Page 27 of Wilde In His Arms

Several hundred-dollar bills fluttered to the floor.

Julia cursed, then knelt to pick them up.“You know he’s not going to like this.You’ve been warned once already.”

The guy grabbed Julia by her suit jacket lapels and hauled her up to her feet and close to his chest, their faces inches apart, his angry and defiant.

Nick couldn’t stay hidden any longer.He rushed out of the stairwell and down the hallway.“Let her go.”

Julia’s head snapped toward him with a look of surprise and fear before she schooled her expression.“Agent Gunn, I’m fine.”

He didn’t miss the way she stressed his title, or the way the guy paled.

The guy let her go like she was on fire.His eyes rounded into saucers as he stared at her and started to sweat.

Nick looked from him to Julia and back again.“What seems to be the problem here?”

She turned to the guest.“I’ll take care of everything.Please, go back inside and enjoy the rest of your stay.”

The guy didn’t even look at Nick again, just spun on his feet and rushed back into the room, slamming the door in her face.

He noted the sign on the door.Under Construction.“Why the sign?Isn’t that guy a member?”Based on his tailored slacks, Nick would bet on it.

She pushed the cart to an unmarked door next to the room the guy had disappeared into and pulled out a different key card than she’d used on the room upstairs.She leaned in and dropped her voice.“He is a member.One who sometimes drinks too much and gets angry easily.I put the sign up so that if anyone hears him trashing his room again, they’ll think it’s just renovations or something.”

Was she lying?To protect the member?To cover something up?

She held up the wad of bills.“As you can see, he thinks everything can be solved with money.But when the market is down, he takes it out on the things around him.”She shrugged like it was no big deal.“Dennis will be angry that he’s destroyed property and warn him again about letting his temper result in damages, but nothing else will happen, because he’ll pay for it.An endless loop of no real consequences for the rich.”

“I’m sorry he treated you the way he did.Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.I’ll restock this coffee station and provide a new coffee maker and all will be as it should be.”

“I can wait for you to restock it and go with you to the room to deliver it.I’d hate for him to take anything else out on you.”

“I’ve dealt with him plenty.Better me than one of the other younger girls.He knows not to mess with me.I’ll be fine.”She cocked her head.“Shouldn’t you have already gone by now?”

“Oh, I thought I’d take a tour of the floors.When am I ever going to get another chance to see a place as nice as this?”

She grinned, but it seemed forced.“Well, you should get going before Dennis gets even more nervous about an FBI agent skulking around the private members.”

He bet she’d make sure he left as soon as possible.“You sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yes.”She shooed him away with her hands.“Now go before you get me in trouble for not doing my job.”

“You should have one of the staff take care of this, but I get it, sometimes difficult customers will only deal with management.”

She almost grinned.“It wasn’t so long ago that I was one of the girls.It’s nice to be in a higher position and making more money, but it comes with a lot more headaches.”

“And assholes,” he added.“Be careful.”

This time he got a genuine smile.“Thank you, Agent Gunn.”

“Thank me by calling me about your brother if you have any information.He’s a wanted man.He killed an agent.We won’t stop until we get him.You don’t want him hunted down.Things could go really badly in that situation.Tell him to turn himself in.I’ll meet him wherever he wants and we can do it peacefully.”

“You know he will never do that.He’s not meant for a cage.”

“It’s where he belongs for doing what he does.”

Something seemed to suddenly shift inside the cart.

---