The waiter set the seared tuna dish down in front of Willa and the medium-rare premium cut of steak in front of Jadon. Willa said a quick thanks, which she had to immediately repeat as the waiter filled up her wine glass. The dinner so far had been rather uneventful. Nothing like the awkwardness of the conference room interview earlier that morning.

As put off as she’d been by James and Toni showing up, it gave her a fair bit of comfort. She no longer felt as if she needed to worm her way into Jadon’s inner circle. Now all she had to worry about was getting to his phone. She was sure she could eventually, but she had her doubts about getting to it tonight.

Jadon would probably go to the bathroom eventually, but he’d also probably take his phone with him. Maybe she could arrange a spilled glass of wine or something so unexpected that he’d forget to bring the phone with him?

“How is the new guy working out?”

Willa stopped with a piece of tuna midway to her mouth. “New guy?”

“I hate to stick you with someone you don’t know, but the entire controls department is in an upheaval right now, especially since Forbes is gone.”

A piece of the tuna went down the wrong hole. Willa started to cough and cleared her throat. “I keep forgetting he got arrested,” she lied. After she’d gone to him and begged him for help in dealing with the horror of her father, she couldn’t be happier he was out of the picture. Matt Forbes was the one who had taught her that Jadon wasn’t the only corrupted one around her. Her entire life in Chicago was inundated with people who could kill at the blink of an eye. In Matt Forbes’s case, he tried to kill her in the blink of an eye when he realized she wasn’t loyal to Jadon.

If it weren’t for Melody and Adam, she never would’ve survived that day.

“Forbes made his own bed.” Jadon cut into his steak and took a bite.

She supposed she couldn’t judge her father too harshly considering she wasn’t feeling all that much empathy right now.

She was still trying to figure out how to isolate her father from his phone when she noticed a bit of commotion from the front of the restaurant. Of course, when she looked up front, she happened to meet James’s gaze. He was dutifully standing by the front door and keeping an eye on her from a distance. Knowing he was there was alternately a comfort and kept her on edge. But he wasn’t what drew her attention.

A man was speaking harshly to the hostess. Willa couldn’t hear what he was saying but considering she knew exactly who it was, she could guess. “Your lapdog is here,” she muttered before she took another bite of the perfectly cooked tuna. Stan White was her father’s right-hand man. Willa had never been able to stand him because he was such an obvious kiss ass, but Jadon happened to like that aspect about Stan.

Jadon turned around. “Why don’t you stay here, honey? I’ll be right back.”

She glanced at James, who gave a subtle shake of his head. But this was a distraction she could take advantage of. “You go on.” She waved her fork. “I will just stay here and enjoy this tuna by myself,” she said, adding a hint of a guilt trip. Except when she swung her fork with the last word, she hit the wine glass and sent it falling. The dark-red contents flowed right for Jadon.

He stumbled back as she shot up, moving her napkin to catch the flow before it got to Jadon while covering his phone. “Just go,” she snapped as though it was his fault the wine went falling. “I’ll sort this out.”

“I can—”

“No!” She looked up and signaled for the waiter to come over. “This is so embarrassing,” she muttered. “Just go. You’re drawing more attention to us.”

He didn’t protest any more as he got up and walked toward Stan. She moved her body to block the view of his phone and she thought about the instructions James had given her in the car on the way over. All she had to do was go to a website and download an app. Somehow this was all they needed to clone the phone.

Willa had no idea how any of this worked, but she did believe that Toni knew what she was talking about. Getting into the phone was easy. Jadon was a phone addict, so he liked to check it every few minutes, which had given her hundreds of opportunities to sneak a peek at his pass code. So she went to the website, which was tonihateseverything.com. Once she was there, the only thing visible was the button to download the app. Boom. That was surprisingly easy.

Except it wasn’t instantly downloading. It slowly ticked up from one percent to twenty percent. That was when the waiter came over and quickly started to dab at the tablecloth and cleaning anything possible. Willa was forced to turn on the home page and she put the napkin over the screen as she stepped aside. If her father saw her with his phone, she had no idea what he would do. Maybe she’d gone too fast. Maybe she should’ve waited until she had more time. What harm would another day or two cause?

