Rough Edge

by Jen Talty

  Clayton rubbed the two-day-old scruff that had grown on his neck and face. “That still doesn’t give us any reason to believe Stanley would try to kidnap his own daughter. What’s his motivation, and how does Sage fit into all this?”

  “She’s collateral damage.” Dustin sat on the tree trunk. “And you’re the icing on the cake for taking him down and putting him behind bars.”

  “Kick and his wife and her family did that, not me.” Clayton pinched the bridge of his nose. “But Maxwell did promise that he wouldn’t rest until I was either behind bars or with my mother in hell.”

  “Everyone knew you’d be at that charity event. Maxwell must have something huge on Stanley and used it to get him to hire Nolan to kidnap her—”

  “And there goes your theory,” Clayton said. “Because I’m the one who foiled that plan.”

  “You did, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t play into Maxwell’s hand.” Dustin stretched out his legs, crossing one ankle over the other. “Maxwell’s plans have always had layers and built-in go-to-shit plans. But once you became her protector, it opened the playing field for him to set you up as a murderer.”

  “That’s pretty, far-fetched.” Clayton’s heart thumped in an uneven rhythm against his throat. He couldn’t swallow, and his mouth went dry.

  Sadly, that made more sense than Clayton cared to admit.

  “I bet Nolan knew you were following him, and everyone saw you leave right after the girls. The valet said he overheard you talking about going out with Sage, so if they disappeared, people might put that together. But where it gets ingenious is the backup layer.”

  The gears inside Clayton’s head began to spin. “I take it Stanley started with wanting to talk with Sage.”

  “Exactly. But when the phone kept going to voicemail, he checked the Find My iPhone app and got nothing, so he started demanding to know where she was and that I had to take him to her immediately.”

  “Shit. Where’s his wife?” Clayton snapped his gaze to Dustin.

  “She had some meeting at work. Maddog is watching her, though she doesn’t know that. Trisha is working on hacking into their system, and she’ll let us know when she’s in.”

  “And what about Weslynn?”

  “Frost has eyes on her,” Dustin said.

  “I don’t like that. Too many chances of something bad happening to any one of them.”

  “I know. But I didn’t see any other way under the circumstances. My guess is that as soon as I get Stanley out of here, he’s going to need to make an important business call. Then it’s only a matter of time before Nolan, or some other contract killer, ends up here, and you’re both dead, or you, my friend, just became a murderer.”

  “I wish I had killed Maxwell when I had the chance,” Clayton mumbled. What Dustin said all rang true, even if a shit-ton of it was conjecture. “But if you’re wrong, then we’re back to square one.”

  Dustin nodded. “We have two choices. We hang tight and set up a sting as best we can, or we move you, and I sit up here watching to see if anyone shows up, and then we make a plan going forward.”

  “I’m not moving. If he’s sending someone after me, I’ll be ready.”

  “We’ll be ready. Hank sent Swede and Boomer. I’m just bummed I’m stuck babysitting the parents.”

  “When will Swede and Boomer get here?” Clayton trusted every man and woman in the Brotherhood Protectors, but working side by side with men he served with as SEALs gave him a much-needed sense of calm.

  “They are in the bird on the way. We’ve rented the campsite next door.” Dustin pointed to an empty parking spot just across the dirt road.

  Clayton glanced over his shoulder. His trailer sat between the road and the lake, but he still didn’t like the setup. Too many places a bad guy could penetrate the perimeter. “What are your parents like?”

  “Excuse me?” Dustin opened his mouth, and his toothpick dropped to the ground.

  “Are they overprotective? Too caring? Not caring enough? How did they fuck up your life?”

  “That’s a really fucking odd question.”

  “You know my adolescence wasn’t much of a childhood, so I’m trying to get a handle on the more normal dysfunction, and maybe then we can understand why the hell Stanley would do this to his daughter.”

  “I don’t think their family is the typical normal dysfunctional unit you’re talking about.”

  “Just humor me,” Clayton said.

  “My parents are awesome. They’ve always been supportive of me, even when they hate what I’m doing. My dad was pretty strict, but not unreasonable, and my mom now cries every time she sees me, but that’s just because she can’t get it out of her head what I looked like in the hospital after I nearly got blown up.”

  “I imagine that was tough for her. Do you think you are the man you are today because of how your parents raised you, or do you think it’s just who you are? That genetics count more for how a person ends up than their environment.”

  Dustin narrowed his stare. “Is this about your father?”

  “I don’t have a father,” Clayton said. “I have a sperm donor.”

  Dustin stood and stretched. “I think we end up a certain way based on a combination of genetics, our family, and our experiences in life and how they affect us.” Dustin tapped his chest. “We’ve all suspected Maxwell was your father after the shakedown a few months ago. But just because Maxwell is a ruthless criminal, that doesn’t make you one. Just like Sage isn’t a mirror image of her parents, who by the way are the most uncaring people on the planet. They have a handful of pictures of Sage around the house, but when you ask questions about their daughter’s life, they haven’t a clue. Kind of sad if you ask me.”

