I held up a takeout menu with a cartoon chili pepper on it. “Why the hell did you hang on to this? Pepe’s Fire Pit went out of business six months ago.”
“It was my favorite place; I was sad when it closed down. You know how much I love spicy food.”
“Yeah, because you’re a masochist.” I found another one of my shirts and threw it in the Leave pile.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Daniella sighed.
It sounded like she was talking about more than just her kinks. I felt a pang of sympathy; she seemed to keep falling into relationships with men who ended up hurting her. But I needed to focus on the situation at hand and help Daniella get through this, not wallow in my own guilt. I should believe her when she said I wasn’t acting like her ex-Dom. She had always taken my words at face value, so I should give her the same courtesy.
“Holy shit, is this that party?”
I showed Daniella a glossy photo whose edges had started to curl. A dozen or so people—mostly women—were grinning and waving in someone’s backyard. The barbecue grill stood open, but empty, and three huge delivery pizzas covered the picnic table.
Daniella gave a half groan, half laugh. “Oh God. I’d just transferred to the ER. The head nurse invited the whole department to her Fourth of July party, and your fucking dog made me look like an idiot.”
“You still holding a grudge about that?” I chuckled.
In a rare burst of initiative, Sutton had leaped up on the table holding the raw meat, knocking everyone’s dinner into the dirt. What little food he didn’t devour was ruined. Daniella and I had apologized profusely and paid for pizza with all the trimmings.
As we sorted and joked and reminisced, my shoulders slowly unknotted. The tension that had clouded our home started to ease. We were finding our footing again as friends. Just friends.
Even so, I could still hardly believe I’d done it. I’d actually broken up with Daniella. Paradoxically, taking this huge step made me even more nervous about telling Lacey. It brought the future—that terrifying place where everything changed—one step closer.
Tomorrow night, I decided. I would invite Lacey out for a nice dinner and tell her the good news there. Almost like I was proposing.
Before I could explore that thought, my pocket buzzed. I pulled out my phone and my neck prickled when I read the caller ID screen. Jerry Barton. Nobody from Redstone ever called me outside work hours, let alone the big boss himself.
Wondering if our office building had caught fire, I answered, “Yes, sir?”
“I’ve got a job for you, Maxwell. Top priority,” Barton snapped, his tone making it clear that refusal wasn’t an option.
I had heard that no-bullshit bark plenty of times before. But there was also an unfamiliar urgency in his gruff voice. It almost sounded . . . frantic.
What the fuck was going on here? Barton had never revealed the slightest hint of fear to his men, not even in the worst battlefield situations. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was scared shitless right now.
I started to reply, “Of course, whatever you—”
“It’s my daughter, Lucky. She’s in trouble.”
Chapter Nineteen
Lacey
I had to pee.
As I shifted to my side, pain seared through my hip and up my spine, making my stomach roll with nausea. I gasped aloud—only to choke on the stench of mildew in the air.
What the hell? My eyes flew open.
I wasn’t at home in my bed. I was lying on a cold cement floor, still dressed in the red tunic and leggings I’d worn yesterday in my attempt to win over Nolan once and for all. When I tried to lift my arm, I realized my hands and ankles were secured with plastic zip ties.
The darkened room around me was cluttered with sagging, dusty boxes, and an old washer and dryer were tucked into the far corner. A five-gallon bucket stood overturned several feet in front of me. As if someone had sat there watching me, I realized with a shudder.
Was I in someone’s basement? How long had I been lying unconscious here? The dim light filtering in from the one window told me it was daybreak . . . or maybe sunset. I wasn’t sure which.
My mind spun sluggishly to catch up. The last thing I remembered was preparing my apartment for Nolan to come over. I’d lit candles and then changed into a figure-hugging outfit? hoping we’d have the talk and figure everything out between us.
At the knock on the door, I’d opened it with a smile, assuming it was Nolan. A man in dark clothes had grabbed me. Shoved something over my nose and mouth until I was close to passing out.