by L. Wilder
“But—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Parker. You haven’t been on a date in months, and you said it yourself that David is a great guy.” She’d crossed her arms and given me one of her looks. “You’ve been looking forward to this all week, and I’m not going to let Dad’s crappy memory ruin your chance to have a great time.”
I’d glanced back at Mom, and my heart ached as I stood there watching her stare at the blank wall. The man she loved most in the world had forgotten about their special day, but I knew Dad would do everything in his power to make it up to her. With that in mind, I’d smiled at my sister and said, “Okay, I’ll go, but I’m coming back early.”
“You really don’t have to.”
“I want to.” I’d rushed over to Mom and given her a big hug. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Okay, honey. Have fun.”
I walked out of that house never realizing it would be the last time I’d ever speak to my mother or my sister. I often wondered if things would’ve been different if I’d just skipped my date and stayed home.
I could feel a knot growing in the pit of my stomach as Marlowe pulled up to her apartment complex. I was pleased to see that the place was actually nice—really nice. I parked behind her, then followed her up to the front steps. As she unlocked the door, Marlowe looked over to me and said, “It’s not much, but this is a good area, and the neighbors are super sweet.”
“I’m sure it’ll be great.” When she opened the door, I was surprised to see a small table in the kitchen and a sofa in the living room. “It’s furnished?”
“Not exactly. I haven’t had a chance to move all my stuff out, but I can get the guys to come grab it if it’s in your way.”
“No, don’t,” I answered too quickly. “I haven’t had a chance to buy any furniture yet, so this is a huge help. All of it is.”
“Well, I’m glad.” She took the keys off her ring, then offered them to me. “It’s all yours.”
“I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you.” I was still in a state of disbelief as I reached over and took the keys from her hand. “You’re really saving me here. If you hadn’t come along, I probably would’ve been living out of my car for the next month.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you came to Stilettos today.”
“Yes, it was.” I thought back to my interview with Menace and how terribly it had all gone. I was shocked that he’d hired me as a waitress, and even more shocked that he’d given me a place to stay. I wanted to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood her earlier, so I asked, “And this was all Menace’s idea?”
“Sure was. He’s a great guy. You’ll see.” She gave me a warm smile, then said, “I’ll get going and let you settle in. If you need anything, just let me know.”
With that, she walked out of the apartment, leaving me alone in my new home. I took a quick look around, and I simply couldn’t believe it. I’d spent the last few weeks either in roach motels or the back seat of my car, and it seemed so surreal that I was actually in an apartment with furniture and a king-sized bed. For a moment, I thought I might actually survive this whole ordeal. I went back into the bedroom and lay across the bed. It wasn’t long before my nightmare came creeping back.
I’d just returned home from my not-so-wonderful date and was surprised to find that the front door had been left wide open. I’d stepped inside and was about to call out to Mom when I found her sprawled out, face down on the floor in a pool of blood. I’d gasped and started to rush over to her but froze when she’d lifted her head and looked at me with fear in her eyes. Clearly struggling, she’d held up her hand and motioned to get in the closet as she mouthed the words “Go. Go... Please!”
I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing or what she was saying, so I’d just stood there, unable to move or breathe. I’d heard my sister scream followed by a peculiar muffled sound and then complete silence. I would’ve remained standing there if I hadn’t heard my mother’s labored whisper, “Parker, you have to go.”
Without taking my eyes off her, I’d slipped into the coat closet and closed the door. Peering through the louvered panels, I watched as my mother had lain her head back down on the floor, and I listened as her ragged breaths had grown weaker and weaker until the moment when her body couldn’t fight it anymore. She was gone. I’d wanted desperately to go to her but remained hidden away in the closet when a strange man had entered the living room. Dressed in black from head to toe had made it impossible to identify who he was as he stepped over to my mother and nudged her with his foot. She hadn’t moved. She was already gone.
Tears had streamed down my face as I’d continued to peek through the slats of the door. The man had glanced around the room, and when he was confident he was alone, he removed the black balaclava from his head. At the time, I had no idea who he was, but his face had been forever burned into my memory.
When the police had finally come, I was still hidden in the closet. It wasn’t until one of them found me that I was able to move. They’d taken me down to the station, questioned me, and informed me that my father had been murdered in his office. I was in shock, barely able to speak, but with the officer’s help, I’d been able to identify the man who’d killed my mother and sister.
His name was Lorenzo Rossi—a member of the Italian mafia. He’d killed the people I loved most in the world as revenge for my father losing his boss’s case.
I was completely alone when I’d decided to testify against Rossi. While I’d never regretted getting on that stand, my decision had come at a cost. As the key witness, I had to be placed into witness protection. With my family gone, I had nothing keeping me in California, so I didn’t argue after they’d informed me I’d be relocating to Colorado. I was given a new name, a new place to live, and a job waitressing at a local diner run by Peter and Sally Brant. I’d thought being there with them would give me a chance to start over and put the deaths of my loved ones behind me, but sadly, that wasn’t the case.