But before she could worry any longer, Jadon and Stan came back to the table and she had to hope that the download was finished and any evidence of what happened was gone. Toni’s instructions hadn’t said anything about clearing any screens. All it said was hit the download link and return phone.

Luckily her fear easily translated to annoyance, and annoyance was her go-to when Stan White was around. She didn’t even fake a smile as he pulled a chair over to their table. “Stanny,” she said, using the name she was well aware he didn’t like. “How nice of you to interrupt my private dinner with my father.”

The forced smile Stan gave her was practically screaming obscenities. “Willa. I trust you had a nice time on your spontaneous vacation.”

She set her fork on her plate. It was a shame to waste such a nice cut of fish, but between the phone thing and Stan, she didn’t think she could stomach another bite. Before she could think of any snarky response to Stan’s dig at her failed attempt to run away, she saw Jadon looking at his phone. The waiter had been proactive enough to refill the wine she’d spilled and she took a drink so it wouldn’t be noticeable that she was staring as he put in his code and the screen lit up. She held her breath, but the download screen was gone. It was just his home screen.

“Sorry about this,” said Jadon. “It looks like I might have to go back to the office to handle a few meetings.”

Thank goodness. She’d gotten the phone cloned and now she didn’t have to suffer through the rest of this dinner. This was all working out. “I guess I’ll just hang out with Stan then,” she said petulantly.

“Oh, you don’t have to stay.” Jadon waved his credit card at the waiter, who immediately came over to ring up the expensive meal. “I hear there’s some hot new club that your friends Stephanie and AJ have been going to.”

Well, that was concerning—and not just the fact that her father had just used the words hot new club. “I didn’t know you knew about Stephanie and AJ.” Her life was a consistent rotating door of friends, but Stephanie and AJ had been a pretty firm presence in her life recently. She hadn’t mentioned them to Jadon for some reason. Maybe because they never came up. Maybe because some part of her subconscious wanted to protect them from a man she didn’t even know was dangerous.

Either way, he seemed to know about the twins now.

“In my line of work, it’s nice to know things. I’m sure Stan will give you a ride.”

Just when she thought her dad was on her side, he had to throw a bombshell like that at her. “I’m sure Stan has better things to do.” From the annoyed look on Stan’s face, he definitely had better things to do.

“Nonsense,” said Jadon. “Besides, this will give him a chance to show off his brand-new Maserati he hasn’t been able to shut up about.”

Being alone with Stan and having to listen to him talk about his new car? That was a hard pass. “Really, Daddy, I’ve got that security guy tagging along. I think all of us in a car will be cramped. I’ll just call a car.”

Jadon shook his head, as though he was just remembering something. “I’m sending him home. I know we’re shorthanded, but the guy does need some time to himself.”

Willa’s eyes immediately widened, but then she recovered and went back to normal. “I thought the security was for my protection. Do I not need protection anymore?”

“Of course you do, sweetie. I’ll have Ike send someone to meet you at the club.” At that moment, the waiter brought the check back and after a quick signature, Jadon stood. “I’m sorry again.” He turned to Stan. “Are you sure this is the group that Sterling recommended?”

Willa’s ears were suddenly at full attention. “Who’s Sterling?” It was forward, but her father was about to leave, so she might as well go for it.

Jadon waved a dismissive hand.

Apparently she wasn’t getting any answers tonight. She took another sip of her wine and looked across the restaurant at James. She wondered what he would do when Jadon told him he could go home. Would he be able to talk his way out of it? Or would he go back to regroup with Toni and the other guy, Scott Hart?

But as she braced herself for the blowout when Jadon approached James, it was rather anticlimactic. James nodded as if it was no big deal before he turned and left the restaurant. Which meant she was now alone with Stan.

Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe Stan wouldn’t be that bad. “I don’t know what Daddy was thinking. You don’t have to take me anywhere. Go home and enjoy the night,” she said, trying to sound friendly.

“Delilah will get you where you need to go.” Stan stood. “Let’s go.”

