1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Five

by Julie Kenner

  Guidry’s voice came over the line. “No, slow down. I was joking around. I was surprised that she was spending so much time with someone I haven’t seen before. She usually follows a routine. She eats lunch at her desk or in the break room. Maybe this is completely innocent.”

  But she hadn’t mentioned that she was having lunch with a man. She’d texted him, as they’d agreed, to let him know her phone wasn’t working, but now he had to wonder. Was it truly not working or did she merely want to be alone with someone? She hadn’t mentioned any male friends. Laurel loved to talk about work. He knew the names of everyone there. She was friendly with some of the male workers. Maybe that was all it was.

  “Is it one of her coworkers? I know she’s friends with a Jeremy.” That was all. Jeremy was young and good looking, but Laurel told him they were only friends. He forced himself to calm down. He was being an irrational freak. He trusted Laurel.

  “No, I’ve documented all the coworkers. This is a new guy.”

  “Where is she?” He would go and see for himself. Maybe she was interviewing a client. She took her work seriously and she was a compassionate woman. It didn’t mean she was cheating on him.

  “She’s at the deli next to work. It’s not like she’s in a motel.”

  “How long has she been there?”

  “An hour and fifteen minutes. Look, Bradford, I really was joking. I was ribbing you. She’s been eating and talking.” There was another pause over the line. “That’s all.”

  That little pause made him think. There was something else. Something Guidry wasn’t telling him. “What else? Damn it, Guidry. You work for me. I’m the one paying the bills, and I want to know what else she’s done with him.”

  A long sigh came over the line. “She hugged him for a while and she seems pretty affectionate with him for a man she just met, that’s all. At one point, she held his hand for a little while as they talked. But from what I can tell, she’s an affectionate girl.”

  She was affectionate with her family. She wasn’t with anyone else but her lover. No. God, this couldn’t be happening to him again.

  Not with Laurel. Please not with Laurel.

  He felt a piece of himself go cold. If Laurel was cheating, he had to go cold. If Laurel was sleeping with someone else, he might never warm up again.

  “Call me if she leaves and get photos. I want to know who this man is and I want the information soon. I don’t care who you have to get on it. Find out who he is and how long she’s been seeing him.” He hung up.

  “What the hell is going on, Mitch?” Will followed him as he started out of the apartment and toward his car.

  He didn’t want to have this conversation now. He needed to get there. He needed to see for himself that Laurel was exactly like all the rest. She was looking out for her best prospect, and he’d always known it wouldn’t end up being him.

  “It’s between me and your sister.” The last thing he needed was Will coming with him.

  “I don’t like the look on your face. You need to calm down.” Will kept following him.

  Mitch made it to his car. He wasn’t about to tote her brother around. He was sure Will would make a hundred excuses for her. He had to see it for himself and then he could figure out what to do.

  He got in and immediately locked the door, started up the car and backed out. Will stared at him, shaking his head. He immediately got on his phone, very likely trying to warn Laurel that hell was coming her way. Poor Laurel. She’d left her phone behind so he couldn’t interrupt her date, and now that action was going to come back to haunt her.

  He drove toward her work like a man possessed.

  * * * *

  Laurel sniffled as she hung up and passed the phone back to Flynn. “He seemed happy.”

  Flynn slid the phone in his pocket. “I’m sure he was. You have no idea how much not having Mitch in his life has haunted my father. I think he made a choice at one point. He decided it was too hard to deal with Mitch’s mother and Dad gave up. He would send money, but not fight her on seeing him. He thought after Mitch turned eighteen they could start over again.”

  She could have told him that would never have worked. Mitch was far too stubborn to allow that to happen. Though he didn’t talk about his father, she knew Mitch had to be angry with him. How could he not be?

  She’d been angry with her mom. Her mother had battled addiction throughout Laurel’s childhood, but at the time all Laurel had been able to see was the fact that her mother consistently chose drugs over her children. Now she could look back with more mature eyes and see how hard her mother had it. Nothing was ever cut and dried. There were always two sides to a story and rarely was any one person perfectly good or perfectly evil. Most people tried. Her mother had come from an abusive family and despite her struggles, she’d never gone back, never exposed her kids to her fist-wielding father, though Laurel was sure at some points it would have been easier for her to have gone home. She’d come to peace with her mother, and it had been freeing to not have all that rage in her heart. She wasn’t sure how she could go into being a mom without it.

  Mitch needed to see his dad. He needed to come to terms with his father before it was too late.

  “I’m sure Mitch was stubborn. I’m surprised he took the money your father offered.”

  “That was all Margot.”

  He’d met Mitch’s ex? “Did you know her?”

  Flynn frowned. “Yeah. When I met her I’d recently started college. I was pretty excited to meet Mitch since I’d heard about him all my life. Margot was an interesting woman.”

  There was something about the way he said “interesting.” “I know she cheated on him with his business partner.”

  Flynn’s eyes wouldn’t quite meet hers. “I would suspect that was just the tip of the iceberg.”

  “What happened? Did she hit on you?”

