Page 194 of Sweet Temptation

“Sterling.” Piper chuckled a little. “How the fuck did you get this number?”

“Our mutual friend, the caretaker of scumville.”

“You tossed Sanchuk’s place? Hate to see you wasting your time like that. My boys were pretty thorough.”

“I saw that. They put the fear of God into slumlord.”

“They do make me proud.”

“You scared Sanchuk off, too,” I said, because I was gonna assume that was the case. “I’m getting concerned that you and your boys may have done your job just a little too well on this one.”

“We do set the bar real high.”

“Yeah. Well, you lost him. You better fucking find him.”

I could practically hear the cold-as-death look that came over his face when I spoke to him like that.

“It’s not my job to babysit that piece of shit,” he informed me. “And I’m not sure who you think you’re talkin’ to, but you’d better check your attitude at the fuckin’ door.”

“I never knew you were so sensitive, Jeremy.” I swung a leg over my bike. “I’ll be gentle next time I tell you you’ve fucked up.”

There was a silent pause, and I almost regretted the attitude I was giving him.

Almost.

“You know, we really should catch up like this more often,” he said. “Why don’t you come on by for dinner sometime? I really don’t cook much, but we can drink. You can bring your wife. What’s-her-name?”

Right. This again.

“We can play some Twister or somethin’. Maybe you can bring Summer, too. Wouldn’t that be cozy?”

Okay. What the fuck did that mean?

“When you send the transcript of this conversation to Jude,” I told him, “make sure you say hi for me, huh?” Then I hung up on him.

Motherfucking bikers.

They’d been talking about me, for fucking sure. Comparing notes.

Playing me like I was some idiot prospect in their club, doing their bidding for them. Giving me fucking orders.

Sure, Jude was my client.

Piper was nothing but a pain in my ass. And he and his boys were fucking up this whole situation.

And now Jude had told him I was involved with Summer or something?

Since when was that information on the table?

It had to be Jude. How would Piper know that I had feelings for Summer, other than Jude’s fucking opinion on the matter? If it was that obvious to Naveen… maybe it was obvious to Jude, too…

Unless, of course, Piper was having me watched. Or having Summer watched?

In case Sanchuk showed up?

Did the Kings want him that bad?

Yeah. They wanted him. I was pretty sure Piper wouldn’t be putting up with my attitude otherwise.

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