Page 33 of Bae

I shot up again. Two million dollars! That wasn’t just a bribe for family secrets. That was a goddamn bounty.

They put a bounty on my wife.

Hells no.

“Not long after the call, the newest divorce headline was up, and the wolves were camped out when I pulled up to escort her out of work.” Trent went on. “I figured they might be extra vicious if any of them knew how much any kind of dirt was worth, so I shooed them the fuck out.”

“I’m surprised they went,” I muttered. Trent and Drew were a good front page story, but pics of two dudes kissing weren’t worth two mil.

“Some of them needed a little extra convincing,” Trent intoned and cracked his knuckles.

Drew made a sound and drank more beer. I knew by the look on his face he wasn’t happy. Trent basically inserted himself between my wife and the press. He’d been through a lot, and the last thing he needed was to get into a fight with a pack of money-hungry assholes and take them on by himself.

Even knowing all that, I couldn’t feel sorry.

I pushed out of the chair, stepped up to Trent, and stuck out my hand. He glanced between me and my palm. A heartbeat went by before he stood, placing his palm in mine.

“Thank you,” I said, shaking his hand. “I’m sorry you had to do it, but I’m grateful. Rim just… She’s…” I hesitated to call her fragile, even though, to me, she was.

She’d hate it. And really, she wasn’t weak. Rimmel was the strongest woman I knew. Maybe that’s why she was fragile in my eyes. I know. It was a complete juxtaposition. Sometimes Rimmel was too strong; she was so strong it made me fear she might shatter at any moment. Especially if she was hit in just the right spot.

“I know.” Understanding laced his tone.

I offered my hand to Drew, and he accepted it. We locked eyes, and I apologized for the position he and Trent had been in. He nodded once as if to say he understood.

Across the deck, Rimmel stuck her head out the door, marshmallows piled in her hands. “Anyone need a beer?” she called out.

“Yes!” all of us answered at once.

She laughed and disappeared back inside.

My gut clenched. “I’ll call tomorrow and put a bodyguard on her.”

B made a whistling sound. “That didn’t go over too well last time.”

That was an understatement. She was so opposed to it I called it off. Not this time. I wasn’t taking any chances with her safety.

“Two million dollars is way too much motivation for dirt,” I replied. I glanced at Drew. “Do you think that offer was just on the table for you because you’re family, because you’re close to us?”

Drew shrugged. “Could be. But I wouldn’t bank on it. If it was good enough, they’d probably write anyone a check.”

Braeden made a rude sound. “Rim’s so innocent. There ain’t even anything in her background worth two mil.”

The second the words were out of his mouth, we looked at each other. I actually felt some of the blood drain from my face.

“You don’t think…” B whispered.

We stared at each other, both reliving the nightmare in Florida when I basically got shot trying to clean up the mess Rim’s father made, all for the sake of money.

“What?” Trent demanded.

I swallowed and shook my head once. “He’s clean, hasn’t been gambling. Hell, he’s barely out of rehab.”

“Rimmel’s father?” Trent said, thoughtful. “You really think he’d sell a story for a payday?”

“As long as he isn’t in debt up to his ears or thinking about his next score, no,” I said.

“Time to check in on Daddy Dearest,” B quipped as the girls stepped out of the house with their arms full of supplies.

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