  But Sage was more like her parents than Clayton cared to admit. Of course, writing checks to help out the less fortunate wasn’t a bad thing at all, and Sage had said she wanted to do more, and he planned on holding her to that.

  “We need to find out why Stanley is doing this, and instead of playing sitting ducks, we’re going to find out right now.” Clayton rose and took two steps toward the trailer before glancing over his shoulder. “Are you coming?”

  “Oh, hell, yes,” Dustin said.

  Hopefully, when all was said and done, Sage wouldn’t hate him for the nasty things he was about to say.

  Sage watched Clayton walk out the front door, leaving her alone with her father.

  When she’d woken up in bed by herself, she worried that maybe Clayton had regretted their night together, but then she’d heard her father’s voice, and her stomach turned to cement. It was in that moment she knew without a doubt that it was time to stop lying to herself.

  “Has that man hurt you?” her father asked, his tone filled with anger and maybe a hint of fear, not concern.

  Sage had waited a lifetime for her parents to genuinely care about her well-being, but this wasn’t the moment, and now she knew it would never come.

  “Clayton wouldn’t hurt anyone,” she said firmly. “Why are you here, Dad?” She poured two cups of coffee and set one on the counter while she held the other one to her lips, trying not to gag on the horrible taste.

  “Why aren’t you answering your phone?” her father asked, leaning against the counter with his arms folded across his massive chest. His face contorted much like it had the day she made her last loan payment, something he used to try to control her with, but she was done with allowing anyone to control her actions. For years, she’d tried to please her parents without compromising herself, yet she failed miserably, on both accounts.

  Only, standing in the middle of a mobile home, she realized there was no pleasing her parents. She could have done exactly what they asked of her, and she’d still feel as though she was nothing but a minor blip on their radar.

  She had to wonder why they hadn’t aborted her or given her up for adoption because the only thing she represented to them was a family photo opportunity so the media would focus on how great her fath
er was, not that he crushed companies and the people who own them for sport.

  “Clayton told me to keep it off until they caught whoever tried to kidnap me,” she said, swallowing the bile that smacked the back of her throat.

  “Is that his shirt you’re wearing?” her father asked with a fair amount of disgust dripping from his tongue.

  “It is,” she admitted.

  “God damn it. I’m going to give that man a piece of my mind for taking advantage of—”

  “Stop blustering,” she said as calmly as she could. “You don’t give a shit about me or who I sleep with as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work.”

  Her father gasped as if in shock. Maybe he was considering she’d seldom dared to talk back or be assertive. “I’ve been worried sick and now to think this dirty old man—”

  “Clayton is a good man. I’m wearing his shirt because all I have is my red cocktail dress. The policeman who was supposed to bring me some clothes had something important to take care of and couldn’t make it out here the last few days.” She shouldn’t have had to explain herself, but she didn’t want her father to go off and hit Clayton, because that would only end badly for dear old dad.

  “And what cop is that?”

  Her pulse increased as hot blood raced through her veins, fueling the fire that burned in the pit of her stomach. Her father hadn’t come here to check on her; he came to dig for information. The need for his approval died at that moment.

  “I don’t remember his name,” Sage lied. Her gaze locked with her father’s as she searched his eyes for a sign of…of…love, but she knew she’d never get it.

  “Well, find out and then text me. I know people in high places, and I’m not satisfied with how this band of misfits is working out.”

  She wanted to ask him why it mattered but thought better of it. “You still haven’t answered my question. Why did you come all the way out here? Because it wasn’t out of concern for me.”

  “What has gotten into you? What has that man done to you?”

  “You knew I was just fine, so come on, Dad. Tell me why you’re really here?” Two days ago, Sage might have still been lying to herself about what she’d seen as a child in hopes of having some beautiful home life. But Clayton had changed all that by helping her to open her eyes. “Tell me why you didn’t come to the charity event because you made a big deal about being there, but you never showed. Not a single phone call or text. Nothing. Why, Daddy?”

  “I had to deal with a situation regarding one of my companies; otherwise, I would have been there. I heard it went well.”

  “Went, well? That’s all you have to say? No pats on the back? No praise for a job well done? No apology for not coming?”

  “Where is this coming from because, for your entire life, you’ve been fiercely independent, not needing a single thing from your mother or me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Because I had no choice,” she mumbled. “Why didn’t Mom come?”

  “Because, as my lawyer, I needed her.”

  Since she opened this line of questioning, she might as well put all her cards on the table. “Are you sure you didn’t want to be there because you knew something bad was going to happen to me, and you didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire?” Sage had been back in Vegas for three years, and she could count on one hand how often she had spent any time with her parents. Granted, she had been working eighty hours a week getting her foundation off the ground, but she still tried to carve out time for her parents. “Or maybe it’s because you didn’t want to be near the son of the woman you used to fuck.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” her father said.

