by Linda Verji
Shock was an understatement for the emotion roiling inside Lee as he snatched a glance at A.J. She had a father and a sister? When? How? After she’d told him she had no family, he’d assumed that she was an orphan with no siblings. Obviously he was wrong. And if this was her father, what was with all the tension and threatening? They were acting more like enemies than family.
His amused gaze on Lee, Casper asked, “And you are?”
“Enough with the introductions,” A.J cut in before Lee could answer. Coming in front of Lee as if to protect him, she asked her father, “Did you bring my money?”
“Patience. Patience. Patience. How many times have I told you that these things take time?” Casper patted A.J’s shoulder as he strolled past her. “Give me a minute to settle in and get used to this place.”
A.J didn’t say anything but her gaze followed Casper as he prowled the room, taking in her stock. Lee wanted to take her hand to reassure her that he’d protect her, but he instinctively knew that she’d hate that. A.J wasn’t the type to show weakness in front of the enemy. And there was no doubt that Casper was the enemy.
The burly man paced beside Casper as he toured the shop, but Ten wandered away on her own. Lee noticed that she wasn’t looking at the pieces like her father. In fact it looked like she was assessing the room and subtly searching it.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding out?” Casper said, dragging Lee’s attention from Ten. The older man was staring at a circular steel shield that was decorated with silver and gold and had some scrolling on it.
“I wasn’t hiding out,” A.J said. “If you were any better at looking, you would’ve found me a long time ago.”
“Is this a Farhad?” Casper lifted the shield off the wall to observe it better. His eyes lit up as he gaped. “It is a Farhad. Where did you get it? I thought his second wife set all his work on fire after he married his third wife.”
“Apparently not,” A.J said in a bored tone. “You’re not really here to look at my art work, are you?”
“Very, very nice.” As if A.J hadn’t asked him a question, Casper set the shield back on the wall and moved to the next piece. His hand swept over the whole shop. “When did you get these?”
“While you weren’t looking,” A.J retorted.
Casper’s gaze spun the width of the room before coming back to her. There was a strange anger that hadn’t been there before as he said, “I don’t see my painting.”
A.J smiled. It was a cold smile that sent chills down Lee’s spine even though he wasn’t its recipient. Her eyes on Casper, she said, “It’s too valuable to put out here.”
“You haven’t sold it, have you?”
“Not yet. But I might.” A.J’s smiled widened. “If you want to save it, there’s an easy way.”
“Ah, your money.” Though Casper’s voice barely rose, his eyes crackled with undeniable rage.
“Ah, my money,” A.J mimicked, amusement in her eyes.
For a moment, she and Casper just stared at each other. When Casper spoke, his voice was tight with anger. To Lee, he said, “You should leave. Our family needs to have a little talk.”
Was he kidding? With all the tension in this room, Lee was supposed to leave A.J here alone? Lee folded his arms over his chest and guffawed. “I think I’ll stay.”
Casper’s eyes flashed and his henchman moved forward as if to haul Lee himself out. Lee tensed and his hands fisted beside his body, preparing to fight if that’s what it meant to stay by A.J’s side.
Casper stretched out his hand to block his henchman. His gaze lingered on Lee then shifted to A.J. “Tell him to leave.”
Lee saw her break for the first time. Something like worry flashed in her expression as she turned to him. She was worried about him.
Before she could bow to her father, Lee said, “No.”
Something about the firmness in his tone dissuaded her, and she turned back to her father. “Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of him.”
“Who said I wanted to say anything?” Casper said coldly. The threat in his words was crystal clear. He was prepared to hurt his daughter to get what he’d come for.
Lee steeled himself for the fight he saw coming. He wasn’t at A.J’s level but he was scrappy and had never come out of a fight without causing as much damage as was done to him. Plus he was taller than both Casper and his goon, so that was an advantage, right? God, he hoped so.
