I watched as she smiled throughout the night. Whatever she was dreaming about made her happy. I was relieved and torn that she could still find happiness even if it was in her dreams. I lived with nothing but nightmares.

I had to get a handle on whatever it was affecting me with her. I’ve had beautiful women in my care before. I’ve had women throw themselves at me for another hit. I’ve had women who claimed to have powerful fathers as well. In reality, their fathers were rich and could afford my services to get them clean, but they weren’t powerful.

I didn’t believe Joshua Mosley was powerful, either. He could pull strings or call in favors, but he had no control over my life. So, why did she?

I stood and walked over to her to watch her a little closer. Her face was relaxed and smiling. There was no tension. She didn’t harbor any anxiety. No worry lines appeared. She was at peace with whatever she was dreaming about. What I wouldn’t do to get into that dream with her.

* * *

I argued with Tim on who was taking her breakfast, but convinced him that I needed to see her while he was still there. He had no idea I’d watched her sleep. If he did, he didn’t say anything.

I balanced the tray with one hand while I unlocked the door with the other. She was sitting up in bed when I opened the door and pulled the blanket over her lap when I walked inside.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you.” She sounded timid as if she was afraid to set me off again.

“Your oatmeal will get cold if you don’t come and eat it.”

I heard the blankets being pushed aside and wondered if she was slow because she was still sore or if she was afraid of me. I liked to think it was for both reasons. I cleared the smile off my face before I turned to her. She stepped back, but continued when I walked away from the table.

“I apologize for getting out of hand yesterday, but make no mistake that I do not apologize for taking the measures I took. You need to learn this is not a spa that you can just lounge in. There is work to be done.”

She closed her eyes and gripped the arms as she sat in the chair. “If you could just tell me the work I need to do, then I wouldn’t stay in bed the entire time. I have nothing else to do.”

“The thing is, this work, it isn’t something you can be told to do. It just happens.” I walked over to the door. “Staying out of bed and in the moment are all you can do. When you’re ready for more, I’ll give it to you.”

I watched as she took a couple of bites. When I was satisfied she’d stay out of bed and awake, I left her alone and went back downstairs.

Tim was waiting by the stairway as I came down. “How did it go? I didn’t hear any yelling, so I’m hopeful I can go to work and trust things will be fine until I come back tonight.”

“Everything is fine. Go to work, but you don’t have to come back here tonight.”

He walked toward the door. “The next time you walk in and see me with a loaded gun on the coffee table, let me know if you can walk away.”

I called out after him, “You brought the gun. I just had a bottle.”

He yelled back without turning around, “What you had might as well have been a gun!”

I looked at the empty bottle in the trash. He was right. I might as well have put a loaded gun to my head. I looked above me to Laney’s room and shook my head. She wasn’t worth risking everything I’d come back from.

* * *

I rubbed my eyes when the phone rang. I’d been up all night, and the computer was fucking with my eyes. I hated working the budget, but someone had to, and I wanted no one else in my business.

The phone rang again, and I groaned when I reached for it. “Brody.”

“Hey, big brother. We’ve got a problem.”

That woke me up. “What’s the problem? Did someone code?”

“No, but that would’ve been easier. Pull up the newspaper or any television channel on the Internet and you’ll see what I’m talking about.”

“Goddammit, Tim!” I yelled, but I was clicking through the Internet while I did it. “I hate it when you make me jump through hoops instead of just spitting the damn thing out.”

I brought up the local paper, and Laney’s photo took up most of the screen. She was reported missing. I stood and punched the wall. “Motherfucker.”

“Yeah. You’d better hope that asshole father of hers pulled that security footage he was supposed to before the cops sniff around.”

“If he fucking called this in because I wouldn’t let him talk to her, I’ll fucking kill him.”

I grabbed my keys, and Tim must have heard it. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going to find out what this chicken shit is up to. If he thinks he’s going to snowball me into a kidnapping charge, he’s greatly mistaken.”

“I think we should calm down, Brody.”

“You calm down. I’m going to get answers.”

I hung up on him, but didn’t leave. If reporters were sniffing around, I couldn’t be there. I couldn’t risk being seen with him. I shook my head, punched in Mosley’s number, and took a deep breath while it rang.

Mosley’s smug ass answered. “I was wondering when you’d call me.”

“You should’ve called me, you fucking prick. Why did you report her missing?”

“I didn’t. That piece of shit she calls her fiancé did. Before you get your panties in a knot, I’ve already discussed it with many news outlets. She left her boyfriend after hearing some very troubling news and is crying in a coconut drink somewhere.”

“What about the cops?”

He scoffed. “I’d never trust them to find her if she had been missing. I’d hire my own people. Don’t worry about them.”

“So, this is all the boyfriend? You had nothing to do with trying to find out where she is?”

“Are you kidding? I didn’t get to be in the position I’m in today by involving the police or the media. Anything I need done I do myself, and I do it quietly. And don’t kid yourself. I know where you are. You think hiding her in your mommy’s house is going to keep me from finding her? Guess again.”

“You just remember the deal. If you so much as try to see or talk to her, I will reunite them and even pay for their fucking wedding with the money you’ve already paid me.”

