Page 42 of His Lovebug

Matt tugged out his phone and grunted as he raised it to his ear. I hated that his eyes were glassy. My husband was beginning to show signs of stress and exhaustion. He let out a bone-deep sigh and tossed his phone on the bar to glare at it. “I went directly to voicemail.”

We stared at his phone, and all at once, I wished I hadn’t had the two martinis. “Where could they be?”

Derek sent Matt a pained look.

“Either at Topher’s or dead.” Matt slowly stood up and stared at Derek. “Or wishing they were dead.”

“Royal wouldn’t go down without a fight. They’re fine,” Derek said, shooting a quick glance at me. “Maybe they had to hole up somewhere.”

Matt scowled around, cracking his knuckles. “Well, we better find out. You need to?—”

“I swear I will kick you in the balls if the next words out of your mouth arestayandhere.” I picked up the stick of chocolate that had come with my second drink and took a bite out of it, munching and glaring at the same time.

Matt said nothing.

Derek only laughed and slapped Matt’s back.

15

COLT

Derek stared at me with knowing eyes, but it was easier to ignore him than acknowledge what he wanted me to do. I wasn’t a soft man, but most of the time I was able to keep my hands clean. Well, cleanish. There was a reason we had underlings. This occasion was different, though, because I needed to send a message. More than that, I needed to get rid of Topher for good.

“What are we waiting for?” Quin asked from where he sat beside me on a stool.

“A call.” I curled my hand around the back of his neck and stroked the skin there. He was still in that awful hoodie, and I had half a mind to tell him to go upstairs and change, but we were still waiting for Madam Winters’s people to give us the message that they’d delivered clothes to our room. I’d talked to one of the managers, Landon, about getting Quin a new wardrobe, at least, until it was safe enough for him to go shopping to find his own, and Landon had picked up the phone immediately.

“From who?” Quin pushed.

Derek and I had made the wordless agreement to let Quin in on the basics but nothing more. The less he knew, the better it would be for him if things went south, especially with O’Neill sniffing around.

As if hearing our conversation and the stress in my voice, Landon cleared his throat from behind us, and I turned to look at him. Dressed in an impeccable deep violet suit with a warm expression on his face, Landon was the opposite of his boss, Darcy Winters. While Darcy was cold and direct, Landon’s attitude was down to earth and relaxed. He had sandy blond hair that hung around his shoulders and kind green eyes.

“Our personal shoppers have returned with a month’s worth of clothing for your wife, Mr. Coltrane.” His gaze slid to Quin, and to my surprise, his eyes softened further. Landon didn’t know Quin, so I could only assume he appreciated someone who was confident enough to be true to themselves. “Mr. Kiskadden, they’ve taken your suggestions very seriously, but if there’s anything you don’t like, please return it to the front desk, and we’ll have it sent back immediately. The items are now in your room.”

Quin offered him a kind smile. “Thank you so much. I appreciate it.”

Landon inclined his head. “I’ve also had your Hummer brought to the Courtesan as requested earlier, Mr. Coltrane. We’ve placed the keys you loaned us in your room, on the nightstand.”

“Thanks, Landon. Good job. I’ll be sure to tip you and your people well.”

He smiled before he left us alone again.

“How about you go get dressed in something more comfortable, Baby Girl?” I stroked a finger down his cheek and across his jaw. “Derek and I will wait here.”

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’re not going to disappear on me?”

I snorted out a laugh. “No, because if we did, you’d only follow us or do something stupid.”

“Exactly.” He rose and bent down to kiss me on the lips, and I closed my eyes, drinking in his taste and presence. “I won’t take long.”

I turned on my stool to watch him leave, unable to tear my attention from him. My heart expanded, and for a moment, I thought it would burst straight from my chest. I’d never felt the need to be near someone as much as I did Quin, and it was all very new. I fucking loved it.

“Done watching your wife’s ass?” Derek drawled.

I laughed and looked back at him. “Never. It’s a nice ass, and it’s mine.”

He held up his palms to me, grinning. “No plans on stealing it. I like Quin, but he’s yours.”

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