My phone went off at the same time I gave the security cameras one final check and locked the door on my way out.
“Hello.” I gripped the phone between my cheek and shoulder, switching out the club keys for my car’s.
I tried to drum up more energy at the sound of my mom’s voice. “Hey, hun. You okay? I tried calling earlier but got your voice message.”
“Sorry, Mom. I had to close tonight and got busy. All okay your way?”
I crossed the empty parking lot and palmed my keys. Bright lights made this side of the building seem bathed in sunlight in comparison. The owner didn’t like her employees walking out into pitch black. A gesture I appreciated, especially on moonless nights.
“Sure. I know I'm calling late, but I wanted to make sure you are home and safe.”
Keys in hand, I find my car easy enough since it’s the only one in the lot. Painted pale blue, it’s older than me by a decade, maybe two. It belonged to my dad and he held a firm belief in if it did the job, it was good enough for him. Probably why his pizzeria failed. He refused to grow with the times.
I slipped the key in the door. “Not yet. Just heading out now.”
“Good, I can stay on the line while you drive.”
“Overprotective much, Mom?” I replied on autopilot.
Rust ate at the metal in spots and the doors creaked on their hinges, but all I cared about was the low gas mileage. I chuckled and swung the door open. Then I spotted it. The flat tire. Left front wheel. Crap. Now what?
“You’ll be the same way when you have kids. Trust me.”
Making her voice soft in the way she did when she wanted something, my mom said, “Look, I called for another reason. A friend is in need of a personal assistant and wants to offer you the job first. She’s willing to teach you the ropes and pay you for it.”
That piqued my interest and made me forget about the flat, if only briefly. “That kinda sounds like a dream job.”
“It’s real. Trust me.”
I did.
“And the pay...more than your two jobs put together,” Mom continued. “I thought you might like that. Your dad and I would love to be in the same city as you for once.”
That did sound nice. No more killer heels to earn higher tips, worrying about the mortgage and wondering if I’d ever get back to college. Plus, I could kiss solo walks in parking lots at night goodbye.
But what about Cade and Jace?
I silenced the voice in my head. “Can I have a couple of days to think about it?” I asked and kicked at the deflated rubber.
“That’s about all I can give, hun. She’s desperate. You’d think we lived in New York and not Miami with how quick she makes decisions.”
My family moved around a lot when I was younger until one day my mom said that she was done. Seattle was it. They bought a house, set up a pizzeria and things went well for a time. Until they didn’t and ended up in Miami to help out my uncle with his restaurant. I stayed, kept the house and picked up the tab on the mortgage.
I breathed out. “Yeah, message received. I have to go now, Mom. Talk to you soon, okay?”
“Be careful, babe. Love you.”
I disconnected and sighed.
Looking at the rusted lug nuts, I knew I had limited options. I thumbed on my phone and hovered over the local taxi number. I didn’t realize I bypassed the taxi number and hit the next contact in my list until the deep baritone voice came over the speaker. Why I did it, I had no idea. Curiosity, fear, self-sabotage? Or, maybe a Frankenstein cocktail of all three.
But mostly, deep down I felt a need for closure. To find out what could have been before I accepted any job offer and moved on to the next phase of my life.
Biting at my lip, I wondered if I should hang up, run off to Miami and just let last night be it. Part of me knew forgetting Cade again would never happen. And now that I had a taste of Jace? A toe-to-tits shudder washed over me. Make that all of me.
I thought back to their dark warning. We need to do filthy things to you, Elle Morgan. You better run while you can.
What if I let them catch me for a night? Would that be such a bad thing? I could get my fantasy and then be on the next plane out of here and onto my new life.
I took a deep breath and liked my new plan. Everything would be perfect.
“Cade? It’s Elle. I need your help.”
Chapter Six
Jace
My whole body vibrated—fuck, I was restless, hungry. I’d been like this since we dropped Elle off at her place last night. It took a few minutes for Cade to convince me staying outside and watching over her was a bad idea and borderline stalker. We wanted her for so long, and after she walked away from us the first time, we were up half the night wondering if we’d ever see her again. Hell, I had a deep-seated feeling we wouldn’t. When I closed my eyes last night, I could feel her body pressed against mine and her sweet taste on my tongue. I didn’t want to lose that again.
We found the door where Elle worked unlocked twenty minutes later.
Damn it. She should have locked it. Anyone could have walked in before we got here. I threw a look over my left shoulder to Cade, and he nodded. “I know.”
When Cade received her call we were both sitting outside her house with all the intentions of waiting there until she returned home. After we got our answers about why she ditched us, we would have
