Forgetting the coffee, she ran her fingers through her curls and hurried to the elevator. If she’d known he’d show up, she would have worn something sexier than brown slacks and a loose-fitting knit top. When she exited the building, there was the limo, big as light. She opened the back door and peered inside. No sense in jumping into a mobster’s car by mistake.
When she got a glimpse of a male in a black hat with long hair, she got in.
“We’ve got to keep it quick,” she told him. “I’m on the clock.”
The car took off with a sickening lurch.
“This won’t take much of your time,” he said.
She turned to look at him and gasped as she came face-to-face with Jack Walker. His snakeskin boots—his very presence—made her recoil into a corner of the leather seat.
“Where’s Rodney?” she demanded, her heart hammering in her throat. “Please tell me he’s all right.”
“He’s fine.”
“Then why are you here instead of him?” she asked.
But she had a pretty good idea.
“I’ll come right to the point.” His eyes—almost the same color as Rodney’s, but harder—flicked over her. “How much?”
“How much, what?”
“Don’t play dumb.” He leaned closer to her. “How much is it going to take to get you out of my brother’s life?”
She knocked on the partition glass. “Driver, take me back to my office. This conversation is over.”
“You’re bad for him and Breeze.” He crossed his arms. “You’ve got to go. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
A chill snaked down her spine. And she thought her conversation with Barry had been rough. This guy was a snake. Something he’d probably inherited from his biological father. She suppressed the urge to tell him the secret about his birth. While she sympathized with his background, it didn’t give him the right to disrespect her.
“Are you threatening me?” she asked.
“Stay away from my brother, and everyone will be happy.” He rapped once on the glass, and the driver did a U-turn, heading back to her office.
When they dropped her off, her legs felt so rubbery she could barely walk. And the sad part? Jack was wasting his time because Rodney probably didn’t want her anymore, anyway.
Chapter Thirteen
Rodney crashed in his motel room after their show in Buffalo, New York. How many had they done on this tour? He’d lost count. One city blended into the next, and he’d eaten so many burgers and pizzas, it was a wonder he hadn’t broken out in pimples like a teenager. And it sure didn’t speed up recovering from a cold.
He was tired of gargling salt water to restore his voice. Most of all, he was tired of being without Dee. Spending the night with her in Wheeling might have been a mistake because now he was completely hooked on her.
After pulling out his phone, he called her. “Hey, girl. Did I wake you?”
“No, it’s nice to hear from you. After the way we left things, I was kind of concerned. And busy, of course.”
“Me, too,” he said, aching to hold her. “I’ve been dead on my feet all week trying to get over this damn cold. It’s pretty much gone, finally.”
“I got one, too,” she said, muffling a nasty-sounding cough.
“I miss you,” they said at the same time.
It reminded him of the other words they’d shared in Wheeling. Ones that had led to a media circus.
“How’s your job going?” he asked.
“Still intact. My boss acted like a prick as usual, though.” She stifled a yawn. “I’ve pulled a couple of all-nighters to catch up.”
She sounded even sexier when her voice was husky and tired. If only he could watch her change into her nightgown and curl up next to her while she fell asleep. Another bath would be nice, too. Recovering his health had brought parts of his anatomy back to life. But he worried about hers.
“You should be resting instead of working overtime,” he warned, wishing he could listen to his own advice once in a while.
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted.
“How are your parents?” he asked next.
“The first floor got flooded, but a construction company got in touch with them. Says they’re going to donate the repairs. Isn’t that something?” She paused. “Wait. Did you have anything to do with it?”
“Maybe. I also donated half the proceeds of one of our shows to the Wheeling flood victims. Our tour has had all sold-out shows, so we can afford it.”
“Oh, Rodney. That’s amazing! Thank you.”
“You opened my eyes to how selfish Breeze has been. Jack about shit a brick over it, though.” He frowned at her tense exhale of breath. “You okay?”
“Just tired. I really need to finish up a few things before I hit the sack.”
“Leave it to my brother to end the conversation.” He tucked some hair behind his ear. “Are you sure everything’s okay? He didn’t try to contact you about the video of us, did he?”
“No, of course not. Look, I’ve really got to go.”
“Okay. I want to see you again soon, but I don’t know when yet,” he said. “After we both catch up a little, all right?”
Why did she hesitate? “Yeah, sounds great. Good night, Rodney.”
“Good night. And, hey, I still love you.”
But she’d already hung up.
After he clicked off the call, he rubbed the gooseflesh on his arms. He couldn’t blame the sudden chill on being sick. She wasn’t telling him something, and he planned to find out what.
He didn’t feel like waiting, either. After stuffing his wallet into his back pocket, he left his room and headed to Jack’s. He knocked on the door, ignoring the Do Not Disturb sign and the I’m busy his brother yelled out.
“What the hell do you want?” Jack growled as he opened the door with a towel wrapped around his waist.
A young girl with two-toned hair lay in bed with the sheet barely covering her breasts. Rodney felt like pointing out he shouldn’t be married if he
