“Shows what you know.” Jason threw the words over his shoulder as he walked out, but he was very much afraid they were right.
Faith Lancaster was in his head and he was beginning to think the only way to get her out was to see what, if anything, could be between them. And now, luckily for him, he had an excuse to see her again.
Faith woke up and performed her usual routine, settling in for her cup of morning coffee and a look at her website, orders, and sales numbers. Right now it appeared that her online orders had picked up and in-store sales were strong. Her goal with the baskets had been to increase both of those as well as her foot traffic, and a click would tell her if she’d had initial gains.
She clicked and … “Success!” There had been an exponential jump in the three short days since she’d left her baskets in stores downtown. It felt good to accomplish her goal, better to know her ideas had merit and were working for her.
She wondered if whatever notion she’d given Jason Dare the other night had helped him the way he’d hoped it would. She’d picked up his business card a few times over the last couple of days, wishing her life was simple and that she could call him. At the very least to just be his friend. But it seemed like lying low was working for her.
Things had been quiet since the tire slashing, leading her to believe it had been a freak incident. Maybe one of the neighborhood kids really had thought vandalism made for a fun night out. She couldn’t afford to bring anyone into her life that might bring attention to her or become a target her brother could use against her.
If she was lonely, well, at least she was safe. It was a trade-off she was willing to make.
After getting dressed, she headed out for the day, still on a high from the results of her experiment for her business. But when she pulled up to the front of the shop, her world fell apart. Graffiti covered the glass, ruining the beautiful painting she’d had done of her logo, and the glass on the door had been shattered.
She parked and walked to the entrance, her stomach twisted in painful knots, and tears sprung to her eyes. She hadn’t been able to afford a burglar alarm and because she was surrounded by so many other stores, she’d naively thought she could get by without one.
The shops surrounding her were clothing stores whose salespeople didn’t arrive for work until ten a.m. She came in early to prep and cook. Obviously no one had reported this yet or the police would be here.
With her heart in her throat, she dialed 911 and stood outside before entering, only willing to do so with a police officer by her side. While she waited, she’d never felt so alone or experienced the solitude of her life more acutely. She’d left behind a life with friends, who she hadn’t contacted for fear Colton would pressure them for her whereabouts.
And though she had Kelsey here, Kelsey was an intern, not a real friend. At twenty-five, Faith was four years older than the other girl, who had her own group of friends from school. New York City wasn’t conducive to meeting people if you didn’t make an effort, go to the gym or classes, and put yourself out there. And Faith had done everything but. She’d kept her head down, run her business, and gone home alone at night.
Her thoughts went to Jason, a man she’d just met. She felt silly, but she’d put his business card in her jacket pocket, and she fingered the cool paper now, hoping it would make her feel better, but she had no intention of calling him.
He didn’t need her problems and he wasn’t her friend. He’d just been a helpful stranger.
She forced herself to think about the incident and who could have done it. If her brother had been the culprit, and how could it be anyone but him, how had he found her? She’d put all the paperwork in the business entity name, not her own, hadn’t put her picture on any of her social media, including the company website, and she’d taken a new last name to ensure she’d be protected. But if these two back-to-back episodes told her anything, there was no such thing as safe.
Once the cops came, they checked out the business before declaring it clear for her to go inside, at which point she had to step over a brick that had been thrown through the glass. Thank God whoever it was hadn’t gotten inside. Her equipment and cases were all intact and she blew out a relieved breath.
A forensic analyst arrived to dust for prints and bag the brick for evidence, while another officer took Faith’s statement. She debated telling them about Colton’s attack and threats, but that could only lead to them contacting the police department at home to question him, and she didn’t want to alert him to where she was on the very off chance this was a coincidence. If they found his prints, they’d have proof. He had a record, after all. But if they didn’t, they couldn’t accuse him anyway.
Finally they left her alone with the mess of her shop. Luckily for her, the man who owned the clothing store on one side came by and called a few friends, who boarded up the door until she could get someone in to fix it during the week. And there was nothing she could do about the graffiti until the window washers could fit her in.
She refused to let her brother frighten her out of her own shop, so despite the boarded window and mess outside, she prepared her candy for the day and opened for business.
Three days passed before Jason was able to give his undivided attention to Faith. He didn’t want to approach her with something heavy on his mind, and with his mother’s divorce going on in Florida, her sudden spate of phone calls to Jason, his brother Alex’s follow-ups, and Sienna’s added distress, combined with the business issues, Jason had had his hands full. When he saw Faith again, he wanted to be wholly focused on more than just asking her to contact Izzy about Noah’s birthday party favors.
He wanted a game plan about them.
Gabe’s comment about Jason’s actions when it came to Faith stayed with him. Letting her go easily doesn’t sound like the Dare way. Jason was well aware that Gabe had waited a long time for Izzy, and when he’d finally gotten his chance, he’d had to let her go find herself before she could truly become his. However, Gabe had kept a silent eye on her the entire time.
