Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

“There’s going to be a murder in the near future if you don’t stop clicking that pen,” Jack groused.

I clicked the pen closed and tossed in on the seat cushion next to me.

“Sorry, I was thinking.”

“I know you’ve got a head full of a certain pretty, brown-eyed woman.”

Christ.

We were back to this.

“I’m not the man for Atlee Levine,” I told Jack and went back to the report I’d been pretending to read.

Because, of course, Jack was right and I had been thinking about Atlee, not reading the intel Rhode had sent on Louis Evans.

“You’re not the man or you won’t let yourself be?” he pushed.

“Same thing.”

“No, boss, nowhere near the same thing.”

I lifted my gaze from the screen in front of me to find Jack staring at me.

A look passed over Jack’s face. An expression I’d seen before many times—softening of the eyes, facial muscles going slack, mouth tight.

Pity.

Fuck.

“I know about Barbara.” His even tone gave nothing away. Just a statement of fact.

My wife’s death was public record as much as I wished it wasn’t.

I kept my stare blank and held my tongue.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he went on.

That I had something to say to.

“Drop it.”

“When you asked me to come work for Takeback, I looked into you.”

Not surprising. I’d combed through my men’s backgrounds before I’d extended offers. If the others did, they stopped with my service and work history because none of them had known I’d been married until I’d told them.

Leave it to Jack to dig deeper.

“You have to know my sister suffers from depression,” he said.

Of course I knew. I also knew better than to bring up a man’s personal business unless he invited it.

“Cassy’s started in high school. At first my parents didn’t understand the mood swings. They didn’t understand why she was fine then suddenly she couldn’t get out of bed. She was fine, then the simplest of tasks like taking a shower was impossible for her. But I had this aunt that recognized what Cassy was going through and my parents got her help. It took years to find the right combination of medications and therapy to get Cass to a place where she could manage it. And she had dark times. My mom quit her job; watching Cass had become a full-time job. My parents still worry she’ll slip into one of those places and harm herself. Depression never goes away.”

It did when the person finally gave into the thoughts they couldn’t control.

“My point is, Cass had a village around her. My parents had support from family and friends. You didn’t and neither did Barb.”

How the fuck did Jack know that?

Jack answered my unasked question, “I looked into her medical records. I know she got treatment for depression and anxiety when she was a teenager but that stopped in her twenties. She had no prescriptions on file at the time of her death. Did you know she suffered from depression?”

Old anger and hurt welled inside of me. The excuses from her parents. The blame they’d cast. The assholes had refused to acknowledge their part in the travesty. They’d known yet they’d guarded Barb’s mental illness like a state secret. It wouldn’t do for a county representative and an attorney to have a child who wasn’t ‘perfect.’

“You couldn’t help her if you didn’t know.”

The ire I kept locked down had bubbled to the surface. I slammed my laptop shut and stood.

“I was married to the woman for fifteen fucking years, Jack. I dated her for a year before that. I missed it. Every sign. I don’t know if I was so wrapped up in my work or if I’m such a self-absorbed asshole I didn’t see it. But thinking back, the signs were there.”

Fertility treatments and multiple miscarriages hadn’t helped.

“I get how you’d think that but you…are…wrong.”

I was done with this conversation. Done with the pity that always accompanied talking about Barb’s suicide.

“You can tell me that when you come home from work and find your wife hanging in your bedroom. Until then, you don’t know shit.”

Jack’s black eyes glittered with fury before they narrowed.

“You must’ve forgotten who you’re talking to,” he retorted. “If you were going for shock value you missed your mark.”

Fucking hell, Jack was worse than the others. At least none of them pushed when I’d told them I didn’t want to talk about my dead wife.

“Jack—”

“Say you did miss the signs. It’s been twelve years, Wilson. Are you going to spend the rest of your life punishing yourself for something you had no control over?”

“Yes.”

When Jack had no comeback I finished the conversation.

“She trusted me, I failed her. I learned from that failure and I will never put another woman at risk. Most especially someone I care about.”

I left Jack in the living room in favor of being alone in my room. I had to get my feelings for Atlee under wraps and concentrate on taking down Martin Jackson and Eden Dunhill.

* * *

Hourslater when I reemerged from the bedroom Jack was sitting at the bar eating a slice of pizza.

“There’s plenty if you’re hungry.”

I hadn’t eaten all day but damn if the knot in my stomach had anything to do with hunger.

“No thanks.”

Jack went back to his tablet. I made a pot of coffee. Catarina had checked in—Martin was taking her out to dinner. He’d miss most of this evening’s party but I still had to make an appearance. It would be another late night hobnobbing with the sick and depraved.

And where the fuck was Atlee?

She should be done with work by now.

There was a knock at the door. Jack turned his frown toward the offending sound.

“I’m not expecting anyone, are you?” I asked.

“No.”

Jack set his tablet down, deftly pulled his Glock from the back holster he always wore. I did the same with my Sig and went to the door.

“Who is it?” I inquired, standing well to the side of the door.

