Chapter 12

Earlier that day…

My phone rings, and I grab it off the bedside table and switch the sound off before it can wake Ember up. She's curled up next to me sleeping so damn good that I hate to think about anything disturbing her. When was the last time she slept? She's been out cold for hours, she has to be getting hungry by now…

My phone vibrates this time, and I look down to see a number I don't recognize. When I hit ignore, it calls me again right away.

"Shit," I whisper as I force myself to disentangle from her and walk into the bathroom.

My cock is painful after not getting any release last night. That quick one at the hotel wasn't nearly enough and being curled up next to Ember's curves all night only made it worse. I grab the hard length over my boxer briefs and squeeze it to try and get it to go down. It doesn"t work.

My phone vibrates and I answer it as I close the bathroom door.

"Rogue." I'm shocked when I hear Angus on the other line. "Listen, I've been arrested. I need you to come get me. I told them you're my lawyer."

"What the fuck did you do?" The hair on the back of my neck stands up as I go over to the closet and grab a pair of jeans.

"I'll explain later. Just hurry. You've got to get me out of here fast."

"I'm on my way," I say before hanging up and putting on an old gray T-shirt. I slide on some shoes and then grab a hat and pull it down low. I tuck my phone in the back of my jeans and take some cash out of the safe. I don't know what the fuck my brother has gotten himself into, but I need to be ready.

I think for a second about leaving Ember a note, but I don't have anything to write with, and I need to leave. Fuck, should I wake her up?

As quietly as I can, I walk over to her side of the bed and lean down. I kiss her neck and inhale her sweet scent as I close my eyes.

"Hey baby, I've got to run out, but I'll be back." She makes a humming sound, and I kiss her again. "Don't leave, I'll be right back as soon as I can."

She keeps her eyes closed as she nods and snuggles down into the covers. I want nothing more than to get back in bed and slide my dick between her legs, but I have to go.

When I get to the door, I set the alarm and grab my keys. I make sure she's locked up safe and sound as I hop in my car and take off toward the city jail. Being a divorce lawyer, people would think I wouldn't have a lot of experience with visiting the jail, but it's no longer shocking to me how often I have to come here because of a domestic dispute.

I thought that over the years I was jaded to the idea of marriage. Maybe I was, but after meeting Ember I finally understood why all those couples never made it.

None of them ever felt the way I feel for her, and it showed. If they did I'd be out of a job.

My parents are that way, and even after all these years they look at each other like they just fell in love. Maybe deep down I was afraid I'd never find that kind of devotion, and that's why I became a divorce lawyer, but after seeing Ember I'm done for.

When I get back home, I'm going to show her how I feel. I've already spent my whole life without her. I won't waste a moment longer.

The jail is busy for a Saturday afternoon, but that's to be expected. It's Vegas and the weekend is always heavy on arrests. When I get inside, I give them my name and I'm scanned in. They take me back to the holding area and I pace while I wait for Angus to be processed. It takes longer than I anticipated, and by the time he finally walks out it's been hours and I'm ready to murder him.

"What the fuck did you do?" I hiss as I walk up to him and grab him by the back of the neck.

"Let's go." He pushes my hand away and stomps out the front door.

"Angus!" I call once we're outside and he's practically running ahead of me. "What the fuck is going on?"

"She got away, okay?" he shouts back and then throws his hands up like I'm supposed to know what that means.

"What?"

"Bambi." He sighs and then rubs his eyes with the back of his hands. "I don't even know if that's her real name. Goddamn it!" He spins around and kicks the trash can, but it's bolted to the ground. "Fuck!"

I lean against my car and cross my arms over my chest. "You're going to have to talk sense at some point, but go ahead and break your foot while I wait." I've never seen my brother so out of sorts before.

"It was a mistake." He shakes his head like he can't get his thoughts in order. "She was supposed to come to Franky's room and strip, but they had the wrong room number on the reservation."

"Okay," I say, still waiting for an explanation of why he was in jail.

"It was like Dad always said." He stops and stares at me with wide eyes, but I see the truth in what he's trying to tell me. "One look and I was done. I didn't care that she was a dancer or escort or whatever. I saw her and I knew, Rogue. I knew she was the one."

I drop my hands and take a step toward him. Our dad always said we'd know when we found the one and the thought has been eating at me since Ember walked in that poker room. "Are you sure?"

He nods and swallows hard. "I've got to find her. She came to the room with a bouncer and I couldn't get her to stay. I let her go and went to the escort service today to talk to her again."

"What the hell did you do?" My mind swirls with possibilities of how he ended up in jail over this woman.

"They told me she was in the back with some guy, and I lost it. I forced my way in and when I got to the room, some guy was on top of her." He shakes his head. "I don't know what happened after that. I woke up in jail with bloody knuckles and a headache."

He's pacing now like a caged animal, and it's on the tip of my tongue to tell him to let her go. That's exactly what I would have said before I met Ember, but now I'm thinking think about what I'd do in that same situation.

"Let me call in a favor and see what I can do." Angus stops and stares at me.

"Can you do that?" There's hope in his eyes, and I nod. "God, Rogue, I know you don't like to call in favors, but I swear she's it, man. She's the one."

I take out my phone and pull up a number I have saved in a folder I don't like to use. Calling Theo will mean I owe him big, but if the shoe was on the other foot, Angus would do this for me. I don't hesitate as I dial the number.

While I'm on the phone, I get all the info I can from Angus and relay it to Theo. He only says a few words before he tells me he'll have the address in an hour. He also reminds me that now I'm on his books for tonight, and when he needs his favor called in, I better come running. Great.

I hang up, and just when I've finished telling Angus everything I know, my phone rings with a call from my security company. Thoughts of Ember send me into panic as I answer it and give them my confirmation code.

"It appears the front door was unlocked and a young woman exited the house," the security team member tells me.

"Where the hell did she go?" I ask through gritted teeth, knowing they have no way of knowing that information.

"From what we can see, she left in a rideshare vehicle, sir."

I hang up because I know they don't have anything else useful to offer. I squeeze my phone so tight in my hand that I'm afraid it's going to shatter.

"What happened?" Angus asks, and if he didn't look so broken, I'd be the one going to jail this time.

"Now my woman has gotten away." I stomp around to the driver's side and open the door. "Get in. I'm taking you home and then I've got to pay a debt to Theo while trying to find Ember."

"How the hell did this happen to both of us at the same time?" Angus looks around like the answer is going to jump out at him. He really is fucked up over this Bambi woman.

"I don't know, but you better keep your ass out of jail. I'm not letting her slip between my fingers again because of your shit."

"Don't you worry about me," he says as he gets in the car. "The second I find her, I'm taking her underground."

"I wish I'd thought of that," I agree as I pull out of the parking lot.