Page 74 of Boss Daddy

That gets a bark of a laugh out of James and me both.

He flashes a small, sheepish grin. “Figured I’d leave that one alone.”

“Good call. Thanks, Mark. See you tomorrow.”

He waves one more time, flashing his easygoing smile before disappearing through the door. As the sound of his footsteps fades, I glance at James.

“He’s solid, a good kid,” James says. “Reliable. Doesn’t miss a beat. And it’s good to have a friendly face among a full line of mean mugs like us.”

“Yeah, I agree. Hopefully, he sticks around for a while.”

James finishes his whiskey, setting the glass down with a soft clink. “So, what’s the next move with the Misha bullshit?”

I glance at the folder on the desk, then back at him. “We play this smart,” I say. “Keep the heat off ourselves while we rebuild. Marketing’s step one, so we can undo the bullshit slander he’s been putting out there. Step two...” I trail off, the thought of Misha’s empire crashing around him satisfying. “Let’s just say, if Misha doesn’t back off, I’ve got a way to make him regret it.”

James grins. “You always do.”

I nod, finishing my drink and setting the glass down. “Damn right.”

For now, the club’s steady, and the pieces are falling into place. But Misha’s not done, and neither am I.

James lets the comment sit for a moment, then shifts gears. “The numbers seem to be creeping back up.”

“They are,” I say. “Tonight was better than this time last week. Solid for a Thursday. But let’s see how the weekend shakes out.”

“You think Misha’s backing off? Maybe we got lucky and your little karate chop to his goon’s rib cage was enough to let him know we’re not fucking around.”

“No. This isn’t over. A guy like Misha doesn’t know when to quit. He’ll push until someone pushes back harder.”

“You still think Erin is his target?”

I nod, exhaling sharply. “Yeah. I’m watching every move when we’re out. When we leave the club, I’m glancing every which way walking to the car. I pull straight into the garage when we get home—I don’t even let her get out until the door’s down. It’s not ideal, but it’s what I can do right now. There’s still the matter of this Kailee girl, too, she’s still missing. Hired a PI, but he’s turned up nothing.”

“That’s not good.”

“No kidding. All the same, it’d be weird for Misha to do something to her and not say a word about it. You saw how he treated Tiffany, dumping her in the damn parking lot so we’d get the message. He likes to brag about his work.”

“He’s a prick.” James tilts his head, studying me. “You ever think about hiring a bodyguard for personal protection? I know some guys who’d kill for a gig that’d give them a chance to beat the hell out of someone like Misha.”

I shake my head. “You think Erin’s going to go for that? She already hates that she can’t go anywhere alone. Add a bodyguard to the mix, and she’ll riot.”

James grins. “Fair point. But if you and Erin are a real couple now, maybe if you hired a bodyguard he could do some of the boring parts of being in a relationship.”

I glare at him, though I can’t help the smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. “Get your ass out of my office.”

“Fine, fine, I’m going,” James says, raising his hands in mock surrender as he stands. “But you know I’m right.”

“Out.”

He chuckles as he heads for the exit, but before he can leave, the door pushes open. Erin steps inside, her face pale, her expression twisted with fear. My smile fades instantly.

Something’s wrong.

“Erin?” I say, standing as she walks toward me. “What’s going on?”

She doesn’t say a word, just holds out a piece of paper, her hands trembling slightly. I take it from her, my chest tightening as I unfold it. James steps behind me, his eyes narrowing as he peers over my shoulder.

The note is handwritten, the letters sharp and aggressive, as if the writer wanted every word to cut.

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