“You look like you’re ready to fight me,” Casper said. The angry look in his eyes faded and was replaced by amusement as he studied Lee. “A friend and a guard-dog. You’ve done well for yourself, A.J.”
“What he is is none of your business.” She pushed out a long breath. “Are we discussing my money or not?”
“I think this isn’t a good time to talk,” Casper said, his dark eyes still on Lee. “I’ll come back another time, when you’re freer.”
Freer? Bullshit! The man should’ve just come out and said ‘alone’.
Keeping his tone measured despite the anger now throbbing through him, Lee said, “Sure, you can come back. We’ll be waiting, and we’ll make sure the cops are here to welcome you too.”
“Cops?” Casper laughed, but there was no amusement in his eyes. Only anger flashed there. A tight smile lifted the corner of his thin lips. “Cute.”
“Trust me, they won’t be cute.”
Casper studied Lee for quite a while then waggled his finger at him. “You know what? I’m beginning to think that you and I should have a private discussion of our own.”
The look in Casper’s eyes said that that discussion would likely involve some fists and maybe even guns. Lee should’ve been scared. Instead an irrational fury filled him. Who did this thug think he was? Threatening A.J.
Lee bit out, “Maybe we should.”
Casper glared at him for another long moment before spinning towards the door. His henchman and Ten quickly caught up to him. Just before they got to the door, Casper stopped and picked up a statue of two women fighting over a baby.
“This is very nice,” Casper said, clear admiration in his tone. “It’s by Nava Belenky, right?”
A.J didn’t say anything but her silence was answer enough for her father.
“It’s a Nava Belenky!” Casper smiled. “Nice.” Without missing a beat, he released the statue. It fell to the floor and shattered. The shattering sound melding with A.J’s swift intake of breath. Grinning, Casper met A.J’s eyes. “Oops! I should’ve been more careful.”
His laughter rang behind him as he left the store.
As soon as Casper and his minions were gone, A.J turned to Lee. “Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” Lee turned disbelieving eyes to her. “I should be the one asking you that.”
Concern in her eyes, she said, “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Done what?”
“Attracted his attention.” A.J pushed out a long breath. “Casper holds a grudge.”
“I don’t think that’s what we should be concerned about right now.” Worry nipping at him, Lee ran a jerky hand through his hair. “He said he was coming back. What will you do when he does?”
A.J shrugged. “Deal with him.”
“Deal with him?” Lee couldn’t believe she was being this blasé about the situation.
Instead of panicking like most women, she moved towards the broken statue and bent to pick up the larger pieces of it. Was she really cleaning up? Now? If he wasn’t so scared for her, Lee would be impressed.
“We should report this to the police,” he suggested.
“The cops can’t do anything for me.” Her tone even, she added, “Besides, they’d arrest me first.”
“Arrest you first?”
“Yeah.” She strolled towards the corner of the shop to dump the broken pieces she’d collected in the bin before grabbing a dustpan and brush. “I stole Casper’s painting.”
That piece of information was enough to silence Lee for a shocked minute.
He wanted to ask A.J why she’d stolen the painting but for now that wasn’t important. “It doesn’t matter what you did. We can’t sit back and let him hurt you.”
“Look, you don’t need to worry.” She brushed the smaller pieces of the broken sculpture into the dustpan. “Despite Casper’s threats, he won’t do anything to me while I still have his painting. It’s too valuable.”
Frankly, Lee didn’t understand what was going on here. But he knew one thing; that he wasn’t okay with A.J being so blasé about the situation or her safety. Looks like he’d be spending a lot more time in her store. He’d have to tell his father to keep an eye on her store too. Obviously, he couldn’t give Mason all the details but he needed to at least have someone else watching out for her when he wasn’t around.
“Maybe you shouldn’t come to the store anymore,” A.J suggested as worry flashed in her expression. Her anxious gaze on Lee, she rose to her full height. “Casper might find out that there’s something going on between us and come after you.”
