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Cash held his hands up. “Alright, you don’t need to get upset. You’re all grown up and I need to stop being overprotective.”
“I appreciate you being overprotective,” I said. “I really do.”
“I don’t think it’s being overprotective,” MacKay said. “I think it’s being sensible. Faith, we should comp this through Four Brothers.”
I gaped at MacKay in horror. What, like he would do that for any other employee? Thirty people worked for the company. I highly doubted a single one of them, including Ian, had a work-sponsored security system. Given the look on Ian’s face, I was right. He was frowning, his gaze shifting between me and MacKay.
“No,” I said. “I can’t accept that.” I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Sera was studying us as well.
The only one who seemed clueless was Cash.
“Thanks for trying, Mac. I guess we need to let Faith grow up.”
MacKay suddenly seemed to realize he was being far too revealing. “Faith is already grown up.” He nodded at me. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you know what you’re doing. I’ll mind my own business.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t entirely want him to mind his own business, but I’d prefer he minded my business privately, not in the presence of my brother.
“You mind your own business and I’ll butt out. I guess this is my cue. Sera and I need to hit the road back home, anyway. Miles and Toni are probably exhausted from watching the kids.”
I had mixed emotions about them leaving. I wanted to get settled and unpack a few boxes of the essentials, but now everyone had me glancing into the corners of the living room. As soon as everyone left, I flipped all the blinds closed and made sure the door was locked. Twice.
I was surrounded by boxes in the kitchen, knee deep in pots and pans when I heard the first noise.
ChapterTen
MacKay
“What exactly is goingon with you and Faith?” Ian asked me across the table at a local restaurant.
We had nachos and beers in front of us. I put a nacho in my mouth and chewed to avoid the question.
I hadn’t played it cool at Faith’s new apartment. But I couldn’t help it. The idea of her alone in a strange town made me uneasy. Sure, in a large city there were more people to commit crimes, but in a small town, a hot young blonde was going to stand out and be noticed. How long would it take for someone with ill intentions to figure out where Faith lived?
Twelve hours, tops. Everyone in town was going to know who she was by the time she had her first coffee downstairs tomorrow morning.
Not only was she hot, it wouldn’t take folks long to figure out her brother was a professional football player. They might leap to the conclusion that Faith was rich as well, and that she might have expensive items or cash in her apartment.
Everything about it made me uneasy.
“What do you mean?” I asked Ian, in an approximation of casual. If I couldn’t fool Ian, who wasn’t the best at social cues, I was fucked. I wouldn’t be able to fool anyone.
“You like her,” he accused me. “This isn’t just like a sex thing.”
“A sex thing?” I demanded. “Why do you always sound so damn weird? You make everything sound creepy as hell.”
He did. That wasn’t the issue here, but maybe I could distract him.
It didn’t work. He didn’t take the bait and defend himself like he usually did.
“I don’t get it. Why don’t you just date her?” he asked, shaking his head.
I gave up the farce. “Honestly? At this point, I have no fucking clue what is even happening.”
Faith
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I whispered, trying to figure out the best course of action beside panic. I had clearly taken that step already and it wasn’t working out.
