Absolute Trust - Jeana E. Mann Page 0,4

you. Who is this guy? Do I know him? If he’s buying cars for women who aren’t his girlfriend, he must be a high roller.”

“Um, he’s not from around here.” I scowl at Em when Tony’s gaze drops to his plate. She rolls her eyes, mirroring my attitude. “He’s hiring me to do some work for him. It was a sign-on bonus.” Not exactly a lie, but not the truth, either. “I’m not going to keep it.”

“Really? Damn.” Tony straightens on the stool. “Maybe I need to change careers.” The buzz of his phone saves me from more interrogation. He glances at the screen and frowns. “Ah, it’s work. Gotta take this. Excuse me, ladies.” Em and I are silent as he leaves the room to answer the call. Her gaze follows him out of the room. A cloud of unhappiness darkens her face for a fraction of a second. It’s gone so quickly, I’m sure I must have imagined it.

The minute he’s out of earshot, I slam my coffee cup to the table. The brown liquid sloshes onto the wood. “What the hell is wrong with you?” I ask, keeping my voice low. “Why don’t you just tell him everything?”

“I’m sorry. I panicked.” Her face scrunches. “You know I’m not good with secrets.”

“This is not good, Em. You can’t tell Tony anything about Cash. At least not yet.”

“You know how I hate lying. It’s just—I really like him, Jag. He’ll be devastated if he learns what we’ve done.”

My outrage evaporates. Her genuine distress hurts my heart. I pull her into a hug. “I’m sorry.” I seem to be apologizing a lot lately. “None of this is your fault. It’s mine. I should never have let you get involved. I’ll get us out of this. I promise.” My words ring hollow. I have no control over the situation. Cash holds all the power.

Tony returns, ending our conversation. He shoves his phone in his back pocket. “Sorry about that. I’ve got to run. Duty calls.”

“I hope it’s not anything serious.” Em stands, preparing to take the dishes to the sink. “I worry about you.”

“Nah. It’s no big deal. The feds are here, investigating some guy out of Chicago. They just want to go over a few things.” He shovels the last piece of food into his mouth, hums in approval, and winks at me. “I hope it’s not your guy, Jagger. That would be awkward.” He chuckles. Emeline goes pale like she’s going to throw up. I force a laugh. The sound is too high and stilted to fool anyone. Tony, however, seems oblivious to our reactions. He grabs his car keys from the counter, gives Em a quick peck on the lips, and heads toward the back door. “I’ll call you later, babe. Bye, Jagger.”

The minute, he’s gone, I text Cash. We need to talk. No response. Not that day, nor the next. After work on Monday, I drive by the runaway shelter, but he’s not there. No one has seen him. Tuesday drags by. Nothing. On Wednesday, as a last-ditch effort, I drive to his house. He can’t avoid me. Not when he’s thrown me into an ocean of trouble without a life jacket.

Four

Cash

The last person I expect to see at the gate to my house on a weeknight is Jagger. But she’s there. Looking like a sweet temptress in the red convertible, long hair flowing in waves over her shoulders, and a scowl on her face. The surveillance camera doesn’t do her beauty justice; however, the sight of her is enough to make my dick hard. I press the speaker button. “Yeah?”

“We need to talk.” She drums her fingertips on the steering wheel. So impatient, my little girl.

“Do you have an appointment?” I can’t help fucking with her. Nothing gives me more pleasure than stirring her temper—except maybe her face when she comes.

“Cut the crap, Cash. Let me in.” Her mouth turns downward in a scowl.

I press a second button and watch the video as she passes through the iron gate, drives to the front of the house, and heads toward the front door. She doesn’t knock, but enters the house like a boss bitch. I approve.

“Where are you?” Her irritated question echoes through the foyer.

“Down here,” I reply from the sofa in the living room. Gage and a dozen of my guys are scattered throughout the space, drinking beer, playing video games on the flat screen, and discussing Gage’s new Harley Davidson. Jagger blinks at the motorcycle