Page 65 of Captive Audience
“Good. See you on Friday for drinks.”
“Bye, Daze.”
I ended the call and leaned back in my chair. The notepad fell from my lap, and when I picked it up, I saw what I’d drawn.
A goddamn Celtic cross. Almost identical to the ink covering Rook’s broad, muscular back.
I tore it up and tossed it into the trash.
The silence settled around me, the weight of it pressing in as my gaze shifted to the studio door again.
Everything inside that room was a bribe. Of course it was. But I could hate how I got it and still use it.
Maybe it was time to get a better look at the studio.
29
ROOK
That night, I arrived home to a quiet apartment. Finn sat on the sofa scrolling through his phone, but no sign of Asha.
“Heya, Boss.” Finn stood and straightened his clothes.
I nodded. “Where is she?”
“Still workin’.” He hooked a thumb toward Asha’s office. “Dedicated, that one.”
More like she was motivated to be done with me. “Any trouble?”
“From her? Nah. She’s a good lass. You’ve done well to put a ring on her.”
I tossed my jacket over a barstool. “Thanks for staying late. I can take it from here.”
“No problem. See you in the mornin’.”
Finn left, so I went down the hallway to find Asha. She wasn’t at her desk, but noises came from behind the recording studio door, which stood ajar.
“Hello,” I called out so as not to startle her.
“In here.”
I followed Asha’s voice and pushed the door open the rest of the way.
“Just rearranging a few things,” she said.
“Need a hand?”
“No thanks. I’m almost finished.” She plugged a cable into the back of her laptop. “There. Done.”
“Have you eaten?”
“No.” She checked her phone and made a surprised face. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“Come on. I’ll fix us something.”
“You don’t have to keep feeding me.”
“I’ll keep feeding you until you start looking after yourself.”