With Faith’s face and sexy body in his dreams and firmly entrenched in his mind, Jason had been fighting his instinct not to get involved when everything inside him screamed out for him to check on her. See her again. Make sure the tire was a fluke and she was safe and okay. Now, he finally had a reason to seek her out, and he’d decided to push harder to see what could be between them.
He might not want to add someone else to the list of people he had to worry about, but in one short night, she’d gotten under his skin, giving him no choice.
He headed for his car and typed her store name into Waze, ready to put his plan into motion. Except when he approached the shop, located on the left, as his direction-voice told him, he saw graffiti covering the windows and the door to her store boarded up.
“Fuck.” Stomach churning, protective instincts growing inside him, he drove around, searching for a parking spot, finally settling on a lot a few blocks away. He gave his car to an attendant and rushed down the street and over to Sweet Treats.
He opened the door, which still worked, and stepped inside. The sweet smell immediately assaulted him, a delicious, welcoming scent that reminded him of his candy girl. Inside, there was no hint of vandalism, thank goodness, but he didn’t see Faith.
“Hello?” he called out.
She immediately popped up from where she must have been kneeling down by the counter. “Jason!” she said, obviously surprised to see him.
“What the hell happened here?” he asked, knowing he sounded pissed because he was. Who would terrorize a woman this way?
She sighed. “The store was vandalized on Sunday and nobody’s been willing to come out and fix it until sometime next week.”
“Sunday? Why the hell didn’t you call me?” Guilt for ignoring his gut instinct immediately filled him.
Hadn’t he worried about the slashed tire? Didn’t he know better than to disregard what his instinct told him was important? He tamped down o
n thoughts of Levi. Faith was here in front of him, safe at least right now, and he intended to make sure she stayed that way.
“Seriously?” She strode out from behind the counter, hands settled on her hips, and glared at him. “I barely know you. Why would I bother you with my problems?”
He stepped closer, placing his hand beneath her chin, their gazes locked in a war of wills. “Because there was a connection between us and you know it. And because I can help you and clearly” – he swept his arm toward the door – “you need that help and support. Where is Kelsey?” he asked more gently, stroking a hand over Faith’s cheek before stepping back and giving her space.
Faith let out a breathy groan. “She’s out with the flu. I’ve been holding things down here alone, but like I said, people aren’t coming in. I think they’re avoiding me because of the graffiti and damage.” She frowned, appearing more angry than scared, for which he was grateful.
He took her soft hand in his and looked her over, inspecting her body, from her feet in pink Chucks, up her legs, past her apron, over her abundant and tempting breasts, to her hair piled on top of her head. “You look fine,” he muttered to himself, relieved.
She blinked in clear disbelief. “Now that’s a good way to turn a lady’s head. You look fine,” she said in a damned good imitation of him.
He shook his head and grinned. “I meant, you appear unharmed and you look fucking fantastic.” And she did. The messy bun and hot pink tee shirt with her store logo hugging her curves suited her.
She laughed. “Now you’re just sugarcoating the truth.”
“And you’re trying to avoid discussing what happened here.” He pulled her over to the nearest table and held out a chair. “Sit and talk to me.”
She narrowed her gaze as she lowered herself into the chair. “I came in early on Sunday and found … this.” She gestured to the window, her expression alternatively sad, then furious.
He slid his chair closer to hers before settling in. “Do you think it’s related to the slashed tire?”
“I have no idea,” she said, as her entire expression suddenly shut down.
It hadn’t been his imagination, either. One minute she’d been engaged in the conversation; the next she’d closed herself off to him.
From the minute he’d laid eyes on her, he’d marked her as special. He still wouldn’t let himself think of her as his. She was right in saying they barely knew each other. But if she thought he was going to let her get away with deflecting about something as important as her safety, she was about to learn that Jason Dare didn’t screw around when it came to people he cared about. And she’d just been added to that short list.
Chapter Three
Jason understood when to tread carefully, so he studied the suddenly panicked look on Faith’s face and decided to tackle things from another direction.
“Okay you obviously don’t trust me … yet. So let’s start this way. I’m going to get your business back up and running.” He’d prove to her she could believe in him and he wouldn’t let her down.
She frowned, shaking her head. “I called everyone in the area and some beyond. People are booked up.”
He raised an eyebrow at the challenge and pulled out his cell, dialing one of his contractors who’d done work at Club TEN29 and who owed him a favor.
“Sam? It’s Jason Dare.”
“Hey, man. How are you?” Sam Fremont asked.
“I’m okay. You? How are Lisa and that princess of yours?” he asked of the man’s daughter.
“Doing well. The doctors say just two treatments left,” he said, his relief obvious in his voice.
“Good! Listen, I’m sorry for the short notice, but I have a friend with an issue.” He went on to explain about Faith’s graffiti and the glass on the door. “How soon can you get someone out here to fix both?”
Sam had access to glass cutters, window cleaners, and anything else Faith might need.
“I’ll come over myself to assess the situation and handle what I can. What I can’t, I’ll call in reinforcements to fix. Be there in an hour. Just text me the address.”
