Page 21 of Twisted Devotion

He unbuckles and reaches for the door, but I reach over and pull the door closed before he can get out. “Hold up. I don’t know these people. What do they know about me?”

His gaze swings toward me, filled with amusement. “Don’t tell me you’re worried they won’t like you.”

I scowl, glancing toward the building. “Hardly.” I look back at him. “I want to know what I’m walking into.”

“Have a little faith, Red. These people are on the same side as you.”

I arch a brow at him. “Which side would that be?”

He grins. “Mine, of course.”

“Right.” I draw out the word, and it’s filled with sarcasm.

He pins me with a level stare. “Ask me who signs their paychecks.”

“I don’t care. You don’t sign mine.”

He shuts his mouth. There’s a brief moment of bliss before he says, “I do, actually.”

My eyes widen. “No.”

Jackson chuckles. “Are you just used to saying that?”

“You’repaying me?” Shock laces my tone. I was under the impression Tristan and Nikolai were the ones employing me. Probably because they were the ones who roped me into this gig.

“I’m paying half. Westbrook Inc. is contributing the rest.” When he catches my glare, he adds, “It’s only fair, Kelsey. It’s me you’re guarding. The money from my half comes from the profit made by my business.”

I allow myself a few seconds to process this new information before I say, “Fine. But let’s get one thing straight. I may be partially employed by you, but you listen to me.” To do my job effectively, Jackson needs to get in line. We can’t have stunts like we did this morning. He needs to take this arrangement seriously if he wants it to work. Which, considering his life could depend on it, I assume he does.

He sighs heavily like a child being scolded. “Didn’t we already go over this?”

“I want to make sure we’re perfectly clear.”

“Crystal,” he says.

“Do you promise?”

“I don’t need to promise, Kelsey. I can’t lie to you. Now, can we please go inside? I have a meeting this morning and I’d rather not be late. I didn’t think you’d want to be late for your first day, either.”

I battle the urge to flip him the bird then get out of the car, shouldering my bag and slamming the door shut. Already, I have a feeling this is going to be a long day.

The gravel crunches under my boots and my eyes scan the property. We’re surrounded by trees—much like Jackson’s house—and there’s a thin layer of frost covering the ground. It’s been a seasonably warm winter with little snow, which I’m grateful for, but I can’t help but think this view, these pine trees, would look gorgeous under a blanket of snow.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a subtle movement along the tree line and my focus narrows in on it. There’s a man dressed in all black crouched close to the ground. He straightens and, even given the distance, I notice when his gaze lands on us.

I’m already moving toward him. “Jackson—”

He raises a hand, having followed my line of vision. “Relax. He works for me. I’m surprised you caught him. My security team is typically too discreet to be noticed.”

“I’m paid to notice,” I comment and exhale slowly, some of the tension in my chest alleviated. With that false alarm cleared up, I continue toward the building, my eyes darting back and forth as I examine the property.

They’ve done some serious renovations to the place since I last saw it. Granted, it was run by fae-hating vigilante humans at the time.

Now, the exterior is a soft, inviting gray stone. There are double doors at the front of the building, and windows everywhere. We can’t see in from the outside, but I gather as we walk into the lobby that everyone inside can see out.

The lobby is a small, inviting space, decorated with neutral colors. There’s a fireplace at one end of the room surrounded by a couple of black leather couches and a coffee table scattered with magazines. A reception desk sits at the other end with a door adjacent to it, which is where we’re heading.

I chuckle at the essential oil diffuser sitting on the reception desk. It’s as if they’re trying to make this place feel like a spa. The quiet piano music filtering through the room gives an added layer of comfort to the lavender-scented atmosphere.

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