Page 22 of The Mastermind

“Yes and yes!”

“Perfect. You can have my ticket. I’ll relay the message to Zach. When he gives me the contact for the show, I’ll pass it on to you.”

“Thank you so much. I needed that boost. It’s been so stressful at work.”

My phone buzzed, and a message popped onto my screen.I miss you. Love that ass.

My stomach clutched, and I frowned, glancing around the restaurant. I met Remi’s gaze briefly, but I didn’t want him to see my concern, so I whirled back.

“What’s the matter?” Michelle asked, “The color on your face just drained.”

“Some jerk’s been texting me.”

“How long has this been going on?” Kiera grabbed my phone to peek.

“A month or so? It was on and off. I thought it was—”

“You thought it was who?” Remi pulled out the chair across from me and folded himself into it. Those aqua eyes bore into me, and my body went from nerves about the stalker to a unique set of nerves. His presence sucked the surrounding air, and I had to take a deep inhale just to breathe.

“It’s nothing,” I said, biting the inside of my lip.

“It’snotnothing if it turned your face ghost-white just now.”

“Why do you care?” My eyebrows pushed together. “Don’t you have some billion-dollar meeting to attend?”

Kiera and Michelle watched our exchange, turning their heads from me to him.

“I do, but he can wait.”

The energy at the table sizzled between Remi and me. I didn’t understand why he was so concerned about my business. Had he heard our conversation from all the way over there? He couldn’t have. The surrounding crowd was pretty loud on top of the music and sports games on the TV screens.

My gaze slid over to Kiera, who held my phone in her hand.

Remi reached for the phone before I did. “Do you know this person?”

Irritation clawed at me. Who did he think he was, charging over here and taking over like he owned the place? Like he ownedme?

Tasha brought out the food and cut through the stillness. “Hi, Mr. Starke. So good to see you here.”

“Hello, Tasha. How’s college?”

“Excellent. The scholarship from work helped me last semester. Thank you for offering that to the employees. Enjoy, ladies.” Tasha walked off when someone from a nearby table caught her attention.

“You own this place?” Kiera asked.

He nodded. “This meal is all set for you, ladies.”

No one made a move for the food.

His gaze slid back to me, his eyes hard. “Who texted you, Audri?” His voice was low and firm, with a commanding undercurrent.

I just glared at him and leaned on the table. “You’re not my father . . . not my uncle . . . not my brother. And you’re not my boyfriend. Why do you care?”

He also leaned into the table, his large form overwhelming me. The aqua eyes turned an artic blue that should have chilled, but they scorched me, sending heat pooling to my core. Why was I reacting to him like this? I should be infuriated at his intrusion into my conversation and how he took over like the damn CEO of my life. I was sick of arrogant men like Kevin, Lawrence, and now Remi.

Kiera and Michelle observed with smirks.

“I’m your brother’s best friend, and that makes you my family.”

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