After sex, Gannon finished bathing me in the shower and even conditioned my hair before we stepped out. Then he wrapped me in a towel and left me to get ready. He had dinner plans for us. I spent extra time making myself as beautiful as possible. Every moment I spent with him made me want more. I wanted him to want me just as badly.
I met Gannon downstairs in the lobby, but just as we were leaving, it happened.
“You motherfucking asshole!” A female screech ripped through the lobby. I stopped as a tall, leggy blonde who looked like a Vegas showgirl was suddenly in Gannon’s face. “This! This is what you’re doing? Seriously, Gannon? I tell you that we’re going to have a baby, and this is what you go do? I can’t believe you!” She threw her hands out dramatically, then turned her focus to me. Her gaze ran up and down my body, her face betraying a look of disgust. “Money. Figures. You sniff them out like a bloodhound. She’s loaded. She smells of it.” The girl all but spat out her words and shot me one last disgusted look before turning back to Gannon. “I gave you time. Space. And whatever the hell you wanted. But you promised you would be there for me and our baby. I can’t do this without you.” Her voice dropped, and she sounded close to tears now.
A sick knot grew in my stomach. Complete disbelief slowly morphed into acceptance. Gannon had seemed too good to be true because he was exactly that. He was a fraud. He didn’t know who my father was or about the balance in my bank account, but he’d spotted me and latched on because I looked expensive.
It made sense now. No man had treated me so well before. Why would someone start now? I was expendable. I always had been. Even to my own father.
I took a step away from the scene, and Gannon finally turned to look at me. He didn’t say anything, but I could see the truth in his eyes. She wasn’t lying. He knew her, and this was all very real.
I just shook my head, because I didn’t have words to say what I wanted to say.
“I’m sorry, Nan,” he said.
I didn’t wait for more. I turned and left him standing there. The man I had built into an idea of someone I could really be with. But he was worse than Major. At least Major hadn’t done this to me. He’d been honest about his whorish ways. He’d never promised me more. It was me and my stupid need to be wanted. To belong to someone. For one man on this earth to believe I was worth it.
I wanted to be someone’s Harlow. Or Blaire.
But I’d always just be Nan. And Nan wasn’t enough. I never had been, and I was done trying to be.
Cope
An unfamiliar emptiness ached in my chest. Typically, there was no emotion there. From the moment the woman who had given me life forced me out of her home and into the streets at the age of ten because I was one too many mouths to feed, I’d stopped feeling anything for most people. The streets will do that to you, especially when you’re just a kid.
The red locks of her hair swayed as she ran from me. Back to the elevator and to the safety of her suite. I didn’t trust women, especially that one. She was hiding too much. I wouldn’t feel guilty for this. I didn’t feel guilty for shit. This was my job. It was what I was good at. The bitch would go running back to Major and be back in his bed by nightfall. I would witness it all on the surveillance cameras planted all over her house. Cameras I had planted while she slept.
I glanced back at the struggling actress and nodded my head. She had completed her job and would receive an envelope with several crisp hundreds in it within the hour. She turned and walked toward the doors of the casino. My bags were already packed and in the waiting car outside. I would watch Nan board her father’s private jet and head back to Rosemary Beach before I followed her.
Sliding into the backseat of the Mercedes I’d used while in town, I could still smell a hint of her perfume. I hated that. Fucking wanted it gone. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Major.
She’s running back now was all I typed.
“I’ll need to see her board her private jet. Once she’s on it, I’ll be ready to head back,” I instructed Amish. He had been working for DeCarlo longer than I had. He was a driver, bodyguard, and occasional chef for DeCarlo and his head officers. He had three kids, ages thirty-three, thirty-nine, and forty-one, all successful in the investment world, all female. DeCarlo had gone to each of their college graduations and given them their first cars.
Amish was a good man. A good father and husband. Never once had I seen him cheat on Henrietta, his wife of forty-five years. His ultimate pride and joy were his three grandsons: George, Charlie, and Frank. They were all younger than ten, and Amish loved telling stories about them. He was what I believed a real man should be. I respected him in many ways. I just would never be like him. I wasn’t a good man.
Needing to clear my mind of her lingering scent, I laid my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. “What’s the latest on your grandsons, Amish? Is Charlie still playing soccer? And did George enter that art contest?”
That was all it took for Amish to distract me. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the glow of pride in the man’s words. That was what a kid needed to succeed in life. To grow and achieve something beyond the shadows.
I only knew the shadows. Nan would never see me again. I’d be a memory for her that she’d regret and soon forget. My existence would slowly fade, and I’d be back in the shadows, where I dwelled without need of emotion.
Major
Once the text from Cope came through, the weight on my chest lifted. I knew my chance to fix things was almost here.
I had debated waiting at the private airport where Nan would land or going to her house, but I figured both would give away the fact that I knew she was headed home, which was a bad move.
The idea of her being hurt didn’t sit well with me, but I wanted the chance to make it all right. To show her I could be what she needed. Other girls weren’t even appealing right now. I didn’t like the man I’d turned into when I’d lost her. This time, I would do things right. I would prove her innocence and get DeCarlo’s men off her trail.
We had a job to do, and we were wasting time on Nan. She didn’t need this in her life. I wanted to know she was safe. I wanted to see her truly happy. Fuck, what was wrong with me?
I was not in love with her. Jesus, why did I sound like I was? I needed to fucking focus.
Slacker Demon’s private jet came into view as it began descending. I was hidden in my truck, out of sight. The taste of the cigarettes still lingered on my tongue. I needed to make sure she got into her vehicle and got home safely. Then I’d text her. Check on her. Get back into her heart. I wasn’t sure what Cope had done to send her running home, but whatever it was, it was probably the right move.
Looking through my binoculars, I could see her red hair as she emerged from the jet. She was dressed in a pair of gray fitted pants and a white blouse that was cut low and hugged her waist tightly. She always looked expensive and sexy all at once. Never uptight or trashy. She found the happy medium and made it work. I loved how she dressed.