“Great. I owe you one. I’ll be here to meet you in an hour,” he repeated for Faith’s benefit, whose eyes opened wide.
“How did you do that?” she asked, as he typed her address and store name into his phone for Sam.
He didn’t find it easy to talk about this, but it was a step toward building trust, and if he was going to keep her safe, he needed to understand what she was up against. It was more than neighborhood kids. That much he knew.
He cleared his throat and looked into her pretty green eyes. “Sam’s daughter was diagnosed with childhood leukemia and he panicked. He was a freaking mess.”
“I can’t even imagine,” she said, her heart in her voice.
“Well, my sister lived through it when she was young. She had a bone marrow transplant.” The necessity had led Jason’s two-timing father to reveal to his wife that he needed to have his full siblings tested to see if they were a match. Their lives had all blown up at the time.
“Jason, I’m so sorry.” Faith reached out and held his hand. “How is she?”
“Fine now. Healthy. A mom.” He grinned at that. “But I got her in touch with Sam and his wife, Lisa. She talked them through the process, kept them calm, reassured them when she could.” He shrugged. “Sam feels like he owes me.”
He shook his head, and when things came back into focus, he realized Faith had tears in her eyes.
“You have a big heart,” she murmured.
“It just made sense,” he said, uncomfortable with the praise for something so minor. “Sienna went through the same experience and I knew she could help them. And now Sam will help you. This place will be back to itself in no time.”
“I don’t know how to thank you,” she murmured.
“I do. Go on a date with me,” he said, back to his pushy, what he hoped was charming, self. Was he playing fair? No. did he care?
Not one bit.
He started to rise before she could answer him, deciding that he’d effectively backed her into doing something she wanted to do anyway.
“Jason–” she said, warning him with her tone she didn’t like being pushed into a corner.
“I know. It’s not a good idea.” He met her gaze. “I’m just waiting for you to explain why the hell not?”
“Fine. Sit back down.”
He did as she said and waited patiently, understanding whatever she had to explain was obviously difficult for her.
“My mom passed away without warning a little over a year ago.” Tears filled her eyes and he reached out, clasping her hand in his.
“I’m sorry.”
She sniffed. “Thank you. Me, too. Anyway, I lived in Iowa, where I grew up. My dad left when I was almost eleven. I have no idea what happened to him, but Mom somehow made it okay. She worked to make ends meet, and I went to a local college, worked in a store in town. It was my brother who was the problem. He acted out after Dad left, and eventually he was doing drugs, selling with a local dealer. Mom threw him out.”
He listened, sad for the little girl who’d lost her dad and whose brother hadn’t manned up. “What happened?”
“After Mom died, Colton showed up, demanding his share of the inheritance. There wasn’t much, but Mom had saved money from her parents, and she’d taken out a life insurance policy. Everything went to me.”
“She disinherited him,” Jason said and Faith nodded.
“She had no choice. He would have spent it all on drugs. Where he lived, who he hung out with … he was strung out all the time…”
With a shake of his head, Jason reassured her. “I’m not judging her. Go on.”
She swallowed hard. “I was sleeping one night and he broke in.” Closing her eyes, her entire body shuddered under the weight of the obviously painful memory. “He tried to cajole me into splitting the money, and when that didn’t work, he got angry. So angry.”
Jas
on listened, knowing he wasn’t going to like what came next. Knowing, too, he couldn’t go back and prevent whatever it was she’d lived through.
She wrapped her arms around herself, rocking as she spoke. “He shook me and then his hands were around my neck, squeezing–” She forced her eyes open wide. “When he released me, I screamed. He said he’d be back for what was his and he took off.”
A possessive fury took hold, that anyone would hurt this sweet woman whose smiles came so easily despite everything she’d been through.
“So what did you do?” he asked, his jaw clenched so his own anger didn’t spill out and scare her. Because at this point he wanted to kill her brother.
“I ran. I packed up everything I could take with me overnight and disappeared. I figured New York City was the largest, easiest place to get lost. I started in a hotel, found a lawyer, changed my last name … and here I am.”
He blinked, knowing it couldn’t have been that simple. “A name change is public record.”
“Not when it’s sealed because you can show the judge the fading bruises on your neck,” she said, her hands coming up to clasp herself there.
Yep. He was going to fucking kill her sibling.
“So somehow he found you?” Jason asked, managing not to clench his fists and scare her away from him.
She nodded. “I’m guessing the slashed tire was a warning, though I have to admit, I’d hoped that was a freak neighborhood kid incident. But the vandalism and the brick? He wants me scared so by the time he comes in person, I’ll give him whatever he wants.” She’d lowered her hands from her neck, leaving red marks from where she’d made her point.
Jason had had enough. He stood up and walked over, pulling her into his arms because he needed the connection and felt certain she did, too.
She relaxed into him, her soft curves easing against his. He breathed in her sweet scent and held her as the trembling in her body eased. Too quickly, she pulled away.
Vote Then Read: Volume I Page 23