Page 85 of For Wrath and Redemption
The fear that passes over this giant man’s face. The concern. José doesn’t want to hurt Jonah. It’s possible he doesn’t know how bad it is. I don’t think anyone does. It’s obvious he cares about him, but as far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t care enough.
“He’s my boss, Ms. Davis. I’ve been with him for over a year now. I do what he says.”
“I’myour boss now.” His brows furrow. When he doesn’t respond, I say it louder. “Do you hear me? I am your fucking boss now. From now on, you answer to me. You do asIsay.”
“Respectfully, Ms. Davis, he hired me. Not Mr. Hammond. Not Ms. Loveless. Mr. Hendrix did.”
I close my eyes and blow a frustrated breath out my nose. Then I inhale, willing my pulse to return to normal.
“When he hired you, did anyone tell you about his overdose?”
“I knew he used sometimes. I knew he’d been to rehab, but that’s the norm in this industry. My previous employer did, too.”
God, I want to scream. “And I suppose your previous employer referred you to Jonah.”
“Um...yeah, actually.”
“José, listen very closely to what I’m about to say. You are a very nice guy. I know you care about him. But Jonah hired you because he knew you wouldn’t interfere. It’s why he didn’t tell you how bad it can get.He’s an addict, José. He can’t justuse sometimes. Frankly, I’m fucking baffled that no one prepped you on it.”
“Well...I was hired during a chaotic time. Everyone was pretty stressed, and Mr. Hammond was preoccupied.”
I laugh. It’s no excuse. Jonah must have everyone so fooled, and it breaks my heart.
“Things are changing right now. If you don’t want to tell him no, then get me, and I’ll do it. You run everything by me. You do what I tell you. If you don’t, I will have you fired.”
“You can’t do that.”
“The fuck I can’t. Jonah is my responsibility, so from now on, you answer to me. Are we clear?”
José’s eyebrows scrunch, the lines in between them growing deeper. He looks young. Younger than me. It makes me angrier with Jonah than I am with José. Jonah took advantage of him. There’s no way around it.
“José, I need an answer.”
Finally, he nods. “We’re clear, Ms. Davis. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is harm him.”
I sigh again. “I know. Have a good night, José.”
24
JONAH
“What the fuck?”
I jolt out of bed, freezing. Freezing and wet. I wipe the water from my eyes, then open them to find Claire standing at my bedside with an empty glass and a smirk.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you hoping to sleep off your stupidity?”
I scowl, but my lips twitch with the need to smile.
“You’re supposed to be dead until Sunday.”
“Yeah, well, some demon resurrected me early, so here I am.” She turns around, giving me a great view of her ass in her bike shorts. “Get up. We’ve got an appointment at the gym.”
I groan to mask my excitement, then roll out of bed and get dressed. I find her waiting by the door, tapping her foot. When she sees me, she checks her watch.
“That was fast for you.”
I grin. “I can be fast.”
