“Me?” I repeat.
“You’re going to watch out for Nash, clean his apartment, get him eating and showering again, you know, take care of him in any way he needs.”
“He needs professional help! You can’t expect me to be some depressed guy’s maid, cook, and his what, personal cheerleader for free?” I scoff.
“No, not for free.” This time, Malcolm reaches inside his leather cut and pulls out a wad of green bills and offers them to me. “I’ll pay you five hundred a week. Your bank account’s low, so I’m guessing being a troublemaker doesn’t pay all that well.”
“I do it because those assholes deserve it, not to make money off the people they hurt!”
“Either way, you can use the cash, and I think my offer is more than generous. I’m not exactly known for being charitable, but I’ve got a soft spot for my boy.”
“Nash, right?”
“Don’t do that. Don’t act like you just learned his name. I know Nash is what brought you here in the first fucking place!”
Holy. Shit. “How did you…”
“I have a damn good private investigator. It took him all of about ten minutes to find out everything there is to know about you, girl scout.”
“Wow,” I mutter.
“Take care of him, and I’ll keep all your secrets. Not only will I keep my mouth shut, but the MC will have your back if you ever need the muscle thanks to your extracurricular activities.”
“Really?” I say in surprise.
“If nothing else, I’m a man of my word,” he tells me.
“I’m not a great cook,” I mutter.
“Then use the cash to order in. I don’t give a shit. Just check in on him at least once a day. Getting something in him other than alcohol once in a while would be a good start. He needs to sober up and get some perspective.”
“And how long exactly do I have to watch out for him? He really does need to see a professional.”
“Nash would never willingly see a shrink. So, you’re going to keep an eye on him until I say so,” Malcolm grumbles while shoving the cash toward me.
“I can’t babysit your friend forever or keep him from hurting himself!” I exclaim when I back away from the money.
“Unfortunately, you’re all I’ve got right now. I can’t throw him in a mental ward, and I don’t think that’s even what he needs right now, or I would do it. He just needs time to come to terms with everything. A feminine distraction would be nice, too. That’s you.”
“How long am I supposed to distract?”
“We’ll start with two months, or until he fucks you, whichever comes first.”
“Excuse me?” I gasp indignantly. “I don’t care what dirt you have on me! I’m not a whore you can just pimp out!”
With his free hand, Malcolm shoves his fingers through his hair and mutters something about difficult women. “Look, I’m not paying you to try and screw him, but if it happens, it happens. Nash needs to let off some steam. The sooner, the better. The man’s been celibate for three goddamn years.”
“No way. Three years? You’re exaggerating,” I accuse him through narrowed eyes.
“I wish I was, girl scout. Trust me, if I knew a clean hooker, I would hire her over you in a heartbeat to go bang some sense into him.”
“I thought men couldn’t go a few days without humping someone or they’ll explode.”
“We can’t, usually,” Malcolm agrees. “Nash is loyal to a fucking fault. His head is all messed up, and I don’t know what else to do for him.”
“So, you’re recruiting me to be his servant-slash-whore because that’ll make him feel better?”
“How about you start by just trying to be his friend and go from there, yeah? And keep this and the real reason you’re here to yourself. No need to give him another reason to spiral.”
“Fine,” I agree, jerking the cash from his hand. “Not like I really have a choice unless I want to move again, right?”
“I think we’re finally on the same page,” he replies. “Since he probably won’t open up if you knock, I’ll give you my spare key to his apartment.”
I look at the gold key in his hand in complete disbelief. “You want me to just barge into his place without his permission?”
“Yes,” Malcolm agrees. “Don’t worry. I took all of his guns and big knives, so he probably won’t attack you. It’s not like he has the energy to put up a fight.”
“He ‘probably’ won’t attack me? Seriously?”
“Just say I hired you to clean and cook for him. Tell him that I’ll come kick his ass if he has a problem with it.”
“This is going to be a train wreck,” I mutter to myself.
“Like you’ve got anything better to do?” Malcolm huffs before he starts to walk away. “I’ll be calling you or dropping by once a week to see if you’re making progress. My phone number is in your contacts if he gets worse or you need anything.”
“Being a blackmailing dick while looking like Jesus really should be a crime!” I yell at his back.
“Good thing it’s not or I would be serving a life sentence!” is his gruff response.
Chapter Five
Nash
The smell of smoke hits my nose seconds before the screeching of the fire alarm goes off.
What the fuck? Is someone trying to burn down the apartment complex?
I actually made it to my bed before I passed out last night, so I push myself up to a sitting position. After the room stops spinning, I throw my legs over the side to stand up and stagger out of the bedroom in nothing but the navy-blue sweats I’ve had on for so many days I’ve lost count to try and find the source of the smoke.
It immediately hits me that I must have wandered into and passed out in the wrong apartment last night. There’s a girl in the kitchen surrounded
