Page 7 of Property of my Boss

“Well,” he glances out at the campground, “this whole place is here because of my time in prison. I met this guy who used to be a priest. He had this dream to create this place for people to come and reconnect with nature. He fell in love with some girl, though, and now he’s gone.”

I nod slowly, remembering the stories my best friend Wren would tell me about Kade, the super hot, silver fox, biker priest.

“I remember him. There was a fan fiction going around town about him for a while. Never did find out who was running it, but the women around here were thirsty as hell for that guy.”

“Did not know that.” Tucker grins. “That’s hilarious.”

“So, what were you in prison for?” I already know, my brother gave me the rundown before I came out here, but hearing it all live and in person is a different experience.

“A heist gone bad. My buddy Atlas and I planned to rob a bank up in the Springs. We had every detail figured out until we didn’t.” There’s not an ounce of hesitation in his voice as he tells me what he’s done. No remorse either.

I nod slowly, suddenly realizing why my brother said coming out here was a horrible idea. Who knows what this guy is capable of? Who knows what he’s done? Wren is gone, Kade is gone, and this man was the last one to see them. What the hell was I thinking? He could probably stare me straight in the face and not have an ounce of feeling about anything he’s done.

My skin itches and I want to ask him directly what happened to Kade and Wren, but considering I value my life, I decide to let that thought breathe.

“Why did you want to rob a bank?” Even that question makes my stomach churn a little.

He pauses and scrubs his hand down over his beard like he’s looking for the most socially acceptable way to tell me how greedy he is. “I was trying to get enough money for a surgery the insurance wouldn’t approve for my grandfather, and my buddy Atlas had a family cabin he was trying to save. We both felt screwed by the system, and we made a bad decision.”

I nod slowly. Of course he was trying to get enough money for a surgery. Does this guy really think I’m that stupid? “How long were you in prison?”

“Three years.” He stretches back, the ink on his forearms flexing as he shifts. “You’re not afraid now, are you?”

“Afraid?” I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Of what?”

He shrugs his thick shoulders and leans one solid arm against the old cedar post holding up the porch. “Of me.”

“Why would I be afraid of you? Apparently, you’re a good guy who was trying to do the right thing by Grandpa.” I grin, butterflies swarming my stomach like locusts.

He laughs under his breath. “No one ever said I was doing the right thing. I was an idiot. In all the hoopla, I wasn’t even there when he died.” He drags in a breath and lets it out slowly. “Now, people tend to be afraid of me. The prison sentence, the tattoos, my size… I don’t make friends easily.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” I say, chest tightening, clit throbbing like it’s screaming some forbidden language.

“Good,” he groans, turning away before tapping the whitewashed post as he moves. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Bright and early.” He glances back, his gaze drawing down over me. “Wear that camp shirt again. I like it.”

My thighs squeeze together without thought, and I can’t quite figure why I want to hear him tell me more of what he likes. This isn’t how this is supposed to go. I’m supposed to seduce him, not the other way around. I’m here for answers, not soaking wet panties.

The sooner I get out of here, the better.

I’m crunching over leaves on my way to my car when my phone vibrates in my back pocket. It’s my brother. Considering I’ve been ignoring his texts all morning, I probably need to take this one.

“Hey,” I sigh, sliding into my little car quickly as though the entire camp is bugged and Tucker is waiting and ready to hear everything I tell Jack. “I’m alive. Don’t freak out.”

“I was about to lose it.” My brother’s voice sinks as he says, “We agreed you’d text me throughout the day.”

“I know, I planned to, but then he had me scrubbing floors and I didn’t get to my phone like I wanted.” I turn the engine to my little car and immediately twist the radio dial to silent. “He knows you’re my brother, though.”

“How? It’s your first day.” Jack’s voice rings with the same judgmental tone he was born with. “I thought you were going in undercover?”

The Bluetooth picks up on my car as I talk, allowing me to set the phone in the cradle by the air vent. “I told him I was your sister because I didn’t want him to find out later and think I was a liar. I figured if I—”

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Jack groans. “I told you this was a stupid idea.”

“And you’ve got a smarter one?” I watch a pine tree in the back up camera until I’m far enough back that I can turn around. “Trust me, okay? Another day or two and I’ll have him wrapped around my finger.” I’m not sure if I believe this claim or not, but he did look me up and down before I walked away. That could mean something. I’m pretty sure I saw his dick get hard when I stripped off my shirt in the shop, though I guess that could all be in my head.

“Why don’t I like the way you said that?” My brother’s tone deepens. “Tilly, men like Tucker aren’t easily persuaded by anything. Throwing yourself at him is dangerous. He’s had a lifetime of experience hanging with criminals. He’s not stable. At one point, the court was trying to prove he’d murdered someone, but they couldn’t gather enough evidence.”

Murder. Well, that’s not good.