  “Interesting that you do not deny it.”

  “What kind of lies is this man filling your head with? I hired him to protect you, not turn you against me with this insanity that you’re spewing.”

  She laughed. “You must not think very highly of me if you believe one man could influence me so much.” Only, Clayton had done precisely that. Or maybe she’d been slowly seeing the truth. Either way, she drew her own conclusions. “I’m tired of trying to get you to see me. To hear me. To support my life decisions. But, like last night, you couldn’t be bothered. I think you want me to fall on my face.”

  “You believe your mother and I wanted you to fail? You’ve been running successful events for over a year now. Just because I think you’re wasting your time and talents, doesn’t mean I don’t want the best for you.”

  “And what if I asked to come work for you? What would you say to that?”

  “You have no desire to work for me or your mother. Not even when you were a little girl. All you ever talked about was living in Europe and—”

  “You put all those thoughts in my head. I was told my entire life that I wasn’t cut out for your line of work. Why?” Not that she wanted to tear companies apart, but she wanted her father to admit he didn’t love her.

  And neither had her mother.

  “Because you had other interests and I wanted you to chase after them,” her father said. He still had made no attempt to hug her or give her any kind of physical attention.

  “And yet you discouraged me from every career I thought I might want to have. You told me to go find a rich husband or take up painting.” She thought she understood last night why volunteering at places like the Alley Home was just as important as the money. Her father had given her every material thing she could ever want or need, but it didn’t make up for the lack of affection in her life. If her father had rested his hand on her shoulder, kissed her cheek, given her even the smallest of embraces, that might have been enough to show her what being a human really meant.

  “You're an ungrateful brat, and I have a feeling that man out there has charmed not only his way into your bed, but your brain as well.”

  She sucked in a deep breath, keeping the tears at bay. She wouldn’t give her father the satisfaction. “My assistant was shot while some hitman tried to kidnap me, and you’re standing over there more upset that I might have gone to bed with my protector.”

  “Have you? Because that would be a mistake. He’s not a good man.”

  “And you know this how?” Her stomach churned sour as her father focused on everything but her.

  “I know to which the world he was born,” her father said.

  “That’s right, you often paid for sex with his mom, and I’m sure other hookers as well.”

  “Watch your mouth, young lady. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, except for the fact that man out there is a bastard.”

  “He’s more of a man than you are,” Sage said under her breath.

  Her father inched forward. “Not only is he the son of a prostitute, but his father is currently in jail.”

  “How would you know that?”

  “I know things,” her father said behind gritted teeth.

  “If Clayton is such a horrible man, then why are you trusting him to protect me?”

  “I didn’t hire him, your mother did. If it were solely up to me, I’d have that foul man put down. But when your mother hears what’s going on here, she’ll fire him, and we’ll get someone else.”

  The front door creaked open. Clayton stepped into the family room with an arched brow and his arms folded across his bare chest.

  “Go ahead and fire him.” She pointed at Clayton. “As a matter of fact, I insist.”

  Her father turned his head and smiled. “All right. Both of you, your services are no longer needed. My daughter and I will be leaving.”

  “You will be leaving, but I’m staying right here,” Sage said as she waltzed across the room and wrapped her arms around Clayton. She glanced up at him, then rested her hand on the center of his chest. “Clayton will take care of me whether he’s been hired to or not.”

  “Sage, darling. You don’t know what the hell you’re doing.” Her father stomped across the room.

  Clayton shoved her behind his back.


  “I have no idea what just happened here, but I’m not leaving her side until I know she’s safe. Dustin can take you back to your house. If you don’t want him to protect you and your wife, call my boss, and Dustin will be gone, but Sage is staying with me.”

  “Over my dead body,” her father said with clenched fists. His eyes were wide with rage.

  “I’m not leaving, Daddy.”

  “You’re going to pay for this,” her father jabbed Clayton in the arm with his index finger. “I can’t make her come with me, but I will make sure you’re finished in this Brotherhood thing.”

  “Good luck with that,” Clayton said.

  “I demand you take me home.” Her father breezed past them, the door slamming shut behind him.

  “Get him out of here and call me later,” Clayton said.

  Dustin nodded and left.

  Clayton turned and glared. “What the hell happened in here?”

  “I realized my father isn’t a very good man.” She brushed her hair from her face. “He didn’t come here to see if I was okay, he came here to fish for information, and when he didn’t get what he wanted, he pushed it all back on me and well…on you too.”

  “Put it on me? How?”

  Her lashes fluttered over her eyes as she tried to divert his gaze. “He’s confident Maxwell is your father, and he thinks somehow you’re the bad guy in this.”

  Clayton’s eyebrows shot up. “Other than to my coworkers and you, I’ve never uttered those words, so I have no idea how he’s come to that conclusion. But what’s more disturbing is that he walked out of here without you.”