The car had a name. Come on, Stan. Work with me. Stan White was a bit older than her father, probably in his early sixties, but he desperately hung onto his youth. Between his fake tan and obviously dyed hair, he was practically screaming midlife crisis.

He’d worked with her father for as long as she could remember and that’s about as far as their mutual dislike stretched. It was hard to tell who started it, but she was willing to bet it was him.

They both stood outside awkwardly as they waited for the valet to bring “Delilah” around. “You didn’t really think you could get away from this, did you?”

Willa crossed her arms over her chest and tried to figure out where this was going. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I think you do. That little episode with that fed a few weeks back. You should consider yourself lucky that you’re not the one who ended up dead on that floor. Being used like that by an agent. Stupid move, Willa.”

A chill worked its way down her spine. She glanced over her shoulders to see whether anyone heard what he was admitting to, but they were in the perfect spot for him. He could say whatever he wanted without being overheard, but if she tried to punch him in the face, plenty of people would see. There was a chance this was a test. Stan could be seeing how much she was affected by the murder.

So she played the devoted daughter. “Daddy would never hurt me. He knows I never would’ve brought that woman over if I’d known who she was.”

Stan laughed and rubbed at his nose. “Oh, honey. You’re so lucky you have someone like that looking out for you. If it weren’t for him, you’d never make it in this world.”

Just then, a shiny red convertible Maserati pulled up and the valet put it in park.

She didn’t care what role she was trying to play. She wasn’t about to let Stan fucking White talk to her like this. “I think you’d be surprised what I’m capable of.”

He scoffed. “I doubt that. Let’s face it. If you want to make it, you have to have balls.” He looked down his nose at her and added, “Literally and figuratively. Now hop on in and let’s get this over with.”

“At least my face doesn’t look like a pair of balls that was left out to wither in the sun.” She turned on her heel and walked down the street. If she had to get into that stupid expensive car that probably got Stan laid way more than the son of a bitch deserved, she was probably going to claw the man’s eyes out. And considering that the violence really didn’t seem like that bad of an idea at the moment, the walk was necessary.

Damn it, where was James? She debated calling him to come and get her but thought better of it. As pissed off as she was, she didn’t feel physically threatened by Stan. He was just trying to show her who was boss. If James had left, he probably had somewhere better to be and she didn’t want to get in the way.

So she’d do what was expected. She’d go to a club and act like her former self. Maybe by the time she got there, she’d forget what a dipstick Stan was.

A girl could hope.

––––––––

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Willa decided against going home. If Jadon was expecting her to go out, he would have sent the security detail who was taking over for James to the club Stan was supposed to drive her to. And considering she was trying to convince him that she was okay with his shadier extracurricular activities, she should be trying to act normal.

And clubbing and partying was normal to her. This new club, Sininen, seemed to be the hot new thing. Whoever Jadon’s “cool” sources were, they hadn’t been wrong. Sininen meant “blue” in Finnish, according to the quick Google search she’d done, and the club was wholeheartedly following that theme. The faded azure lighting gave a dark vibe to the crowded room. Even though there had been a long line of clubgoers outside waiting to get in, the bouncer had recognized Willa. The bouncer crowd was surprisingly small and she’d seen him at her fair share of clubs and bars before.

Even though she didn’t believe in bribing the men at the door, she did appreciate the good service and slipped him a fifty after he opened the rope. Okay, maybe it was a bribe. She wasn’t a hundred percent good now that she was working against Jadon. Just better than before. Maybe.

She scanned the room as she stepped farther in. It was dim enough that it was hard to make out anything in a lot of detail. She was sure that once people started to drink or take whatever designer drug was trending at the moment, things would be even harder to make out. Seemed like fun. Unfortunately, she couldn’t really afford to party right now.

She kept on looking for Stephanie or AJ and, she admitted to herself, James. Her dress wasn’t really made for clubbing, but it didn’t make her stand out either. Even with the short skirt, the club was so warm it made her wish she was wearing a lot less clothing.

