Page 51 of Beneath the Hood

He nods. “There’s been a thousand different movies about fast cars and their beauty. I want this one to be different. Your work, Jax... it’s special.”

Pride fills me up like a balloon and my head tilts as I listen to him get lost in his vision. It’s the most he’s ever said in my presence, his passion bleeding through every word he speaks. Passion I didn’t realize he had until this moment. His excitement is palpable and it soars across the room and implants into my brain, the image so clear it’s like I thought of it myself.

The more he talks, the more I see why he’s the biggest mogul on the scene.

There are just some things you can tell a person was destined to become. And James Donahue was meant to be the King of Hollywood. The man hiding in the castle and pulling all the strings.

“When does production start?” I ask.

“Five months. Which means I need the cars in three.”

I nod slowly, anticipation for the finished product thrumming through my veins. “No problem.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” A genuine smile graces his face, crinkling his cheeks and sparking through his eyes, and I’m taken aback by how strongly it reminds me of Blakely.

The way you don’t even realize what you’ve been shown is a mask until they decide to take it off.

“The other reason I’m here is to alleviate some concerns you may have,” he continues.

Confusion draws my brows down. “Concerns?”

“I saw the picture of you and my daughter.”

My blood turns to ice, heart slamming against my ribs. “Sir, I—”

He waves his hand. “No, no, none of that. I know how this world works, Jax. Media loves to spin a story even where there isn’t one to tell. They don’t know I asked you to keep an eye on her.” His voice sharpens. “And they definitely don’t realize that as my employee, you wouldn’t eventhinkof taking advantage of the situation.”

My gut churns, sensing the warning in the spaces between his words. “Ri—” I clear my throat. “Right. Exactly.”

He lifts his chin. “Right.” A tense second passes where I hold his gaze, not wanting to break the stare, afraid it will showcase my transgressions.

Iamtaking advantage of the situation, but not in all the ways Iwantto. Guilt sticks to my insides, making bile tease the back of my throat.

“She ran away the other night,” he says suddenly, his shoulders deflating.

“Hmm?” I lift my brow, trying to paint a look of surprise on my face. My hand reaches up to grab my necklace, running my fingers along the chain.

How ridiculous that a night on her own is considered “running away.”

“Well, she disappeared without her security.” He sighs, leaning further into the car’s frame. “I don’t—it’s not like her. She’s never been a child I’ve had to worry about, and now...” He shakes his head.

“With all due respect, sir, she’s not exactly achildanymore, is she?”

His eyes jump back to mine. “That’s exactly what she is, Jax. She’s a nineteen-year-old girl who doesn’t know what’s good for her. If she did, she wouldn’t have run off with no protection. Wouldn’t be makingstupiddecisions that affect everyone around her. She wouldn’t be gallivanting to clubs and showing off her body like a piece of property up for lease.”

I cringe. The need to defend her—to remind him that it’sherbody and she can do whatever she wants with it, that she’s so much more than he’s giving her credit for—rises inside of me, my teeth cutting through the flesh on my cheek.

We both hear the gasp before we see her.

Mr. Donahue turns on his heel, his spine stiffening. My gaze finds Blakely, standing just to the inside of the glass door, her eyes welling with tears and her hand over her chest.

My body burns with the need to go to her. To protect her from the bitter words I know are slicing through her and remind her that opinions don’t define who she is.

“Honey, I—” he starts.

“No, it’s fine,” she interrupts. “Karen told me you were here and I wanted to come say hi.” She sucks a ragged breath in through her teeth. “I shouldn’t have... I just wanted to know if you’d want me to rearrange my schedule and be home for dinner.” Shaking her head, she drops her hands, fists clenching at her sides.

One. Two. Three.

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