Page 136 of The Price of Forever

“Um…” I started.

“You’ve been looking into his history. That’s Cora’s ex-husband, Eli Rossberg.”

“That’s right,” I said slowly. “I knew I recognized him.”

“Why is Jordan with him?”

I swallowed hard, my hands going clammy. I had nothing prepared. No response at the ready. I’d foolishly assumed that Axel or Damian discovering Jordan’s activities was impossible.

But I’d underestimated Damian’s sleuthing skills.

“I wasn’t accompanying Jordan in this picture,” I finally said, trying to sound confident, like there wasn’t a massive plot going on under his nose. “I do know that she has crossed paths with him at the club a time or two.” I swallowed hard. Was I making things better or just condemning us both?

“And you’re both aware of his place in our family history, correct?” Damian’s voice held an edge I didn’t like. An edge I knew to respect.

“I never briefed Jordan on who he was.” I wanted to take some of the blame here. As much as I could, anyway. “That was my fault. I was under the impression that you or Axel spoke with her about him. Did his name not come up at the divorce celebration dinner?”

Damian cleared his throat. “We don’t speak his name, especially not around Axel. Apparently, we need to have a direct conversation about it.”

“I did think that Cora might have mentioned him as well, given how close she and Jordan have become.” I was pacing the living room now, ignoring Trojan’s curious looks.

“Is she seeing Eli?”

“That’s not my understanding.” I rubbed my forehead, desperate not to push Jordan any deeper into this sticky misunderstanding. “He’s a strip club patron who wants to blow his money on the best dancer.”

Damian sighed softly. “But they’re not in the club here. They’re on Fifth Avenue.”

I had nothing for him on that point. “You’re right.”

“I’ll talk to her about it. But I want you and I to be on the same page: she’s not to see him again. At all. I get the club is different, she can’t control that. But beyond those walls, she needs to stay away from him. For her own safety. That’s a non-negotiable. Make sure all your employees understand.”

There was no room for argument. I simply responded, “Understood. It’ll be handled.”

I hung up the phone with a sick dread cycling in my gut.

“I take it that wasn’t a great call,” Trojan said, grimacing.

“No. It wasn’t.” I let out a terse exhale as I set my phone down on the coffee table and sank into the armchair facing Trojan. “The brothers caught wind of Jordan’s outing the other day with Eli. It looked like a paparazzi photo.”

“Shit. I was keeping an eye out for media, too,” Trojan muttered.

“They say she can’t go near him outside of the club again,” I said, that dread taking root and blossoming into something much more dangerous. “Non-negotiable. I took that to mean that if she’s near Eli again in public, the consequences will be severe.”

Severe was an understatement. I’d lose my job and any chance of a referral to other clients. And Jordan would lose whatever healing and rebuilding she’d managed to cobble together thus far. After so much pain and struggle to get to this point…I didn’t want to see her lose this connection with her brothers.

But what was more important here?

Trojan sat up, clearing his throat. “So what’s the plan? Scrap the mission?”

I shook my head. I knew Jordan wouldn’t want that, though I planned on briefing her about this, regardless. If she canned it, I’d go along with it. But if she wanted to continue, we’d have to get craftier. And if I knew that stubborn spitfire, she’d do whatever it took to give back to her brothers.

“I’ll let Jordan know about this. It’ll be her decision. But ultimately, if she wants to stay the course, we keep going,” I said. “We’ll just need to get more discreet. It’s only a little bit longer. We can make it through, right?”

My friend didn’t look entirely convinced.

Whatever risks we were taking, they’d just gotten a little more dangerous.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

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