“Yeah! That’s not going to happen.” Lee snorted. “I’m not running from Casper. If I want to see you, then I’ll see you.”
She strode towards him and came to a stop in front of him. “What if he comes after you?”
He borrowed her words. “Then I’ll deal with him.”
“Lee.” Her hand came up to cup his upper arm. “You don’t understand the kind of man Casper is.”
“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea of what kind of man he is.” He put his hand over hers and squeezed. “And it still won’t stop me from being around you or trying to protect you.”
“I can protect myself.”
“I know.” His voice softened. “But that doesn’t mean you have to do it on your own.”
She watched him for a while then sighed his name. “Lee.”
“What?” He gave her a wide-eyed look. She was nuts if she thought he’d walk away from her just because of Casper. The man might have goons on his side, but Lee was determined, ready and willing to defend and protect his woman.
Before A.J could say anything more, he strolled away from her to assess the Warehouse 17’s security. So many questions whirled in his mind as he wandered around the store. After witnessing the tension between A.J and her family, he understood why she’d claimed not to have any family. But their dynamics both fascinated and scared him.
If Mason had borrowed money from Lee, no matter the amount, Lee would likely let it go. But even if he wanted it back, it would never get to the point where Lee felt compelled to steal from Mason. And even if he did steal it, Mason would certainly never threaten him with violence. What had happened between Casper and A.J to bring them to this point? Or had they always been like this? How involved was Casper in A.J’s criminal past?
So many questions. Still, A.J’s closed expression as she brushed the last pieces of her sculpture into a dustpan left no doubt that this wasn’t the right time to ask those questions. Maybe she’d tell him on her own someday.
He broke the silence. “You know what this means, right?”
“Huh?” She looked up at him. “What means what?”
He flashed her a smile. “Now that we’ve fought together, we’re practically a couple.”
He was relieved to see amusement flash in her eyes. She guffawed. “You call that a fight?”
“Hey, didn’t you see me defending your honor?” he affected a hurt tone.
“Yeah, right!” She snorted.
“After all my hard work, I think I deserve a reward.” He gave her his best puppy dog eyes. “Have dinner with me.”
“You don’t quit, do you?” Her laughter rang in the room, dispelling the last of the lingering tension.
“Tenacious is my middle name,” he said, relieved to see her features so relaxed. Still, tension roiled within him. How could he protect her from her own father?
CHAPTER 10
A.J’s lack of fear wasn’t a front. She genuinely was unmoved by Casper’s threats. She knew him too well. He wouldn’t hurt her, not while she still had his precious painting. He loved his art like they were his children. Correction; he loved them more than his children and would do anything to protect them. If he was smart, which he was, he’d try to negotiate with her for the piece’s safe return. If that didn’t work, then he’d try to steal it before resorting to anything that might make her sell it or attract the attention of the authorities.
An observer might ask – why not beat the whereabouts of the painting out of her?
Simple! Casper had tried that once and failed miserably. Long story short, about six years ago they’d pulled a job together. Afterwards, he’d stiffed her on her cut of their take, about one hundred thousand dollars. In retaliation, she’d stolen the diamond necklace from the person he’d sold it to then left a note telling them to ask Casper for their money back. Casper had of course tried to beat the necklace out of her. It hadn’t worked.
A.J wasn’t afraid of pain. Death? Please! It wasn’t like she had anything to live for back then anyway. All that mattered to her was sticking it to Casper. If her death meant him losing half a million dollars, then she would’ve gone to the grave smiling. How dare he try to steal from a thief! Needless to say, Casper had surrendered. She got her money, and he got his necklace back. The same thing would happen this time.
She was, however, worried about Lee. Now that he was on Casper’s radar, who knew what Casper might try. Worse, Lee had been spending more time than usual at her store. Whenever he wasn’t working, he dropped by her store. His excuse was that he wanted to see her, but she wasn’t fooled. She knew that his visits were his way of taking care of her. If Casper had someone watching her, which she was sure he did, then he should’ve already figured out that hers and Lee’s relationship went beyond friendship.
