Page 20 of Shattering Nash

Nash stood in the open door of the back entrance, watching Charley pull out of the lot. In the dark it was hard to make out, but when she drove under the street lamp, he noticed she looked over. It was short-lived, and she immediately turned forward as she passed by the building.

Successful, smart, handsome, well-dressed, well-spoken, highly regarded, handsome.

Compliments were rare in the Underground. He had no idea what he was doing. For a man who always had a plan, this whole display was out of character for Nash. It was a game he couldn’t resist playing. There was a point, right before she left, Charley was staring at him in a complete daze with a tiny smile playing on her lips and her eyes hazy as if she was in a trance. He would’ve given anything to know what she’d been thinking. It wouldn’t go any further than harmless flirting on his end. It couldn’t. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t indulge a little.

“Night, Caine.”

Nash turned to the hall. Elodie was walking toward him with Ridge at her side. It was a new protocol that she have security with her at all times. Oz had lightened up a little when it came to her being at the shop. There was still men watching the building, but they didn’t go inside. Nash had a feeling that was one battle Elodie won.

She smiled and slowed her steps as she got closer.

“Heading home?”

“Yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “Husband’s orders.”

Nash nodded and widened the door for her. But Elodie stopped in front of him.

“I need a favor.”

“Anything.”

Elodie scanned the parking lot. “I need to make sure that Charley and her friend have a good time on Friday, but moreimportantly, they’re safe. I’d come in myself, but I don’t think Oz would go for that.”

No, he wouldn’t.

“I’ll keep eyes on them.”

“Thanks.” Elodie squeezed his arm and walked to her car, followed by Ridge.

Nash watched until she was safely in the car, then walked into the club, heading upstairs. He made a mental note of adding a specific security detail to Charley and her guest. The X-Lounge was fairly safe. They’d always taken extra precautions. The last thing they needed was any type of scandal bringing attention to the already popular club. As an extra measure of safety, he’d personally look after them. When Nash exited the elevator and started down the hall, Cyrus fell in line with him.

“Nash, you got a minute?”

Nash turned around at the entrance to his office.

“What do you need?”

“Caine assigned me the task of observing the police logs.”

Nash nodded. He’d approved it a few months ago. It was a menial task but important nonetheless. Cyrus would check the weekly jail intake logs. Any and all arrests were documented. It was easy to keep track of associates, especially low level, who may have been picked up. There were a multitude of reasons. If they could be traced to the Underground, then they posed a risk, and if needed, they’d intervene. Others could be considered an asset if they went to prison and stayed loyal to the Underground.

“Have you found something? Or should I say, someone?”

Cyrus furrowed his brows. “Not exactly, but the list from earlier this week is still fresh in my mind. When Elle’s employee said her name, I recognized it. Hudson is fairly common, so I pulled up the log again just to confirm and compare the address. It’s the same.”

What?

Nash’s brows shot up. “Charley was arrested?”

“There was no arrest. A neighbor called in a disturbance at her residence where she lives with her brother, Cody.”

Formerly lived with her brother.Nash hadn’t been eavesdropping necessarily, but he’d heard that tidbit of information. Charley said her brother had moved out of state, though she didn’t specify exactly when he’d left.

Nash folded his arms. “Go on.”

Cyrus drew in a breath. “I might be reading into this. But when I heard Elle say something about never seeing her in a scarf, it triggered something in my head.”

Nash was having a hard time following this conversation. The scarf was a trigger? Nash had never seen her wearing one. It seemed odd the scarf was playing a pivotal role in everyone’s thoughts tonight. Even Nash had been slightly thrown off. It certainly didn’t match her attire, nor did she seem comfortable in it. He noticed her adjust it a few times.

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