“Atlee.”

I opened the door and raked my eyes over her, failing to convince myself I was simply making sure she was unharmed.

It hadn’t even been ten hours and I’d missed her.

Obviously my time alone to get my feelings for Atlee sorted had been for naught.

“How’d you get up here?”

Atlee’s gaze dropped to my Sig, then slowly her eyes dragged up to mine.

She held up a key card. “I tipped a bellman. But don’t worry, it only works for the elevators.”

“You could’ve called,” I told her.

“My way was easier.”

I stepped to the side to allow Atlee to enter the suite.

Jack was still perched on his stool when we made it to the living space.

“There’s pizza,” he offered.

“No thanks, I grabbed a wrap before I left work.”

Why does her eating dinner without me bug the fuck out of me?

“You never called me back.”

Atlee’s ponytail swung as she snapped her head in my direction with a frown.

“I got busy. Martin’s not my only client and my boss is unhappy he hasn’t been to the tables. I had to convince him not to ask Martin to leave the property.”

“I take it you succeeded.”

“Yeah, I reminded him Martin’s room wasn’t a comp and he’s spending a fortune in food and liquor. But the casino doesn’t like it when a VIP is taking up space and not spending at the tables. We have several high rollers in town who spend their money at different casinos. If the villa was available they could use that as incentive to stay at The Boulevard and spend their money at our tables.”

Part of me wished she hadn’t been able to convince her boss not to kick Martin out. She would’ve been clear of the man, but I hadn’t received an invitation to the auction yet so I needed the parties to continue. With a venue change Martin and Eden might not want the hassle depending on how many people they already had set up to attend the sale.

“Good looking out,” Jack praised.

“What happened that made you sound freaked out?”

“Oh my god,” she breathed and waved a hand in front of her face. “I went to check on Martin’s people. George let me in. Do you know George?”

George Lopez—not to be confused with the comedian—was one of Martin’s flunkies. He had no prior military experience, no formal training but he was part of Martin’s security detail.

“Yes, I know who George is.”

“So George lets me in. I told him I wanted to check the residence to make sure everything was up to standards. He told me Gavin…”

“I know who Gavin is as well,” I told her when she paused.

Unlike George, Gavin was prior Army and higher up in Martin’s organization.

“George told me not to go into the library, Gavin was in a meeting.”

Shit. I didn’t like where this was going.

“Please tell me you didn’t go into the library.”

“No, but when I was walking by, the door was ajar and I heard Gavin talking to another man about one of the girls from the party.” She paused again, this time to scrunch her nose. “He wasn’t happy with the girl’s performance.”

Another pause, this one accompanied by her brows pulling together.

“Performance?” Jack prompted.

“Yeah, he said the girl was asking too many questions then he complained that the…and I quote…bitch hadn’t learned her place. Gavin’s other complaint was…again I quote…she didn’t know how to suck cock. He said the woman bit him. I hope what he meant was she bit his penis, and I hope it hurt like hell.”

Christ, hearing my sweet Atlee recite a sick fucking conversation where she’d overheard a predator complaining about a woman who likely didn’t want to suck him off made my stomach turn.

“Did you hear who Gavin was speaking to?” Jack pushed.

“Yeah. The other man told Gavin to remember his place and told him that Eden had it under control and was breaking her in because fresh and young were hard to come by.”

Thank fuck Jack had taken over the questioning. I was too busy tamping down my frustration.

“Did you recognize the voice?”

“No. And this is where it gets dicey.”

I seriously didn’t like the sound of that.

“George caught me lingering in front of the door. He called out my name. Both men came out into the hallway.”

“Jesus Christ!” I exploded. “They caught you listening and you didn’t use your watch to call for help?”

“Easy there, killer,” she sassed. “I had the situation under control.”

Her worried expression told a different story.

“How’s that?”

“I told them the door frame hadn’t been properly waxed.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

“And they bought that?”

“Well… luckily when Gavin checked there was a scuff. I comped them a cabana for the afternoon and their drinks for the inconvenience. So, yes, they bought it.”

The woman had no idea how lucky she’d gotten.

“What’s the other man look like?” Jack rejoined.

“Sixties, maybe. Blond hair but a lot of silver in it. Clean shaven. Brownish eyes with a hint of green. I guess a little shorter than Wilson. Expensive, well-cut suit. Gavin called him Louis but didn’t formally introduce us.”

“Louis?” I grunted, and looked at Jack who was already working on his laptop.

“Yes. That’s what Gavin called him.”

Jack turned his laptop and moved to the side.

“Is this him?”

“Yeah.” Atlee froze, her gaze turning unfocused. “Two brunettes,” she whispered.

“What did he say to you?”

Atlee became unstuck and looked at me, horror stark in her features.

“He said I had an unusual name.”

My mouth went dry.

“Anything else?” I pushed out through gritted teeth.

“He, um, asked if he’d be seeing me tonight.”

My eyes sliced to Jack.

He nodded.

Whether she liked it or not she officially had herself a bodyguard.