I’d been living in Colorado for just over a year when the man who’d murdered my mother and sister in cold blood presented new evidence to the courts and was granted an appeal. Knowing I was the one person who could keep Rossi behind bars, the mafia had come after me. When they inevitably found me, they’d killed everyone I’d grown to care about — including the Brants. It had left me stunned. Maybe if I’d known about the appeal, if I’d known they were coming for me, I might’ve been able to do something—I might’ve been able to keep them all from being murdered in cold blood.
I’d spent the last two years living in constant fear of Rossi finding me. My dreams were no longer mine. They’d been stolen by him, turned into unbearable nightmares. There were days when I thought they would completely consume me, but I didn’t give up. I couldn’t. If I did, Rossi would put me in a grave right next to my parents and sister. I couldn’t let that happen. I owed it to my family to make sure he spent the rest of his life behind bars, and that was exactly what I intended to do.
The next morning, I spent a little time piddling around my new apartment. It felt so strange being there among someone else’s belongings, but I was overwhelmingly grateful to have a real bed and an actual shower that was all my own. After I unpacked my things, I bathed and got ready for my first day at work. Menace hadn’t given me my uniform yet, so I decided to get there a little early and give myself enough time to get dressed before my shift. When I arrived, a couple of the girls who’d interviewed with me the day before were up on the stage practicing their routines. I stood and watched for a moment, then sighed with relief that it wasn’t me up there twirling around on that pole. Knowing it wouldn’t be long before my shift started, I walked over to the bar where Marlowe was working and said, “Hey.”
“Hey, girl. How’s it going?”
“Good. I was just wondering where I needed to go to get my uniform for today.”
“Oh, I can hook you up.”
I followed her down the hall to the staff workro
om and watched as she opened one of the lockers. She glanced over me for a moment, then said, “You’re a size four, right?”
“An eight actually.”
“Okay.” She reached in and pulled out the tiniest uniform I’d ever seen. It was just a small halter top with a mini-skirt, barely big enough to cover the essentials, but I would have to find a way to make it work. I smiled as I took it from her hand. “Thanks, Marlowe.”
“No problem.” She started walking to the door as she said, “Just let me know if you need anything else.”
She closed the door and left me alone to get ready. I quickly undressed and put on my skimpy uniform, thinking there was no way the thing would fit me, but it did. And not only did it fit, it honestly looked okay on me. I studied myself in the mirror for a minute, and after a quick fix of my hair, I decided I was ready to face the music. I placed my other clothes in one of the empty lockers and headed out the door. I opened the door, and to my surprise, Menace was standing there talking to Jessie—one of the girls he’d hired from the other club. She was standing close to him, really close, and if the look on her face was any indication, she was putting the moves on him. A twinge of jealousy shot through me when she placed the palm of her hand on his chest and purred. “I just wanted to thank you again for giving us a chance here. If there’s anything I can do to show my appreciation just—”
“You can do the job you were hired to do.” His tone was firm and to the point as he added, “That’s all the thanks I need.”
“Oh, okay.” She took a step back and removed her hand. Not ready to give up, she smiled. “Just let me know if you change your mind.”
“I won’t.”
His face was cold, void of all expression as he watched her turn and walk away. I was still standing in the workroom doorway when Menace’s eyes met mine, and I felt like I’d been set on fire the second those gorgeous eyes started to slowly drift down my body. Unlike the way he looked at Jessie, his expression was intense, hungry, and possessive—like a predator about to claim his prey. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, and when he cleared his throat and then pried his eyes away from me, it was clear he was just as unsure. Menace’s voice was deep and strained as he asked, “You ready for your shift?”
“I am.” I stepped over to him. “I wanted to thank you for the apartment. It’s perfect.”
“Glad it worked out.”
As we both stood there staring at one another, the hungry look in his eyes didn’t fade, not in the least. In fact, the longer we lingered, the more intense it became. A fire started burning inside me and was growing by the second. I’d never felt such a strong attraction to a man before, which was a little concerning since he was not only my boss but a total stranger. Feeling the need to escape the magnitude of the moment, I feigned a smile and said, “I guess I better get to it.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Well, thanks again.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Okay, then,” I muttered as I turned and started to the front area. “Have a good one.”
“You too.”
Before I reached the bar, I glanced over my shoulder and was surprised to find Menace still standing in the hallway watching me—which made my heart skip a beat. Damn, I needed to be careful, or this man would become a problem. No matter how much I wanted to get close to him, I couldn’t let that happen.
Not now.
Not when there was so much at stake.
Menace
“So, what’s the deal with the new girl?”
“No deal.” The music was blaring as I glanced over my shoulder at Aubrey. I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off her all night. She was at the bar collecting her drink order, and she looked fucking incredible. Wearing the club’s waitress uniform, it looked like it was made for her. The short skirt clung to her delicate curves, and the low-cut halter top showed off just enough cleavage to drive me fucking crazy.
She’d been working for the last couple of nights, and it had been hell. At least, it was for me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She, on the other hand, seemed to be doing just fine. Apparently, she was entirely unfazed by my presence, but I intended to rectify that. “Just a girl who needed a job. We had a waitressing spot open, so I gave it to her.”