  “My father. I walked in once and she was all over Dad. He turned her down, but she was always looking for the best bargain. I remember that’s pretty much exactly what she said. She asked why would she go for the imitation when she could have the real thing. Dad tried to talk to Mitch about it but he wouldn’t hear anything he had to say. There was a huge fight and a few years later, Margot had Mitch’s firm and Mitch pretty much spent everything he had left to pay Dad back. When he started up the second time, he didn’t engage my father at all. I never met his second wife.”

  Mitch had a lot of reasons to distrust relationships. From what she’d managed to uncover, his second wife had cheated on him, too. “His mother had a lot of relationships.”

  “Oh, yes. From what I understand she went from wealthy man to wealthy man. It didn’t matter if they were married or single. If they could take care of her, she was okay with it. She’s been married five times, but there were many more men. She moved often. I’m sure that had an effect on Mitch.”

  He held on to things that didn’t matter because he found them comforting. All those places he’d lived and likely not a one of them had been a home. He couldn’t trust the ground underneath his feet. It was constantly changing.

  She could see him as a child. Alone. Confused. Afraid.

  That would not happen to her baby. And it wouldn’t happen to Mitch again either. Not if she had any say in it.

  The door to the deli opened and she gasped in surprise. Mitch stood there, his face a bright red as he looked over the customers, his eyes finally falling on her. His jaw hardened and a nasty light hit his eyes.

  She hadn’t had enough time. She needed more. She’d already told herself she could take a few days and figure out how to broach the subject of his father with him. It looked like her time had completely run out. There was nothing to do but brazen through. She smiled his way. “Mitchell, we’re over here.”

  Flynn began to turn, but it was too little too late. Mitch crossed the space between them in a few long strides and had a hand on Flynn’s shirt, hauling him up. “You think you can fuck around with my woman?”

/>   “Mitch!” She was horrified. She watched as Mitch’s fist came out and connected with Flynn’s face with an audible crack. She stood up and tried to move between them. Flynn was stepping back, his hand on his jaw. He stepped between her and Mitch, placing himself between them.

  Mitch didn’t take it well. As she tried to move around him, Mitch reached out, dragging her to his side. There was a wild look in his eyes as he looked down at her. “You will get in the car and wait for me there while I deal with your boyfriend. Don’t even think about walking away from me, Laurel. You won’t like what happens if you walk away from me.”

  “I don’t think I like what’s happening right now,” a new voice said. She looked through tear-filled eyes at the man who had come to stand behind her. He was roughly six foot three, with dark hair he’d pulled back in a queue at the back of his neck. He was dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt that showed off broad shoulders and a chest to die for. He stepped between her and Mitch. “You might be paying me, boss, but you’re paying me to protect her, and in my mind that means I protect her from everyone—including you. You need to take a couple of minutes and get your head right before you talk to the lady again.”

  “What the hell was that for?” Flynn stared at his brother.

  Laurel was still trying to process what the guy with the slow Cajun accent had said. He was being paid by Mitch?

  “She’s taken, asshole. And she probably didn’t bother to tell you, but she’s pregnant.” Mitch stepped toward Flynn, looking like a bull about to charge.

  The guy, who was apparently supposed to protect her, gently grasped her elbow and pulled her back from the brothers. “Yes, she’s pregnant, and that’s a damn good reason to be civil around her, Bradford.”

  Flynn stopped and stared at Mitch for a minute. “You don’t even know who I am. You have no fucking idea who I am.”

  Mitch didn’t know what his brother looked like? She tried to step around the bodyguard she hadn’t even known she had, but he was apparently serious about his job.

  “Not on my life, chère. Those men aren’t going to listen to you. Bradford’s got his panties in a wad, and the best thing for you to do is let him have his hissy fit.”

  “I’m not having a hissy fit and you’re fired, Guidry. And why the fuck would I…” Mitch stared for a moment. “Flynn?”

  She tried to shove around Guidry. “Yes, it’s your brother, Mitch. Not that you told me you have one.” She frowned at the bodyguard, who still wasn’t letting her through. “He said you were fired.”

  “Ain’t no one firing me but the big guy. When Taggart says I can go home, I will. Though I still probably wouldn’t. I don’t like the look in that man’s eyes.” Guidry kept his gaze on Mitch, though she was fairly certain she still wouldn’t get around the man. “Since this is a family matter, why don’t you take this someplace less public, gentlemen? I think all the testosterone is making it difficult for the other patrons to enjoy their lunch.”

  Mitch turned around. “You’re right. Laurel, get in the car. We’ll discuss this at home.”

  She looked back and saw that Flynn’s face had fallen. “I think you should talk to Flynn.”

  Mitch pointed toward the door. “I think you should remember our contract. You don’t tell me what to do, baby. You follow orders. Get in the car. I won’t ask again and punishment for disobeying me won’t be pleasant.”

  “Punishment?” Flynn stepped up.

  God save her from over-dramatic men. “I’m fine. He has never and will never hurt me.”

  “There’s a first time for everything,” Mitch said in a low growl.

