Page 15 of Mastered by Them
Maybe they’re just reflecting all the shiny shit in the jewelry shop.
Her casual skirt and t-shirt give her a cute, girl-next-door vibe that doesn’t match the posh store. Doesn’t seem to matter to her, though—she walked in like she owns the place. Edmund, looking amused, followed after her. He’s in a suit, so I guess Dani doesn’t really match him, either.
Edmund tries to put his arm around Dani’s waist, but she moves off, pretending to be interested in a case several feet away. I hide a smile when he turns to give me an annoyed look.
He strides over to me while Dani browses the ring selection. In a low voice, he says, “You think I deserve her scorn.”
“You don’t deserve her.”
He leans back like I’ve punched him. “What?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
“No.” He leans in closer, which is funny because I have a couple inches on him. “Tell me what the fuck that means.”
“It means, she likes us both. And you’re carrying on like this is just for the two of you.”
He scoffs. “If she wants to be shared before the wedding, fine. After that, when she’s wearing my ring? She fucks only me.”
I guessed as much. Fucking asshole. I thought he was my friend. Never thought he’d throw me out, shove me aside like this.
Without another word, he returns to Dani, pointing out rings she might like. For her part, she seems uninterested.
Fine. This is a job, I guess. I don’t know why I’ve been loyal to Edmund so long, anyway. Just because we grew up together and I was hired as his security straight out of high school—doesn’t mean shit.
I glance outside, taking stock of the street beyond the jewelry store. Part of the job, after all, is being aware of potential threats.
That’s when I see him—Faulk. Black hair, black beard. Still wearing his t-shirt a size too small to make himself look bigger and buffer. Did Amber send him? Probably. Can’t be a coincidence he’s here, all the way from San Francisco.
Fuck, I don’t have time for this.
Dani says something to Edmund, and he says something back, his eyes flashing with intensity. She frowns and whirls away. He follows.
My gaze returns to the street. Faulk sees me looking at him and gestures me out. I shake my head. He starts forward. No. I can’t let him anywhere near Dani.
“Guys, I have to take a call.” I hold up my phone. Edmund and Dani will be safe enough in here—the Laytons own the store. They closed it to the public this morning so Edmund and Dani could pick out Dani’s engagement ring.
Edmund nods without looking at me, so I duck out of the store. I wait for a break in traffic and stride across the street, phone held to my ear so it looks like I’m talking to someone on that fake call.
“Manchester.” Faulk grins when I reach him. He has a new scar trailing from the corner of his mouth. I wonder if Amber put it there. “Been waiting to talk to you.”
I take a few steps past him and face away. “I’m on duty. Can’t be seen with you.”
“Sure, whatever.” He leans against the faux-stone front of the building. His grungy military jacket is at odds with the pastel-colored stationery on display in the window next to him. “She wants you back.”
I nearly choke. “No.”
“Not like that—hell, Manchester. She’s over all that. She needs a new head of security for the satellite office they’re building down here.”
Satellite office. Down here. Shit. Part of the appeal of returning to the Laytons was getting far away from Amber.
“I’m not interested.”
“Whatever the Laytons are paying you, she’ll pay you four times that amount. She knows you’re the best.”
I stare at the sidewalk in front of me. Someone decorated it with chalk recently, but the foot traffic has obliterated the design into a mash of meaningless colors.
“Even better—nothing illegal. All above board. She knows about your arrests.”