A part of her was annoyed at Lee and his misguided attempt to protect her. Here he was, standing right at danger’s doorstep, and he was worried about her? The other part of her was thrilled. No one had ever stepped up for her before. She’d been her own bodyguard and cheerleader for so long that it felt strange to have someone worrying over her. Strange in a good way.
Wednesday evening found A.J and Kelly standing outside A.J’s apartment waiting for Sin’s big reveal. The stairs leading up to A.J’s apartment had been busy all morning and afternoon with workmen carrying furniture up. Sin, who was supervising the workmen, had banned A.J from showing her face anywhere near the apartment until she was done with the decorating. Kelly had dropped by after work, eager to see the apartment.
A.J wasn’t sure if she could call her own emotion eagerness or nervousness. As much as she trusted Sin, one never knew with these things. What if she hated it? Could she tell her friend that she hated it? What if she hurt Sin’s feelings? Ugh! This is what happened when you made friends. You started to care about their feelings. Ugh!
“Okay.” Sin opened the door. “You can come in.”
As soon as A.J entered the apartment, relief flooded through her. She wouldn’t have to hurt her friend’s feeling because the apartment looked great. No, make that gorgeous.
“Wow!” Kelly gasped, voicing A.J’s feelings. “Wow! Sin.”
There were no more traces of the 1950s retro living room A.J had moved into. This looked like something straight out of an expensive interior design magazine. The light green drapes covering the large windows perfectly matched the green accent wall. The large, beige sectional was the perfect size, and the green and burnt orange decorative pillows added a dash of color to the room. As if the space wasn’t good enough, Sin had added in a unique coffee table that was also a clock and a plush sheepskin rug that gave the room a classy yet comfortable vibe.
Sin turned dancing eyes to A.J. “You like?”
“Yeah. I like. ” A.J nodded as she took it all in with wide-eyed wonder. “I like. I like. I like.”
Sin beamed. “I did good, didn’t I?”
“You did good, real good,” A.J assured her with a smile. Frankly,
she was impressed. She’d hoped Sin would do a good job but this was beyond her expectations. “You did all this with the little money I gave you?”
“Psh!” Sin guffawed. “Of course not. That money couldn’t have bought all this stuff.”
A.J’s heart immediately plunged to her stomach. But it was Kelly who voiced her concern. “Please don’t tell us you conned someone.”
“No, I didn’t con anyone.” Not in the least bit offended, Sin chuckled. “I told you two, I was done with that life.”
Of the three of them, Kelly was the only one who wasn’t really a crook. Though she’d had a ‘colorful’ adolescence, she’d lived her adult life on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, it hadn’t been enough to keep her from being falsely accused of murder and being sent to the same prison as A.J and Sin. In the end, however, Spencer, the man who’d sent her to jail in the first place and now her fiancé, had proved her innocence.
Sin, like A.J, was a bona fide crook. Though she’d been sent to prison for a string of cons related to her marriages, A.J had gotten the impression that she wasn’t ready to retire yet. That only A.J and Kelly’s hawk eyes were keeping her from doing something that would send her back to prison.
“Don’t you trust me?” Sin asked.
“No.” Both A.J and Kelly shook their heads, making Sin laugh.
“I promise no cons were involved in the redecorating of this home.” Sin reached into her purse and pulled out a credit card. “I had a little help from this bad boy over here.”
“Oh, thank God.” Kelly released a heavy breath.
A.J narrowed her eyes. “Somebody gave you a credit card?”
“I know, right?” Sin grinned as she fanned herself with the card. “Some idiot at the bank downtown actually thought it was a good idea to give me a card.”
“I assume that means you don’t plan to pay it back,” A.J asked wearily. Despite her best attempts to hide her smile, her lips lifted slightly.