Page 18 of Barrett

On the ground level, I went to turn left, and she went right.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“I want to walk out there this time.” She pointed to the busy street that ran in front of the building. The one where anyone could see her and have a gun. No, there hadn’t been threats against Jordan or his family recently, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

“You don’t go that way with Julia.” She was off for the day, or she’d be the one walking with Ava.

“I do sometimes.”

“No, you don’t. Don't lie to me. Either follow me or get back in the elevator. You know the rules.”

If she would have been capable of it, she would have breathed fire. “This isn’t fair. Everyone else gets to walk wherever they want, but I’m treated like a baby.” Why did I have to deal with this? I wasn’t good with kids.

I inhaled a long, slow breath and let it out before responding, “I told you. There are two choices. It’s up to you which you choose.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she ended up walking toward the rear of the building where there wasn’t anyone who didn’t work for Jordan. The road that ran along it was much quieter. No one drove back here unless that was where they were supposed to be.

Ava stomped down the street, her hand gripping Morgan’s leash tightly in anger. She wasn’t watching where she was going, although I was. And I was giving her ten seconds before she ran headfirst into another person who was also walking a dog.

“Whoa,” Dash said.

Ava let out a little squeak and froze, her head tipping back to look up at Dash. He was the rock god drummer for Ruined & Relinquished, and Ava loved the band.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Dash asked. He was walking Romeo’s dog, Latte. She was a beautiful white ball of fluff. One of the happiest dogs ever. Her tongue was out, and her tail wagged. The Samoyed was itching for a chance to get attention from Ava and the puppy.

“I… uh… I was just… walking Morgan,” Ava said, partially stumbling over her words, starstruck at seeing Dash. It wasn’t the first time she’d met him, but he still had an effect on her.

“Romeo told me Jordy gave you a puppy. She’s very cute. Can I say hi to her?” Romeo was one of Dash’s partners and a dancer at Untouchable. It never failed to make me hold in a laugh when Dash referred to Jordan as Jordy. He did it to drive Jordan crazy. It had the desired effect.

“Of course.” At least Ava wasn’t angry anymore.

“Latte, sit.” Latte still stood, wagging her tail. “Sit.” That time she did, though I could tell she was ready to leap forward.

Dash took a few steps and crouched, his hand still on Latte’s leash. Morgan walked to him, her tail going wild while Dash gave her attention. “Let’s switch. You take Latte and give her kisses, and I’ll love up on Morgan.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.” He handed her the leash and took Morgan's.

Latte was beside herself having another person around. Whenever Romeo visited, which was rare since no one was supposed to know about his connection to Jordan, he didn’t have Latte with him. But Latte knew Jordan well. Jordan visited Romeo often in Romeo's home, when they were here. The band was currently touring with breaks in between. When Dash was gone, so were Romeo and Tristan, Dash’s other partner. Jordan had watched Latte once when they were on tour. Now they had another place to take her when they were gone.

Dash scooped Morgan up in his arms and stood, holding the puppy toward me. “How can you resist this face? Look how sweet she is.”

“Dash,” I said in greeting.

“You’re not a man of many words, are you?”

“Depends on who I’m talking to.”

“And who you’re with.” He wasn’t wrong. When I was protecting Jordan, I stayed quiet for the most part. “Morgan should come over for playdates once we’re home for a while.”

“Seriously?” Ava asked.

“We’ll let Jordy know when we’re home and we can set something up.” If anyone asked Ava about her connection to the band, she always said it was due to Vail knowing them. While that was true, it also had to do with Jordan’s family-type relationship with Romeo, which was a long story for another day.

“Wow,” Ava whispered. “I still can’t believe I know you.”

“I can’t believe I know you.”

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