Page 53 of The Heiress

Jace nodded slowly. “Red Wrath Security does everything from security and surveillance to personal protection, though most of our work is security and surveillance.”

“On the books,” Home Run coughed, then smiled meaningfully at me.

My head swam. Between the lack of sleep, stressful travel, and now security details, loyalty, and blood oaths, I was officially at my limit. “Can I get some food?”

“Oh shit. Yeah, of course.” Storm popped up and headed to the kitchen. It turns out he was the club’s de facto chef in residence. He grew up cooking with his parents and continued experimenting with new recipes. Jace went to help, leaving me alone with Teddy-Home Run and Abel Riddick.

“Do I get in trouble if I call you by your first names?” I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t default back to their real names since that was how I knew them.

“Naw,” Teddy laughed. “You can call us whatever you want. Road names aren’t like secret identities or something.”

“Did you guys follow Jace to the club?”

They traded a look and I wondered if there were things I wasn’t supposed to ask. Maybe I should have gone over that with Jace first. I also wondered how accurate all those books and TV shows were. I knew at least some of them were heavily researched—and you know how I like my research.

“Jace was first, obviously. The whole family thing,” Teddy said. “We came along about a year later. And now I’m road captain.”

“Road captain, huh? They trust you?”

He pretended to be offended. “Do you not remember the parties I planned for the baseball team? You were at most of those parties.”

“You were a good planner. Glad to see the club recognizes your skills.”

He popped his thumb at Abel. “And this guy is the quiet giant. Our very best enforcer. Well, after Storm.”

Abel grunted rather than actually respond. But then he surprised me by tilting his chin at Jace. “How is he?”

“Good?” I didn’t really understand the question.

Abel’s lips twisted into a frown. “He was stressed as fuck this morning when he called. I can’t figure him out. He’s laughing with Storm now, but I thought he was going to punch a wall earlier.” Then his eyes went round. “He’sstillsmiling. He’s still goddamned smiling.” Then he stormed over to the kitchen where he stood off to the side, jaw slightly open, arms crossed over his very broad chest, as he looked back and forth between Storm and Jace in disbelief.

“Riddick has a point,” Teddy said softly.

And I was so lost. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

He nodded to the group. “That’s the old Jace over there. We don’t see him too often. He jokes around with us and he has fun sometimes, but in general, he’s not a happy guy. At least not around us.”

I stared at Jace trying to understand what Teddy was saying. “Then what’s he like?”

He shrugged. “He doesn’t say much, but when he does it means something. He’s constantly strategizing and thinking. I guess I’d say he’s all business.”

And no pleasure.

It hurt to think of Jace not enjoying his life. Then I asked the question I really didn’t want to know the answer to, but needed to hear anyway. “How’s Todd?”

Teddy thought for a moment as he looked me over. “He’s a son of a bitch, just like he always was. He and Jace get along pretty well. And even though the asshole scared the piss out of me when we were kids, as a president, he does his job well enough.”

Well at least there was that. “He won’t tell me much.”

“Yeah. Well, you weren’t exactly our biggest fan.”

Damn. So Teddy knew about our fight. “Was I wrong? You joined. It can’t be all bad.”

Something flashed through his eyes. He studied me some more, then scooted closer and lowered his voice. “Look, Jace is my best friend. We’re truly as close as brothers now. I trust him with my life. So I knew something big went down after your parents died because he told me that much, but he didn’t want to betray you. I only learned about everything that’s happened with you just now. That’s how Jace works. He’s like a box of secrets, but not because he’s devious. He’s loyal. Your secrets are safe with him. Ours are as well.”

It wasn’t a threat or even a promise. It was more like Teddy was trying to loop me into a circle of people Jace trusted. So I returned the honesty with some of my own. “I’ve made peace with the fact that Jace is never going to tell me everything. I don’t like it, but like you said, it’s the way he is and I respect that. But if those secrets affect me, I have a problem with that.”

His eyes darted between mine, assessing. “He told me you were the same Samantha, just older, wiser, and a lot cockier.”

---