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“God, no,” I said. “That’s not what this is about.”
The corner of his mouth curled up. “Then, you can’t make me angry.”
Oh, I wanted to argue that point. I knew good and well that I could, and I was going to when I mentioned working at Highwater again. But he was the one who had told me I was talented. That I should be making my money with my voice. Maybe he would see that I loved singing, performing. Perhaps I was wrong, and he would agree to this.
“Do you have any leads on who tracked my car and wired it?” I asked him.
There was a cocky gleam in his eye as he reached up and took his hat off. “Yeah. I was coming to tell you about that. It’s handled.”
Handled? What did that mean? Was someone dead, and who was it?
“And?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
He laid his hat down on the table beside us and then cupped my face with his hand. “There was a fingerprint on the equipment that wasn’t mine when you took it off the car. It was traced to a hired hand, who gave up Jameson’s name real easy. I paid him a visit. He will no longer be a problem.”
Jameson. I let out a long, unsteady breath. The concern that it might have some connection to Netta had been in the back of my mind. I didn’t know how she’d have found us, but I couldn’t shake that fear. Knowing it was Jameson and he’d been threatened by Storm, I could breathe easier. Dovie was safe.
I placed my palm on my chest and relaxed. “That’s good,” I sighed. “Thank you.”
He brushed my lips with his thumb. “I told you I was going to take care of you.”
I nodded. He had said that several times. But I needed him to understand that I had to take care of myself too. He couldn’t do it all.
“Since I’m no longer in danger,” I said, looking pointedly at him, “I want to go back to work at Highwater—”
“No.”
Don’t get mad. Don’t get mad. You knew he was most likely going to react this way.
“I owe Bash money. He gave me some when I left, and I told him I’d pay him back, but now, my money is gone, and I need to go work it off there to repay him. Not to mention, I’d like to sing again.”
“How much do you owe him?” Storm asked tightly.
“Two grand, maybe a few hundred more,” I told him. “But I also want to work. Make money. Save for the future.”
Storm dropped his hands from me and walked past me into the living room. “I’ll pay him back.”
“No, Storm. I have a car, I have my guitar, and you said yourself that I’m now safe. I’m going back to Highwater.”
He turned around, and his expression was one that caused me to tense. He looked furious. “You don’t need a fucking job,” he sneered.
“BUT I want a job. I want to sing. You said yourself that I should use my talent and make money. Be an independent woman. Well, what’s changed?”
He ran his hand over his face as he muttered a curse and looked away from me for a moment before swinging his gaze back to me. “That was before you were mine. I won’t be able to let you get on a fucking stage so every swinging dick in the place can lust over you.”
I let out a hard laugh and threw up my arms. “Who cares what they are thinking? I’m with you! I want you!”
He stalked back over toward me until he was towering over me. His pupils had dilated, and his jaw ticced as he looked at me. “You’re better than a bar singer. I believe I also said that before.”
“Okay, fine. Let me pay Bash back, and I’ll look for something better than a bar. I’ll have to audition, and it won’t be easy, but I promise to give it a try.”
He shook his head. “You’re not paying Bash back. I’ll handle that.”
I let out a furious growl and glared up at him. I was not going to let him make all my decisions for me. I wasn’t some kept woman. He didn’t own me.
“I won’t live like this. No matter how I feel about you, I will not let you control me.”
Storm tilted his head to the side as his eyes narrowed. “I’m controlling you?” he asked in a low voice.
I nodded. “You sure are trying to.”
He grabbed my chin. “I’m protecting you. Taking care of you. If anyone controls someone, it is you. You control me.”
I let out a laugh. “That’s bullshit. Right now, you’re acting as if I can’t make decisions for myself. Well, I make my own decisions. For me and Dovie. I love you, Storm Kingston, but I will not just be led around by your leash.”
