Page 111 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

“’Bout what?” Lee asked, his loud voice putting me on edge.

Vinny glanced up from his computer, his attention falling on me. He spoke slowly, as if he were worried he’d offend someone. “In light of what happened with Jen and Kelly, he’s been convinced?—”

“There’s no more fucking or blow jobs,” Carina interrupted, spitting it out faster than Vinny could. “As you can imagine, it put us in a bit of a tight spot.”

“The raises are in place?” Vinny asked me.

“They are. For over a week now.”

He nodded, and Lee scratched at his beard. “What’s been different?”

Carina sat a little straighter, keeping her head facing forward. “She’s been more distant this year. Not talking with the girls as much. She and Ruby had been real close, but they stopped hanging out just after Christmas. She wasn’t as upset as the others about the changes, but she also didn’t react as much when I told them about the raises. She was… I don’t know. It’s like she wasn’t there.”

“How’s that?”

“While the others were smiling and talking and hugging me, Nevaeh was frowning at her phone. She called the raise lovely, the way you thank your grandmother after you’re gifted a piece of shit.” Carina glanced at me again, and something in me warmed at her need to include me, to be reassured by me.

I took her hand, scooted a little closer. Her body was stiff, and I squeezed her shoulder, trying to get her to relax.

“It’s possible,” she started, then glanced at me again. “She may not have been taking the new mandate seriously.”

“What do you mean?” My voice was hard, too hard judging by the way she jumped.

“She did a better job of hiding it,” she said, voice tentative as she looked down at her lap, “but most of the girls have told me they’ve seen her sneaking in and out of the back room looking ruffled.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m telling you now!” she bit out. “And this is exactly why I didn’t say anything. I knew you’d act like this!”

“Of course, I’d act like this! She knows this is a direct violation?—”

“I don’t want to lose her just because she’s doing what she’s always done! I understand the rules changed, Kingston, but throwing her out on her ass isn’t going to keep her safe!”

“Ahem.” Lee’s deep voice stopped me from letting anything else fall from my open mouth. “Don’t suppose we can focus on the missing lady instead of fighting?”

“Sorry,” the two of us murmured, each of us tucking our chins.

“You think she coulda been taken from the club?” Lee asked after a beat, and Carina shook her head before explaining Nevaeh’s absence prior to her disappearance. He nodded, then glanced over at Vinny. “You got any questions?”

“Not at the moment,” he responded, looking up at the two of us. “But I might once my guys get logged on to help. They might want more details about her behavior the past couple weeks, who she might have been dealing with at the club. Is there any way you can stay?”

“Of course,” Carina said before glancing at me. “That’s okay, isn’t it?”

Squeezing her hand, I gave her a tight smile. “You can stay, but I should get back.”

She nodded, then surprised me when she leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I’ll call you after a bit.”

I pressed my forehead to hers and let out a heavy breath. “Be safe.” After shaking hands with Lee and Vinny, I walked out the door, then rushed to my car and raced back to the club.

Eleven

CARINA

Lee passed me a cup of coffee, then took a seat across the table from me. His own steaming cup looked like a child’s toy cradled between his large palms. “You doing alright?”

I nodded, then took a sip. “I will be. I’m just worried about her. I didn’t…” My voice broke.

It felt stupid of me to admit I’d never considered the dangers in what we did. There were fears, certainly, but they never extended further than worrying about a man being obtrusive, pushing for things I didn’t want to give. King’s confession sat heavy on my mind from the moment he’d told me the gruesome tale, and I hated that I’d triggered his very real fears because I’d been so naive.

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