I sighed. I really didn’t like the polite dance she did. Even though I appreciated her not treating me like shit, I preferred people just coming out and saying what they meant.

Especially when I already had enough shit to deal with.

“Why don’t you just get to whatever point you’re trying to make?”

Julia sighed this time. Then, catching me completely by surprise, she tugged her glasses off and put them on the desk. She looked younger without them, and I realized, with a start, that she was pretty. Not that it mattered. Even if I wasn’t already lost over Carly, and even if I was stupid enough to feel some tug of attraction to a woman who held that much control over me, I wouldn’t have been stupid enough to even attempt to flirt with Julia. She’d slice my balls off and hand them to me.

Of course, I thought, so could Carly. Maybe I was more of an idiot than I realized.

She glanced up at me, and as though she’d followed my line of thinking, she frowned. “You’re enough to give a woman a headache, you know that?”

I managed not to smile. “I’ve been told that.”

“Hmmm.” She nodded slowly. “I bet you have.”

I shrugged. I could bullshit over this a lot easier than I could bullshit over other things, at least with Julia. “You don’t really see Carly as somebody who stands with a lot of formality, do you?”

“I couldn’t say.” She lifted a shoulder. “I’ve never met her, and I grew up in this town. I’m not dazzled by the stars. And I don’t follow any of the gossip rags either.”

Normally, I would’ve agreed with her on all points. It wasn’t any kind of star that dazzled me. It was just Carly. But there was nothing ‘just’ about Carly.

“Well, trust me. She’s not big on formality. If I called her anything but Carly, she wouldn’t much like it.”

I couldn’t tell if Julia bought the casual routine or not.

“There’s a lot of speculation about the two of you.”

Giving her a partial smile, I asked, “How would you know about any of that bullshit if you don’t follow that sort of thing?”

“Because I’ve got plenty of co-workers who do follow that sort of thing,” she replied, her tone wry. “Any of the bullshit out there on the money?”

“Well, PEOPLE reported that Carly Prince has a convicted killer working for her. I cannot tell a lie. They are right.” I paused and then added in a deadpan voice, “It’s a shame about Ryan, really.”

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t seem to be truly annoyed. “You’re cute, Bobby.”

“So they tell me.” A look at the clock on her wall told me I still had a good ten minutes in here. “What else do you need to know, Ms. Espinosa? I’m being a good boy. I’ve kept my nose clean, and even if people try to pick a fight with me, I keep out of trouble. I’m taking online college courses.” Then I snorted and added, “For all the good they’ll do me. I’ll end up with a masters in business in a year or two and still, people won’t want anything to do with me.”

“Apparently Carly Prince does. Ryan Harmon has nothing but praise for you. Most of your co-workers couldn’t speak any more highly of you.” She paused and then added, “Although it seems a Mr. Ridley doesn’t care for you. He claims we should ship you back to Kentucky so they can lock your ‘redneck ass back up.’”

She managed to get Ridley’s Bronx accent right on key.

Smirking, I asked, “Is that all he had to say?”

“My point is, you have a number of people who think you have a lot to offer society. You’re working in personal security, and that’s a fair amount of trust for a man with your background.” Julia watched me.

She had an unnerving way about her. Worse than a lawyer, just as bad as a cop. Since I didn’t know what she wanted me to say, I said nothing.

A faint exhalation escaped her. She was pushing for something, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. A few more seconds passed, and then she placed something in front of me.

The words made sense in a disjointed sort of way. I recognized the font, the style of writing.

Except this one wasn’t directed at me.

You know his secrets. You still support him. That makes you equally guilty.

Chapter 14

I spent the time driving back to the estate to pull my temper under control.

While I’d been behind bars, I’d been required to take all kinds of anger management courses, one of which had been about healthy ways of expressing anger.

When I got home, I knew I had to use one of those healthy ways while Carly was at one of her spa things, or I’d be expressing myself in a decidedly unhealthy manner by the time she got back. Fortunately for me, I didn’t encounter any of the other guys on my way to the gym, or I might’ve done something stupid.

A hundred laps in the pool didn’t do a thing, so I tried for two hundred, trying to lose myself in the rhythm of my arms cutting through the water. By the time I finished, I was a worn-out, exhausted mess, but still the fury and fear had me in knots, so I leaned against the side of the pool and let my muscles rest for a while before dragging myself to my feet.

I toweled off and switched to a pair of dry shorts. I didn’t bother with a shower, not when I planned on sweating off the chlorine in the state-of-the-art weight room Carly had put in. I’d never seen anything like it until I’d come here, but I’d almost gotten used to it.

Forty-five minutes on the weights didn’t wash that note from my mind, and I had to accept that nothing was going to do it. After wiping down the station, I went to the sauna where I sat down and put my face in my hands, my heart a heavy, black knot.

Whoever he was, he was threatening Carly now, and I no longer cared whether or not they were empty words or a true threat. I could blow off whatever this asshole sent toward me. Bringing Carly into it...that was unforgivable.

I wanted to break something.

Tear something.

Destroy something.

Except I’d already done that, and it was the reason Carly was in danger to begin with.

Leave.

The answer was a soft, gentle voice in the back of my mind. I didn’t want to, but I thought maybe that was exactly what I needed to do. I even had a place to go now. I could go to the house Jake left me and figure out what to do next. I had money now. Since I didn’t really have a lot of bills to pay or anything, I could get by okay as I tried to find something new.

Here, hopefully. I didn’t want to go back to Kentucky. There was nothing waiting for me there, nothing to go back to.

If I was lucky, I could get a job as a mechanic out here. That might pay halfway decent, and since I had a car of my own, and a place, my cost of living wouldn’t have to be sky-high. I knew how to live on a small budget, despite how damn expensive it was to live here.

A noise caught my attention and I looked up. The sight of Ridley moving across the gym, just beyond the sauna doors, had my lip curling. Something about him just rubbed me the wrong way. I started to stand up and the room spun. Slapping a hand against the heated wood, I steadied myself. How long had I been in there?

No telling. I’d lost track of time.

I opened the door and stepped out, taking my time with it as Ridley’s gaze swung toward me. I gave him a level look as I moved over to the nearby refrigerator. He said nothing. Neither did I. I grabbed a bottle of water and downed it. I was still thirsty, and my head was starting to pound. The lightheaded feeling hadn’t gone away either, but I’d gone hungry more than once in my life. I knew how to handle being dizzy. I’d just spent too much time in the dry heat, so as long as I moved slow, I’d be fine.

I was nearly to the door when Ridley finally spoke, “Your parole officer has been talking to everybody. Guess she doesn’t like how your meetings are going if she’s checking up on you. How much longer until she sends your hillbilly ass back to Kentucky, Bobby-boy?”