Absolute silence falls across the room.  My mother is watching me like I skinned her pet rabbit to wear as a hat.  Marissa is frowning.  Nash looks bored.  Gavin is smiling.  And Cash looks…like he’s walking toward me.

His eyes are locked on mine as he approaches.  He steps right in front of my mother and stops.  He watches me for a few seconds before his lips curve into a satisfied smile. It gets wider as he leans down to me.  I think he might laugh, but he sobers as he reaches out to cup my face in his hands.

And then he kisses me.  Not just a small kiss either.  A good kiss.  A really good kiss.  A kiss that other people should not be witnessing, especially when I’m wearing a sheet and nothing else.

“I love it when you get fiery,” he says after he pulls his lips from mine.  His eyes are sparkling chips of onyx as they search mine.  Gently, he rubs his thumbs over my cheekbones and smiles again.  It shines down onto my face like the sun, warm and healing.  Slowly, deliberately, he reaches down to take my free hand and lace his fingers with mine, then he straightens and turns toward my mother.  “She’s staying here, ma’am.  You’re always welcome to visit her because you’re her mother, but right now, I think it’d be best if you left.  I’ll take good care of her. You’ve got my word.  That might not mean much to you, but it means a hell of a lot to me.  And so does your daughter.”

Mom looks from Cash to me and back again before she turns and pins everyone in the room with her proud, cold stare.  With a tight smile, she speaks to me as she backs toward the door.  “Fine.  If this is how you want it, Olivia, go right ahead and ruin your life.  Just don’t come crying to me when it all falls apart.”

“I love you, Mom, but I stopped running to you years ago.  It never me did any good.”

She nods once, an arrogant dip of her head, before she turns and walks slowly from the room, leaving nothing in her wake but expensive perfume, frigid air and relief.

No one says anything for a few minutes, not until Gavin breaks the tense silence.  “Damn, that woman is one mighty bitch.  I think my balls just now dropped back down.”

We all look at each other and then everyone bursts into laughter, Marissa included.  I find myself watching her most of all.  She can’t seem to keep her eyes off Nash. I can’t help but wonder if she’s really a changed person, if this new Marissa will hang around for long or if the wicked witch will chase her off with her evil broom of doom and gloom.  Only time will tell, but I hope this girl is here to stay.

The ring of a cell phone breaks into the moment.  It’s coming from Cash’s dresser.  He releases my hand to grab it.  I watch him pick up his personal cell phone, not one of the burners, and look at the screen.  His brow is wrinkled as he answers it.  I’m immediately uneasy when he walks out of the bedroom. I hear the door to the office close behind him.  My stomach curls into a tight knot of dread.

For just a moment, I was able to forget what danger we’re still in.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Cash

When I answered and heard the words “did you place the ad” I knew it was Dad’s second line of defense.  Assuming, of course, that Nash was the first.  It’s entirely possible, however, that this one could be even more helpful.  I can only hope so.

After I close the office door behind me, I respond.  “Yes, I placed the ad.”

“Get another phone.  Get on the road by nine tonight.  Call this number at six minutes after.  I’ll give further instructions.”

The line goes dead, leaving me aggravated. I would’ve at least liked to have asked a couple questions.  Of course, when I think about it, it’s probably not smart to say much of anything over my personal phone.  Unfortunately, that does nothing to soothe my irritation.

My mind goes straight into planning mode, into strategizing.  The thing I’m most focused on, however, is not protecting myself; it’s what to do with Olivia while I’m gone.  How best to keep her safe.

Gavin’s a great guy and he did his best, but now I’m leery of leaving her in anyone else’s care.  I think of my options and realize that, aside from taking her with me, which I refuse to do because it could be very dangerous, the place she would likely be safest is behind the bar here at Dual. In front of hundreds of witnesses.  Never alone.

Now breaking this to Olivia without sounding like an insensitive ass is the hard part.  I mean, how does one approach that?

Your life has been turned completely upside down because of me and my family, your apartment was sacked, you were kidnapped and drugged, you had a run in with both your cold bitch cousin and your ice queen mother, but could you please work a shift at my club tonight?

Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.

Marching back into the bedroom, I do what I should’ve done when the doorbell first rang.

“All right, everybody, out!  I need to talk to Olivia and you need to give her some privacy to get dressed.”

No one argues, of course.  In fact, Gavin looks a little sheepish the he’s been so rude.  It was really thoughtless on all our parts to keep her in this position.  Leave it to Olivia to be so cool, so composed while surrounded by people and having tough conversations, all while she’s wrapped in bed clothes.  Underneath all that lush beauty, she’s got a backbone of steel.  I hope, after today, she comes to realize that.

“Thank you for that,” she says when Gavin closes the door behind the exiting trio.

“I’m sorry for not doing it sooner.”

“Well, it’s not like there was a good time.  It was like a circus in here!  All we lacked was a bearded lady and a sword swallower, although Ginger might be able to swallow something nearly that big.”

She giggles and the sound makes me want to hug her.  I don’t know why really, but it does.

“Well, as the ring leader of this most recent circus surrounding your life, I apologize for failing you.”

A soft look falls down over Olivia’s features.  Her green eyes are piercing, like a sweet hurt, as they watch me.  Her gaze never leaving mine, she lets the cover fall from her breasts and she slides off the edge of the bed, walking slowly toward me, naked as the day she was born.  Only a thousand times more beautiful.

She stops when the tips of her nipples are brushing my chest.  “You haven’t failed me.  You’ve breathed so much life into my existence. Don’t ever be sorry for that.”

“But I—”

“Shhh,” she says, placing a finger over my mouth.  She’s fond of doing that.  “Don’t.  Please.”

I nod and work to control my body’s reaction to her close proximity.  I need to learn to tolerate being around her, learn to think of things other than tearing off her clothes with my teeth and sinking into her like a soft, wet bed of rose petals.

I clear my throat and focus on the reason I came to her to begin with.  “The call I got a few minutes ago…”

Her expression turns serious, concerned.  “Yeah.  What was that all about?”

“It was about the second ad I placed.  I need to meet with him tonight.  But the thing is, I’m not comfortable leaving you.  At all, really, but I know it’s not a good idea to take you with me, so I don’t have much choice.”