“Mm-hmm,” Rafe muttered in disbelief.
“Peter Brant told her to come here.”
“Lynch’s grandfather?” Rafe sounded just as surprised as I’d been. “How’d she know him?”
“Apparently, she used to work for them.”
“Was she around when all the shit went down with the robbery?”
“Don’t think so, but can’t say for certain. The whole deal seemed a little sketchy.”
“You think we should be concerned?”
“I wouldn’t have hired her if I did.”
“Well, I’m sure glad you hired her. Damn, she’s hot,” Country added. “Like really, fucking hot.”
“Steer clear, asshat,” I warned. “The last thing she needs is you giving her a hard time.”
“What makes you think I’d give her a hard time?” He brought his hand up to his chest like he was wounded. “I was just making an observation.”
“Yeah, sure you were.”
I watched as Aubrey carried the round of drinks over to one of the rowdier tables right next to the stage. The guys were all carrying on, cheering and shouting, and it was clear they had a thing for their pretty little waitress. I couldn’t blame them. Aubrey was the best-looking woman in the room, and her confident swagger only made her that much more desirable. They were all throwing her complements and dinner date offers, but she politely blew off their advances as she put their various beers down on the table. I was pleased to see that even though she looked sweet and innocent, she could handle her own. I turned my attention back to Rafe.
“This girl got a name?” Rafe asked, sounding concerned.
“Aubrey Cash. At least, that’s what she told me. I did a little digging after her interview, and there’s no mention of any Aubrey Cash before the year 2019. Just says she grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and her parents, Janice and Daniel Cash, were killed in a car crash. That’s it. No school. No college. No mention of her on any social media platform. Hell, there’s not even a single photograph of her anywhere online. It’s like she didn’t exist until a couple of years ago.”
“So, she’s lying about who she is?”
“No doubt about it. The chick is hiding something, and I got a feeling it’s not good.” The thought had me taking another pull from my beer. “She went to an awful lot of trouble to get herself a fake name, social security number, and driver’s license.”
“You think she’s in some kind of trouble?”
“Don’t have a clue.” I found myself looking back over in her direction as I said, “She hasn’t said much since the interview. Been keeping her head low and doing her job like she’s supposed to.”
“Marlowe told me she’s staying in her old apartment.” Rafe crossed his arms as he said, “She also mentioned it was your idea for her to move in there.”
“Yeah, well, she needed a place to stay.”
“So, that’s it? There’s not some other reason why you decided to go the extra mile for a girl you don’t even know.”
“I figure there’s a reason why Peter Brant sent her here.” I shrugged. “I figure we owe it to him and to Lynch to figure out why.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Not looking to get in her pants, brother. Just trying to do the right thing.”
“If you say so.”
I could see the wheels turning in my brother’s head. He was concerned, and he had every right to be. I knew nothing about this girl, which meant I’d put us all at risk by hiring her. I knew I was taking a chance when I did it, but I couldn’t turn her away. And I’d meant what I’d told Rafe about Brant. I wouldn’t feel right sending her on her way after he’d sent her here for our help. With everything that was going on with the new hires, I had
n’t had a chance to look into her like I should; in all honesty, I didn’t know when I would. There was a part of me that hoped I’d be able to convince her to tell me what was going on before it came to that. Trying to set his mind at ease, I told Rafe, “She said she was from Cleveland. I’ll look into their police database and see what I can find out.”
Country’s brows furrowed as he asked, “You sure you wanna do that?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Seems like she’s gone to a lot of trouble to keep her identity a secret. If I had to guess, I’d say there’s probably a good reason why.” As soon as he saw the expression on my face, he added, “I know it’s your job to protect the club and all, but there’s always the chance that you could bring the trouble to us the second you go poking around.”
“You might be right.”
“You can’t be serious...You’re good at this shit. You can find out what you need to without anyone being the wiser,” Rafe cocked his eyebrow and continued, “and honestly, I don’t get why you haven’t already done it.”
He was right. It would take some work, but I had the means to look into Aubrey, or whoever the hell she was, without anyone having a fucking clue. Hell, I’d spent the better half of my life doing just that, but something was holding me back. I didn’t know how to explain it. Hell, I didn’t understand it myself, but my gut was telling me to hold off. “I’ll get to it.”
“And you need to talk to Lynch and fill him in on the situation. Maybe he’ll have some insight as to what’s going on with her.”
“I will as soon as he comes in for his shift.”
Before I had a chance to say anything more, there was a commotion behind us—one that drew my attention to the table Aubrey had been serving. Rage engulfed me when I saw that one of them was pawing all over her, and she was doing her best to get out of his reach. When she stepped away from the table, he took a hold of her arm and yanked her into his lap. She looked utterly terrified as she tried to pull herself free from his grasp. It wasn’t the first time a customer had gotten handsy with a waitress. I knew one of the brothers would handle it, but for reasons I couldn’t begin to explain, I jumped off my stool and charged over to the table. Aubrey’s eyes were wide with surprise as I leaned down and lifted her from his lap. As soon as I’d gotten her on her feet, I turned my attention to the asshole who’d grabbed her.
