The Damaged (The Insiders Trilogy #2) - Tijan by Tijan

“Right.” She continued to stare at me steadily. “And you’re not making money?”

“I’m maintaining right now. It’s what one does in war.”

A slow blink from her.

I saw it then. A flash in her gaze.

“That’s the real reason you’re here,” I said. She was worried about her daughter. I eased back a bit. “Bailey is safe. I’ve doubled the guards on her and I have secondary security measures for her, ones she doesn’t even know about.”

“Spent the last week reading up on your grandfather. He’s a scary guy.”

“Yes. He is.” She got no reaction from me. It was knowledge that I’d grown up knowing. I didn’t quake to my bones anymore. He’d get that reaction from me only if he got his hands on Bailey, and that was never going to fucking happen. “You got another reason for finding me?”

Her head had lowered during the conversation. It rose again. “You told my daughter Peter and I are sleeping together.”

“Yes.”

Her eyes cooled. “Why?”

“Because I knew. Because I love your daughter. Because the reason for her to know came up, so I shared.” Okay. I wasn’t going to play this game, and I wasn’t sure if Chrissy was there to start a game or not, but I really wasn’t going to let it start. I moved in a step, lowered my head, and spoke softly enough to show respect but hard enough so she didn’t think I was babying her. “I have three priorities in life right now, and these are not in order: Protecting the Francis family. Destroying my grandfather. And loving your daughter.”

She jerked back a step.

I kept on, not taking the time to wonder which got to her. “If you want to know my thoughts on your daughter, I’ll give you the ones you’re entitled to. I’m worried about her. She doesn’t talk about almost being kidnapped. She’s trying to bury herself in schoolwork and she’s not pushing to see you guys as much as she should, as much as Bailey before the last kidnapping attempt would. Have I shared these concerns with her? No. I’m giving her time, because she seems to need it for some reason. But am I always there, always worried about her? Fuck yes.” It was my turn to raise my chin. “That settle you at all?”

“You two seem to be getting serious, quick.”

I felt that one in my gut. “Seems like, yes.”

“Bailey doesn’t handle things moving too fast. Never has. She needs to be eased into things.”

That was another hit to my gut. “You warning me?”

“Yes.” No blink. No reaction. She wasn’t lying. “She’s going to freak at some point, but hold on.”

Right. Hold on, because the storm I knew was coming wasn’t the only storm coming.

I nodded. “I will.”

She nodded too, and began to back away, her hands still in her pockets. “Take care of my girl. If she keeps avoiding me, I’ll have to come around. I’ll be able to get in if I do?”

I grinned. “I’m thinking yes. Would be an idiot who’d bar the mother of the woman he loved when that mom was coming around to check on her.”

She grinned back but didn’t reply. Her head ducked as she turned away, and she moved to an SUV that I knew Peter had either given to her or was letting her drive. Maybe there was something more permanent about their sleeping arrangements than I’d originally thought.

Then I stopped considering it, because I had a lunch to get to, a lunch I knew I’d have no appetite for.





TWENTY-SIX



Bailey


Rolling over in bed, I picked up my phone and saw my mom was calling.

I hit Decline, like I had been since Kash told me she and Peter were sleeping together. I didn’t know how I felt about that. I didn’t know if I could feel a certain way, so I was avoiding. Chrissy would be able to spot me being fake in two seconds, so avoiding was the better option.

And rolling the rest of the way out of bed, I didn’t have long.

Three days ago, Kash had lunch with Victoria, so I was also avoiding her and her minions.

I was avoiding Matt, too. Or I was avoiding Naveah.

I stayed in the apartment all weekend and I hacked. I studied. I did coding. I was in computer heaven.

Melissa called on Saturday night to invite me over to Liam’s for pizza and the latest gamer console that had come out. Dax and the guys were in their own heaven, but I didn’t go. I didn’t want to ask if Hoda was attending and I didn’t want to put them in the situation where they felt they had to choose one over the other. So, again, I was avoiding.

The only person I wasn’t avoiding was Kash, and that was because he came home after lunch. He had a dark and intense look in his gaze as he made his way through the apartment. He picked me up, took me to bed, and he laid claim to me for the rest of the day. The way he was doing it was as if he needed to either brand me into his skin or brand himself into mine. I wasn’t altogether complaining, since he made me see stars three times that day.

This life we had was working out just fine by me.

He was a workaholic. So was I. So he’d go and work. I could do the same.

He’d come back in the middle of the night, wake me with his mouth between my legs, and I was purring within the hour.

But it was Monday now and I checked my phone right before hopping into the shower. Melissa.