  His panties really were in a wad. What had gotten him to stalk in here like an angry bear? Had he thought she was cheating on him with his brother and a chicken salad sandwich? “I’m not going anywhere until I’m sure you’re not going to kill your brother, and you can also explain the Cajun dude who seems to think he’s supposed to protect me. How long has that been going on?”

  She was pleased with her calm tone of voice. It was obvious none of the men were going to remain calm, so she had to.

  Mitch turned and she watched as he visibly forced himself to chill. He reached for her and then stopped, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath and seemed to mentally count. When they opened again, his blue eyes were icy cold. “Laurel, we’ll discuss this at home. For now, the police need to talk to you. Someone broke into your apartment and trashed the place. This is Remy Guidry. I hired him because someone nearly killed you and I wanted to ensure your safety. He’s watched you when I couldn’t. As for my brother, he’s none of your business and the fact that you would talk to him behind my back makes me question your loyalty—another thing we’ll discuss this evening. Don’t be surprised if I ask for that collar back.”

  The room seemed to still, everything around her moving to the background until there was only Mitch and his cold stare. “Are you serious?”

  He was cold as ice as he stared down at her. “You’ve read the contract. You know what I require and you defy me at every turn. You sneak in your wants and your desires and I give in. This is what happens. You aren’t capable of being my sub and I knew it the minute I met you.”

  Anger flared through her system and before she could think about it, her hands went to the gold necklace around her throat. They’d selected it together, spending the day at NorthPark Mall, trying on pretty jewelry. He wanted it back? She could give it to him. “Well, I’m sorry I proved you right, Mitchell. We don’t have to talk at all.”

  It seemed they had nothing to talk about. She tossed the necklace at him. He could use it on the next idiot, and there would absolutely be a next one. He was too gorgeous, too sexy, to not have another woman dangling for him. Likely, as soon as they realized he was available.

  She turned and walked out the door, tears clouding her vision. This was what she got for her trouble. The minute she didn’t do what he wanted, he dumped her.

  Except that wasn’t exactly what had happened. And she did try to get her way on things he was unreasonable about.

  It didn’t matter now. And apparently she had to go and talk to the police.

  Mitch was on her heels the minute she stepped outside. “Laurel.”

  Guidry moved in beside her. “I’ll drive you to your apartment, and that’s not a suggestion. Just because Bradford wants to act like a jealous asshole doesn’t mean you’re out of danger, darlin’.”

  God, she wanted to tell them all to go to hell. She wanted everyone to go away and let her mourn. How could she have a relationship with a man who shoved her away the minute things got tough? He didn’t even recognize his brother? Would he even bother to call and check on the baby now that they were through? Sure, he’d written it into their contract, but seeing how he avoided his father and brothers, she couldn’t know that he’d want anything to do with their baby now.

  Mitch was used to walking away.

  “Hey, I didn’t say I was through talking to you, Laurel. I’ll drive you to the police station and then I’ll drive you home. We have a few things to work out,” Mitch insisted.

  She stopped on the sidewalk and looked back. Flynn had stepped out of the deli and he looked positively heartbroken.

  That was what she would likely look like in a few months. When Mitch decided he was done with a person, he was done with them.

  She should have listened. He’d told her he was bad for her. He’d said it in plain English. He’d tried to stay away.

  In the end, she had to be sensible. Someone was out to hurt Mitch, and right now, they thought they could use her to those ends. It might take a few weeks for Dixon to realize there was no place in Mitch’s heart for anything, much less her.

  “Remy can drive me and I’ll be a good client. I understand why he’s here and I’ll cooperate with him until we’re sure it’s safe. I’ll pick up my things from your place later tonight.”

  “What do you mean?” Mitch asked. For the first time the chill was replaced with an
almost expectant wariness.

  He’d really thought she would fall in line? “You say I’m not your sub. So I’ll find a place to stay until my apartment is safe. I’ll call my brother. His building is secure. I think you should talk to your brother.”

  “He isn’t my brother,” Mitch returned, his tone savage. “And don’t think this is over, Laurel. Are you forgetting you have something of mine?”

  Her hand went to her stomach. “This is a baby and not a piece of property, and don’t you dare try to use our baby against me. Go to hell, Mitch.”

  She turned and started back down the street. This time, he didn’t follow her.

  “My truck is close. You should probably go in and let them know you won’t be coming back this afternoon. I’ll call in and let my boss know what’s going on. If you’re not with Mitch, then I need to stay close to you,” Guidry explained.

  The last thing she needed was another man watching out for her, but she wasn’t about to let her stubbornness get her baby killed. She nodded, walked into the building and explained about her apartment. She was the world’s worst employee, but her boss seemed to understand. She grabbed her phone, which had finally charged back up.

  They were supposed to get a new battery today. Well, Mitch was. He was going to order a new one and then take her out to dinner. She sniffled as she looked down at the phone. He’d called several times and left her texts about getting in touch with him the minute she could.

  Why would the man seem so panicked about a woman he could throw away like a used tissue?

  Maybe she was the drama queen.

  “I’m parked out back,” Guidry explained.

  “Of course you are. I might have noticed I was being followed if you’d parked out front.” She understood the need, but was irritated Mitch hadn’t told her.