from the Middle East. I don’t like it. I’m going to head there and get someone else to break into the Sky Lounge.”
Shit. I start pacing. Blade is right. If a new woman started last night, we need to know everything we can about her. That means her personnel file is at the Lounge. Someone needs to go get it.
I pause and hold my breath. Can I leave Britney here? I’m going to have to. She’s perfectly safe. I’m sure of it. No one has a clue where she is. As long as she doesn’t open the door, she’ll be fine. “I’ll go to the Lounge.”
“No. Absolutely not. You’re staying at home.”
“Blade, don’t fuck with me on this. We’ll all be kicking ourselves in the ass if anything happens to the woman Lazinski is planning to sell in Britney’s place today. We don’t have a choice. We don’t have the manpower. We still can’t be sure where the exchange is taking place. Britney will be fine here. I’ll go straight to the Lounge, dig around, find what we need, and get out of there. I’ll call you with the info and be back here fast. An hour. Two tops.”
Blade sighs heavily. “How much does Britney know?”
“Nothing.”
“You sure that’s for the best?”
“Yes. She’s been through a lot. I refuse to make it worse by scaring her to death. I’ll explain better when this is over. Until then, I’d rather she not worry. Not about me and not about the other woman Lazinski has. We need to fucking find her. Spike needs to stay on Lazinski like fucking super glue.”
“He knows that. He’s not going to lose the asshole.”
“I’ll call you when I leave the Lounge.”
“Okay. Be quick. My damn skin is crawling.”
“Later.”
I end the call and stuff my cell in my pocket before hurrying through the room. I hear Britney in her room and head that way. She’s tucking her covers up around her pillows when I reach the doorway. “I have to go to the office for a few hours, sweetie. Will you be okay?”
She turns to face me. “Yes, Sir.” She’s chewing on her bottom lip.
“Your laptop is on my desk if you want to do some more research this morning.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t open the door. Don’t answer any call unless you recognize the caller. I’m going to set the alarm behind me.”
She nods. “I’ll be fine.” She doesn’t come toward me. Instead, she remains leaning against her bed.
I stare at her for a few moments, memorizing her. I love this woman with all my heart. I can’t resist making her squirm. “You know the rules. No sharp objects. No cooking. No touching yourself.” I lift a brow and enjoy the way she squirms.
“Yes, Sir.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I watch her fidget, hating that she hasn’t rushed into my arms. But if I were to hold her right now, it would slow me down, so I pat the doorframe and turn to leave.
Chapter 30
Britney
I stay very still while Davis leaves the house and listen for his SUV to pull out of the garage. As soon as I hear the garage door going back down, I race to his office.
My heart is pounding. It took every ounce of willpower I had to act nonchalant while he explained to me that he had to leave for a few hours. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. I had simply been passing his office on my way to my room when I heard him say my name.
I stopped, thinking I would go into his office, but he sounded so angry. His words came out clipped and tight with frustration. I assume he was talking to his boss, but now I realize there is a lot he hasn’t told me lately.
I reach his desk and start looking around. It takes only a moment to find a file folder filled with information about my sale. I’ve known all along he and his agency were working on this, but I can’t decide whether to kill him or thank him for leaving me mostly in the dark.
I heard what he said about protecting me. I get it. But it’s my life and this is my problem he’s dealing with. I can’t sit back and wait while some other woman is sold in my stead.
A business card falls out of the file and I flinch when I see the name on it. Gordon Shepherd. He’s the front door bouncer. Why does Davis have his card? I flip