Page 119 of The Main Event

“No,” Jared replied immediately. “This is fine.” He smiled. “It’s very good.” He took a bigger drink this time.

My smile widened. “The buffets will be opening in a few minutes—you guys are early—and Jax is tracking down the rest of your family. Is there anything else I can get you?”

“I’ll handle serving as a personal liaison to them,” Tammy offered. “You don’t have to trouble yourself with it.”

“Oh, well, these are Jax’s parents,” I countered, setting my trap. “I want to make sure they have a specialized level of service.”

“I know they’re Jax’s parents,” Tammy fired back tightly. “We’re old friends. I can handle them.”

Well, that answeredthatquestion. “Of course you can.” I kept my smile in place as I wandered back toward the bar. They were definitely up to something.

I ran my hands over the smooth wood in front of Levi when I returned to him.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“How do you know I’m thinking anything?”

“Because there’s smoke coming out of your ears your brain is running so fast.”

I gave him a “don’t take it too far” look. “Don’t be weird.”

“I’m just saying.” He let loose a laugh. “What did she say?”

“She said they were old friends.”

“What does that mean to you?”

Only one thing popped into my head. “Keep an eye on things. I’ll be right back.” Since Tammy was busy with the Hunters, I had an opening to do what needed to be done. I stopped at the front desk long enough to grab the spare key to her office, earning a raised brow from the workers who recognized what I was doing. “If she comes through here, keep her here and text me,” I ordered.

They nodded in tandem.

“I won’t be long.” I looked for Jax as I cut through the lobby but didn’t see him. It was possible he was wrangling relatives indifferent parts of the hotel. That was fine. I didn’t want him to stop me from what I was doing anyway.

Tammy’s office was two doors down from Jax’s, and the hallway was silent. I didn’t hesitate when letting myself in. Technically, what I was doing was unethical. Since I knew Tammy had been up to unethical machinations herself, I didn’t care.

I found what I was looking for right on top of her desk. It was in a folder, as if waiting to be discovered. I flipped through it, frowning, and made a groaning noise when I saw what lawyer she’d used to draw up the papers.

Jeffrey Townsend. His photo was next to the phrase “ambulance chaser” in the urban dictionary. He never met a client he didn’t want to screw. It made sense, though. He was the only attorney that would’ve done anything like this with Tammy, without contacting Jax first.

“Oh, she is even more psychotic than I thought,” I said to the empty office. “I’m going to kill her.”

I took the folder with me when I left. Now I had to find Jax. For better or for worse, we were going to have the conversation I’d hoped could wait. He was in the lobby when I came through the second time. I returned the key to where I’d found it and headed straight for him.

“We have a problem,” I announced. I had the folder gripped in my hands.

He slid his eyes to me. He looked a little wild, which told me things hadn’t gone smoothly with his relatives. “I’m not sure I can take much more,” he said finally.

“I get that, but you’re going to have to.” I handed him the folder. “Tammy called your parents old friends, and I had a hunch.”

Jax took the folder and opened it. His eyebrows practically flew off his forehead when he realized what he was reading. “Sonof a bitch!” He viciously offered up a few other choice words under his breath, then managed to rein in his temper. It looked as if it took considerable effort. “Where did you find this?”

I saw no reason to lie. “Sitting on top of her desk.”

He frowned. “You broke into her office?”

“Do you want to spank me now?”

Despite the serious situation, he smirked. “No, but I want you to say that I’m the one who went into her office if anybody asks. It’s my building. There can’t be any blowback if I go into any of the offices.”

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