That was the point, she supposed. People could get all naked and rub against each other until they forgot their problems. There was only one person she wanted to rub against currently, and he was nowhere to be found. She knew she could call him if she really wanted him around, but considering how frustrated she was at the moment, she figured some time to clear her head would be best.

Just then, she saw a familiar blonde at the bar and she cut her way through the crowd. Sininen was set up to encourage dancing, with a DJ in the front and myriad blue lasers shining into the crowd and bouncing along the walls. The border of the dance floor was a series of scalloped couches and low tables. Each of the couches came complete with a sheer curtain that could be wrapped around the couch to give the illusion of privacy. Stephanie was just about to those couches when Willa caught up with her. It was so loud, Willa didn’t bother saying her name and tapped her on the shoulder instead.

Stephanie whipped around and her eyes widened in joy when she saw Willa. “Girl! Where have you been?” With the arm not holding a drink, Stephanie leaned in for a hug.

Willa returned the hug and found herself genuinely smiling at the touch of a friend. She thought about honestly answering for a second before she realized how much trouble that would throw at Stephanie’s feet. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Where’s AJ?”

Stephanie shrugged. “Somewhere around here. The second he walked in, the vultures were swarming. I swear, I don’t know what he does to make these girls so crazy.”

Willa raised a brow. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what made Stephanie’s twin brother so attractive to the opposite sex, but she couldn’t deny that the guy was gorgeous. Even worse than that, he knew he was gorgeous, and that was a dangerous thing. Both of the twins had light, airy, blonde hair. Where Stephanie was tall and model-thin, AJ was strong and lean, like a swimmer or runner. When he wore a suit, he wore it perfectly. Even though he was a blond, it didn’t diminish the little bit of dangerous edge he had. When Willa had first started hanging out with the two of them, he’d asked her out. She had been tempted and even asked Stephanie whether it was okay. And even though Steph had said she was fine with it, there was the barest hesitation in the answer. And in that hesitation, Willa realized she really didn’t care whether Stephanie didn’t want her dating AJ.

And why bother risking friendships when she really didn’t care either way? She wanted to go out with AJ for the same reason AJ wanted to go out with her. Boredom. So Willa had politely turned him down and he’d moved on to the next attractive woman. Stephanie was a lot more choosy with her relationships. She talked a good game, but Willa never saw her go home with any guys. She never even saw her go on dates.

As nice as it was to be young, pretty, and rich, somehow it didn’t make finding quality men any easier. If anything, it just brought out the crazy and greedy ones in droves.

“Is Jules with you?” asked Stephanie.

Willa hoped that the dim lighting of the club would keep Stephanie from seeing how pale she got at the question. “I haven’t seen her lately,” she said dismissively while averting her gaze to the ground.

Stephanie moved on quick enough. “Your bodyguard is here,” she said, abruptly pulling Willa out of her thoughts.

Willa looked around, looking for any sign of James. “He’s here? Where?”

Stephanie put a hand on Willa’s shoulder, turned her until she looked in the back corner, and pointed to the guy who was looking obviously uncomfortable in the crowd. The guy who was definitely not James.

“Oh,” said Willa dejectedly.

Stephanie noticed. “Expecting someone else?”

Willa shrugged it off. “Nope.”

“So what’s with the guard duty? Did you piss someone off? Is that why you’ve been MIA? I called you like ten times.”

“I’ve had the week from hell.” Willa dodged the question. “What’s going on with you? What have I missed? Tell me everything.”

She knew Stephanie was smart enough to know when her questions were being evaded, but she rolled with it as she led Willa back to the table. “You know how it is. Boring. Bert has been calling me nonstop. I think I need to leave the state to make him realize I’m not interested.”

Willa scrunched her face. “Bert? Come on. He knows you’re like a million miles out of his league.”

“Right? I swear, he sleeps with one supermodel and all the sudden he thinks he’s a Casanova. The dude is still married and twenty years older, but he thinks I’m going to fall at his feet because he has money? I bet you my bank account is twice the size as his.”

