“She’s ignoring you again. I thought because you disappeared with her the other night you two were fine?” Echo asks as he sits at my desk.

I’m looking down waiting for her to come in, her shift is due to start soon. She’s never late and I like that most about her, always on time.

“We were,” I answer knowing full well he won’t leave until he gets what he came in for.

“Well, what did you do?”

I turn to face him, his feet on my desk as he fiddles with a piece of paper.

“I didn’t do anything.”

Echo laughs, dropping the paper to the floor and I groan hating that he’s here fucking with my shit.

“You must have. Women are known to be crazy, but usually, their mind comes up with some sort of reason.”

My door swings open and standing there is my existence. Her forehead is scrunched, her eyes pissed, her fist is clenched and whatever she has in it is clearly not going to look the same if she doesn’t stop scrunching it around.

“Leave,” I tell Echo who kicks his feet off my desk and slowly gets up walking over to Elicea. She sidesteps to let him pass then steps in slamming the door shut behind her as she storms over to me. Whatever’s in her hand she throws at me.

“What the fuck is this?” I look at it, reaching down to pick it up from the floor. It’s the deed to her apartment that I gave her for her birthday. I look up at her with a shocked stare that she’s angry with a gift I thought would please her.

“It’s the deed to your apartment,” I tell her clearly.

Her hand goes to her hip. “I can read, Creed. Why the fuck did you buy it?”

“For your birthday. It’s a gift.”

Her mouth opens then closes, the she repeats the action again. “People don’t buy other people houses, Creed. Take it back.”

“No.”

“No—” She repeats my word like it’s sour on her lips.

“It’s yours. No way of taking it back.”

“Tell whoever the owner was I’ll give it back to them.”

“No.”

She huffs loudly at me. “No?” She shakes her head. “Tell me now.”

“It was mine, Elicea, and I don’t want it back.”

Her hands drop to her side as she processes the information. “You owned my apartment?” she asks in a small voice.

“Yes.”

“All of them?” she asks for clarification.

“All of them.”

She takes a step back. “Did you know who I was before that night?”

I nod my head, and a tear leaves her eye. “I knew who you were that night you saw what happened.”

“The police?” she asks, trying to piece it all together.

“On my payroll. I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t talk. I was right.”

“What happened if I did talk?”

I look down at the floor knowing I don’t want to answer that question.

“Would I end up the same way as that guy in your basement?”

I nod my head.

A loud cry leaves her lips. “Did you ever have feelings for me? Or was this all just to make sure I wouldn’t talk?”

Shaking my head, I step forward touching her arm, but she pulls it free as if I’ve scorched her. “At first, it was to make sure. Not anymore.”

Elicea laughs, but she’s clearly hurt. “And to think I was going to tell you today,” she says turning and pulling my door open. She turns back to look at me. “Don’t you dare come down during my shift tonight. If you do, I’ll quit.” She slams the door on her way out and I do nothing but stay in my office, because she knows I don’t want her to quit.

“What the fuck was that?” Darby asks as he opens my door.

“I’ll fix it.”

“I heard everything, Creed. She’s a loose cannon. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Because I know what he would have asked of me. To kill her. I would have in the beginning if I absolutely had to, but I didn’t want to. Some part of me told me to give her a try, and I was right. She’s turned out to be one of the best things in my life.

“You don’t make all the calls, D.”

He shakes his head. “Obviously I fucking have to if you three can’t keep your fucking heads on straight.” He goes to turn to leave.

“I wouldn’t go after her, D. I’ll kill you if you hurt her.”

He stops. I watch as his whole body tenses while he holds the door with his hand. Slowly he turns back to me, eyes dark. “Are you threatening me, Creed?”

“I don’t make threats.” He waits because he knows me better than that. “It’s a promise.”

“Boys, boys—how about we grab a drink,” Echo says trying to deflate the situation. Falcon steps in behind Darby, and all four of us are now in a standoff I didn’t know we were having.

“Creed, man, how about you take a breath.” Echo goes to touch me then thinks better of it and stands next to me instead. Falcon lays a hand on Darby’s shoulder in case he moves—I know he won’t.

“So it’s finally happened, hey?” Darby asks looking to each of us before he comes back to me. “A girl has gotten between us.”

I shake my head and speak before Echo does. “She isn’t between us. She’s before you. There is a difference.”

Falcon’s head swings to me like he doesn’t believe my words.

Neither can I.

“Do you love her, Creed?”

I don’t answer that because I don’t even know.

“He doesn’t love her, he just likes what she does to him.” Echo looks to me smiling. “Right?”

I don’t answer.

“Fuck,” Falcon mutters, then pushes Darby. “Go, get the fuck out.” He pushes Darby back until he can shut the door, so it’s just the three of us in the room. Falcon starts pacing my floor as we watch him. “I knew she meant something, but fuck, Creed. Really? You know you’re meant to hit ‘em and quit ‘em, right? Not fall in fucking love.”

“He isn’t—” Echo looks to me then swears. “Fuck, you are.”

I don’t say anything. They can make all the assumptions they want.

“Don’t go killing Darby. We actually need him to survive in this business. Let’s be honest, we are the looks and he is the brains,” Falcon says, smirking.

“If he goes after her I won’t have a choice.”

Echo walks straight to the door and goes out shutting it behind him.

“He won’t go after her.” Falcon walks to the window that looks down on the girls. “She’s different, you know that, right? She isn’t like the girls we fuck because we’re bored.”

“I know who she is.”

“Why does she keep looking to the door?”

I step up to the window and look down. “She threatened to quit if I came down.”

He starts laughing. “Maybe you should marry her. I like her.”

“Fuck off.”

Falcon walks away from the window as I stay glued to where I am watching her.

“She has a hold on you, though. Do you see it?”

“I gave her a gift—her apartment.”

He whistles from behind me. “And I’m taking it that pissed her off well and good.”

I nod.

“Either fix it or let her quit. You can’t stay in your office because she’s here, it won’t work and sooner or later Darby will get even more pissed than he is right now. We all know you could kick his ass, but you won’t because you love him. Plus, he owns the highest percentage of the club, so if he wants to fire her I’ll agree on it, so it won’t matter what you decide, or even if you get Echo on your side. Which we know you will.”

I try to keep calm, not to let this get the better of me and throw my fist through his face. It’s hard, but he’s right.

“I’ll handle it.”

“If you haven’t by the weekend, my first call will be to your mother—we both know she will fix the situation.” He’s out the door before I can tell him no.

I go into Darby’s office. He’s on the cell and immediately puts it down when he notices me. “I’m taking the week off, the girls are good.”

“Just the week?”

I nod, he nods, that’s our relationship.

“If you aren’t back within the week, I will fire her.”

Slamming his door, I walk out.