Page 18 of Flirting With Forever
She took another bite and tucked it into her cheek as she wiped her mouth again. Cheese was such a messy thing when warm. “You know, as boss-employee, there are boundaries.”
“Meaning I can’t ask why an almost-accountant is living in her car?”
“Meaning I don’t have to answer questions if I don’t want to. But I’ll give you that one. The story I told Cole was true. My last boss refused to pay me after I turned him down, and since it was cash…I didn’t have a lot of options. I headed here from Charlotte because I thought some time around the water would be nice, and I’d heard the offseason was the best time to visit. I thought I might waitress or something, but I didn’t know there was a hurricane coming. My radio is broken in the car, and I used my phone for GPS and free music streaming. Next time I’ll be sure to check the weather before heading to the beach.”
He finished his first slice of pizza and started on the second.
“If you give me a name, I can try to get your old boss to come around.”
“Oh? And how would you do that?” Because unlike her family, the Blackwell brothers she’d met didn’t have much of the touch-her-and-die vibe. Well, maybe Cole, but that was only because she’d discovered her assumption was right and he’d spent a lot of years in the military learning how to do things like that.
Alec and Brooks just seemed like the protective big-brother type. Gage, too, for that matter. And considering they had a younger sister, she supposed that protectiveness came naturally to them. Too bad that protectiveness seemed to have skipped her own brothers.
Gage canted his head to one side as he regarded her.
“Dawson is a finance attorney, but usually his letterhead alone does the trick.”
She shook her head, though she tucked that bit of information away just in case. “No, but thanks for the offer.”
“You’re that ready to give up money you’ve earned?”
No, she wasn’t. And it wasn’t fair. But the pay had been so low that she wasn’t willing to take the risk. Enough time had passed since she’d left that her family might have tracked her down to that location.
And realistically her former boss might be all too willing to give up any information if he thought there might be some money in it. Not that her brother wouldn’t get to the truth of why she’d left eventually if that happened. And he’d certainly ensure the man paid for what he’d tried to do if that was the case.
Of course, Noah probably wouldn’t dirty his own hands. But he knew people who didn’t mind the dirt.
A lot of people. “It didn’t pay well anyway. I’m not losing much.”
Gage’s eyes narrowed as he swallowed, and she found herself having to force her gaze away from his too inquisitive one.
“Are you in danger, Sloane?”
A knot formed in her stomach and twisted tight as a noose. “No.”
“You sure?”
She forced a smile and nodded, though she had a feeling he saw right through her. “My family wouldn’t hurt me.”
Coerce. Threaten. Kidnap? Maybe.
But not hurt. At least not physically.
She didn’t think.
Her father was getting impatient, though. Every time they’d tracked her down, the messages and calls had gotten more insistent. The context always the same.
Come home.
Her father wanted her under his control. She was a loose end they needed to tie up, but so far, she’d evaded Noah and managed to stay one step ahead. Still a part of her knew it wasn’t due to her clumsy evasions but because they didn’t want to draw too much attention to the fact she wasn’t obeying orders.
Last she’d heard of the rumors surrounding her disappearance, she was on an extended European trip working with various clients who had US holdings while trying to find herself and finish her course work. Because God forbid, she be a drop out and failure. Or someone who knew too much who was on the loose.
“Grab another slice,” Gage ordered. “Your stomach is still growling.”
Still lost in thought, she did as ordered. She hadn’t had a good meal for a few days, and this one definitely qualified as a treat.
And, again, the view wasn’t bad either…