Like Willa, Stephanie and AJ were also trust fund babies. Their parents were a tad more functional than Willa’s—they were at least still together. Though they had taken on the royal method of raising children and the twins hadn’t really had parents. More of a series of nannies and boarding schools. They had never wanted for anything, but now that they were older, their parents suddenly wanted to be friends and business partners.

It was an issue that few people would understand. Another reason Willa just seemed to get along with them.

“Hey beautiful,” said a deep voice from behind her.

Willa turned to see AJ behind her. He wore a black v-neck T-shirt and black slacks, each of which were perfectly fitted to his slim frame. They were loose but just tight enough to reveal the muscle underneath. Willa smiled at him and leaned in for a quick, friendly hug.

“Hey yourself,” she said. “I heard you already have a fan club here.”

He held a hand over his heart. “Me? You know I’m just saving myself for my true love.”

Willa cocked her head and pursed her lips. “Umm hmm,” she said skeptically. “You’re a true paragon of virtue.”

“Well, as you know, my sister is in the most epic of epic dry spells. It’s only fair that I have enough sex for the both of us.”

“Well, when you say it like that, it’s completely logical.”

“I’m a very logical person.” AJ winked.

Stephanie shoved him playfully. “Don’t blame your whorishness on me. That’s on you.”

“Tough crowd tonight,” said AJ. “I know what will make this better. Drinks!”

“Steph just got—”

“That’s a great idea,” said Stephanie. “Go get drinks. Far away.”

“The lady orders, I follow.” AJ made his way back to the bar.

Willa frowned. “Is everything okay between you two?”

Stephanie shook her head but didn’t go into detail. “You want to tell me where you’ve been this week?”

Okay, so that was just going to be something they don’t talk about.

“Let’s go dance,” said Stephanie. “I’m stressed. You’re stressed. This is the most overrated DJ in town. We can fake having a good time until it actually happens.”

It was as if Stephanie were inside her mind. “Let’s fake it ’til we make it,” said Willa as they made their way out to the dance floor. Like always, there were a few guys who tried to edge into the dance, but Stephanie and Willa were quick to box out any unwelcome invaders. Although eventually Stephanie did end up latching on to one of the more attractive men on the floor. It was a cycle. She’d dance with a guy who was absolutely lickable, but once they got off the dance floor and started talking, Stephanie would try to ditch him as soon as possible. She was notoriously picky with men.

Once Stephanie abandoned her, AJ showed up. Dancing with him was always fun. Because they were on strictly platonic terms, he kept a safe distance and would lean in every few minutes to say a quick joke or offhanded comment. It was so nice to be here. For a few minutes there was no murder. No crazy father. No James waiting for her. She could be carefree for just a little bit and let her worries fall away.

She put her hands over her head and swayed her hips to the beat, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. When she opened her eyes, she looked for anything out of the ordinary, but nothing stood out. AJ was still there right next to her; Stephanie was a few yards away. The bodyguard had eyes on her, but he’d been monitoring her for a while now. But something was different. She turned in a circle until she saw it. The back wall, the shadows. Someone was there. Someone watching her. Then a form emerged from the shadow. She couldn’t see the face, but she didn’t need to. James. Of course he was there. Had he been there the entire time? Had he followed her there?

She had a feeling the answer was yes. And if he didn’t want her to know he was there, he never would’ve revealed himself. Her guardian angel. Her personal demon. Who knew at this point?

A hand fell on her shoulder and she jumped around to see AJ looking at her with a confused expression in place. “You okay?”

She remembered that the new security detail was there and she couldn’t go running over to James. So she forced herself to nod as she went back to dancing. She tried to forget that James was there, but that was like forgetting that she was at a dance club. The knowledge of his presence was just as loud to her as the music blaring in the room.

And when she started to dance again, she remembered the first time he’d seen her dance. The first time she’d realized there was something between them. The way his eyes hardened as he’d watched her body move. Was he watching her the same way now? Or was this just another day on the job to him?

She thought back to the way he’d pinned her against the wall earlier that day. No, there was nothing about this that was platonic to him. From that moment on, with every dip and sway of her hips, she knew without a doubt that James’s gaze was glued to her every move.