figure out how in the hell I’m going to broach the subject of taking Jasmine to a doctor to get tested for STDs.