Page 3 of Jack's Devotion

"Jesus Christ, Jack. Stay your ass in the house and let me send a car out there to handle it," Dillon mutters. "If you get shot, half the damn town is going to riot."

"They do like making money," I agree, grinning. I learned early on that my mind was made for numbers. I may not know what day of the week it is most of the time, and I may drive everyone insane with half the shit I do the rest of the time, but numbers? Those are easy. I've helped make a lot of people in this town very rich.

And that's just what I do for fun. Drake and I own multiple companies, everything from technology to oil to coffee shops. Boredom is fucking…boring.

"Yeah, they do. Keep your ass in the house," Dillon growls.

"Nah, it's all good. If she's a ghost, your guys don't have the right equipment. And if she's not, I don't want them hauling her out of here before I find out why she's hiding out in my pool house," I mutter. "I've got it under control."

"Shit. It's a woman?"

"From the looks of it. I'll figure out what the situation is and call you if I need backup."

"I don't like this."

"Yeah, well. I'm not unlocking the gate for whoever you send, so tough shit. I'll call if I need you."

"Call anyway," he growls. "My wife will be pissed if you're murdered on my watch. She likes you."

"You said there weren't any unsolved murders."

"There aren't. If yours is the first,Imay haunt your pool house, motherfucker."

"Your prerogative. Just don't fuck in my pool. I already have to tear this one out and start over." I hang up on him, shoving my phone back into my pocket as I stride through the kitchen toward the back door. I don't bother turning on any lights. I don't want whoever is out there to see me coming just in case.

I'm not worried, though. Despite Drake and Dillon's lack of faith in my ability to handle the situation my damn self…Icanhandle the situation my damn self. I may be a goddamn eccentric billionaire, but I'm not a goddamn helpless eccentric billionaire.

I grew up playing football. I spend an hour in the gym every day. I'm more than capable of handling whatever needs handling.

And one lone woman isn't that fucking scary. Whoever the hell she is, she better have a damn good reason for being in my pool house if she doesn't want to spend the night in jail. Because, all jokes aside, I'm not inclined to let her stay. The last thing I need around here is a woman I don't know living on my property.

That's a disaster waiting to happen, and I'm opting all the way out of that bullshit.

Chapter Two

Madison

"You're going to spend your life in prison, Madison Laurent," I mutter to myself, pacing in restless circles around the small bedroom in Jack Whitlock's pool house. I shouldn't even be here, especially since I'm almost certain he's actually home tonight. But I don't have anywhere else to go, either.

Risking prison for a place to sleep? Seems kinda worth it, honestly. Especially since everyone in town thinks I'm dead.

Until three days ago, I hadn't set foot in Silver Spoon Falls since the day I turned eighteen. I disappeared that day, determined to keep myself alive and out of my father's hands.

My plan worked. I've been gone for almost seven years to the day, and no one has come looking. They just assumed I died somewhere and left it alone. As far as they know, I'm a freaking ghost.

Surprise. Not dead.

I am highly annoyed, though.

This is the last place I want to be right now. But there's no way I'm going to let my father have me declared dead just so he can get his hands on the fortune my mother left me and the company that's rightfully mine. He may have been running in since she died, but it's my company. If coming back to haunt him means ruining his cushy little life, so be it.

I just need to stay out of his hands until my birthday…which means I need to stay hidden until then.

Hiding out in a hot billionaire's pool house probably wasn't my best plan ever, but from what I know of Jack Whitlock—and trust me, I know a lot about the man—he's never home. My father used to say he was married to his job and practically lived at his office. Turns out, my father is evil…but he was also right.

I've been living out here for three days and Jack hasn't been home once. Until tonight.

"Maybe I should suck it up, go knock on his door, and tell him that I'm out here."

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