“Just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll take care of the cops and the media.”

“Okay, but if the cops come to sniff around my business, you’d better make a run for that coconut drink.”

“How is she?”

“She’s fine.”

“When do you think she’ll be ready to come back?”

I took a deep breath. “It isn’t a guessing game. You can’t predict these things, and just as I told you when you hired me, if she’s really in love with him, a few weeks away from him will not help your cause.”

“You’re supposed to be painting him in a bad light. What have you done to start that?”

I shook my head. “You know nothing about this. I can’t just go in and start spewing shit. She won’t listen to that. This is why she hates you half the time. I’m doing it the right way, and that takes time.”

“I know. I know you’re right. Keep me updated.”

“You’d better keep me updated on this missing bullshit. I don’t want to read about the next update in the fucking paper.” I hung up. I was tired of being dicked around by him. I looked at the clock and cracked my neck before I stood to fix her lunch.

It wasn’t something I could push on her, but that was the only similarities from the others I’d worked with. When helping someone overcome an addiction to drugs, they had to want to get clean before it would work. If they didn’t want it, the second they left was the second they scored their first hit.

I needed to stop stalling and start working. It was going to take a softer approach than what I’d been doing. She wasn’t an addict. She was in love with the wrong guy. Or so her father said. Maybe what I needed to do was find that out for myself.

I didn’t do friends. I didn’t talk about love. I didn’t believe in either. I barely believed in family, and that was only because Tim kept coming back. One day he wouldn’t, and I wouldn’t be surprised.

I took the sandwiches upstairs and grabbed a couple of sodas on my way. I thought she could use a treat to break the ice. Tim’s sodas would have to do. I didn’t keep crap in the house.

I would’ve preferred beer, but I didn’t keep that in the house, either. Trading one addiction for another was common practice in an addict’s world. Drugs, alcohol, or whatever your poison was, when an addict gave it up, it would be easy to replace it with another and start the process all over again. Lucky for me, I got to fight all those demons at once. Drinking, drugs. It didn’t matter what I put into my body. As long as it made me numb, I was all over it.

I tapped on the door before I unlocked it. She usually dressed in the bathroom, but I was going to show her more courtesy and earn her trust. I had no idea if that was even possible after the beating I gave her, but I had to try. I nudged the door open after I unlocked it and saw her sitting on the chair at the table. I looked to the bed, and it was made except for the pillow under her ass. She was staying awake.

“Good afternoon.”

“Hi.” She moved her hands to her lap and looked down.

“I brought us some lunch.”

She looked up at me. “Us?”

“Yes.” I set the tray down and handed her a soda. “Is it okay if I eat with you?”

“Sure.” She stood and sat back down. “May I wash my hands?”

“You don’t have to ask permission to do that.”

She nodded and walked to the bathroom. I set out both of our plates and waited for her to return before I dug in. It didn’t take her long, but she was hesitant to sit with me. I moved my chair to the other side of the table so we wouldn’t be seated next to each other.

She sat and picked up her sandwich. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was hungry or if she wanted lunch over to get rid of me. I couldn’t blame her for that. I wouldn’t want to be in a room with a man who beat me, either.

“Brody.” I opened her soda can and pushed it toward her. “My name is Brody Michaels.”

She looked at me, but didn’t keep her eyes on me. It had to be confusing for her. I refused to give her any information and then talked when she least expected it. That was exactly what I had to do to get her to talk to me.

“Tim is my brother. He’s the level head in the family.”

She glanced my way a few times. Her sandwich was almost gone, and she’d barely touched her soda. I could’ve eaten my lunch in two bites, but I was trying to take my time. I thought giving her my name would’ve gotten her to talk a little, but I had a longer road to go than I thought.

“Brody is better than Tank.” She put her last bite into her mouth.

“Depends on who you ask.” I leaned onto the table and finished my sandwich. “What do you feel like for dinner?”

“I get to choose?”

“Sure. As long as I know how to fix it, I’ll cook it.”

“I think you promised me a steak once.”

“You’re right. I did. How do you like it?”

She looked down. “Medium well.”

“Okay.”

“You’re not going to say I’m ruining it?”

I shrugged. “No, but I bet your dad likes it to bleed when he eats it.”

“Yeah.”

“That figures.” I picked up the plates, but left her the soda to finish. “I’ll be back tonight with dinner. Do you need anything before then?”

“Uh.” She looked at her small pile of clothes and back to me. “I’ve washed things out in the sink as much as possible, but I could really use some clean clothes.”

I put the plates back onto the table, grabbed her bag on the way to the clothes, and cursed myself for forgetting her laundry. It was time to get my head out of my ass and start treating her like a person instead of a job.

She stood. “I can get that.”

“No, I got it. I’m sorry I haven’t been very good to you.” I shoved the last of the clothes into the bag and stood. “I’ll get these back to you tonight with dinner.” I looked at the bathroom. “I’ll bring up some other supplies for you, too.”

“May I please have a razor?”

I couldn’t trust her with a razor blade, but I would pick up an electric one for her. “Sure. I’ll get you something.”