Beneath These Scars (Beneath #4)(27)

I was saved from having to reply by the chime of the door and four new customers.

Oh Lord, these girls already had beads and their hands were wrapped around plastic hurricane glasses. This would be interesting.





YVE’S CAR WAS A PIECE of shit. I had the mechanic doctor the bill to show that it only cost $300 to get it fixed, when in reality the thing was barely fit to be on the road. I had a strong suspicion that Yve would insist on paying me back, and there was no way in hell I would let her give me the five grand it had actually cost to make the Jetta safe enough to drive.

Idly, I wondered if she’d noticed the keys to the Aston. Even more, I was curious if she’d actually take it for a spin. Knowing her, she would never even think about leaving the shop while it was open, but it amused me all the same to leave the keys as an answer to her taunt.

I was not a good man. I didn’t have a heart of gold; I had a heart that knew how to make gold. Midas was the comparison I received most often. But it seemed the project in front of me was going to turn to shit rather than gold.

Knowing that Yve was in good hands with Jerome, I forced my thoughts away from her. He was former British Special Forces, and even at the ripe old age of seventy, he could still kill a man with his bare hands. He could also make even the most stubborn woman unbend a rigidly stiff spine.

Shit. I was thinking about her again. This wasn’t acceptable.

The door to my office opened and Colson entered. Finally, a welcome distraction.

“Have you contacted the senators on my list?” I asked, not wasting a breath on greetings or small talk. That wasn’t how Colson and I worked.

“Yes. Hendricks and Shuman are willing to meet for dinner to discuss it. They of course picked the priciest place in town, and you know it’s on your dime.”

“Like I care.”

“I know you don’t, but I never cease to be amused by the greed of some of these politicians.”

“Good. What else?”

Colson said nothing but his gaze darted to the windows, telling me there was something he didn’t want to share.

“What?” I asked.

“Have you thought about just agreeing to Haines’s request? It’s one favor. Your marker. It’s really not that big of an ask, Lucas, and it would get us over the finish line without having to deal with all these other politicians and environmental groups.”

The question was a fair one, but that didn’t mean it didn’t grate on me. “I don’t pay you to question my judgment. I’m not going there unless we have no other alternative.”

Colson shrugged. “Your choice.”

And it was. This was my empire, and no one but me would decide how it moved forward.

But it seemed Colson wasn’t done. “I know how much this means to you—”

“Don’t. Do not f*cking psychoanalyze me. This is business.”

Colson crossed his arms and stared me down. “Anyone else might believe you, but I know the truth. You won’t be able to rest until you’ve proven your father wrong—and made billions doing it.”

I slammed my palms down on my desk. “Leave it alone.”

“You wanna lie to yourself, go for it.”

I’d said something very similar to Yve earlier, and I hated having my own words thrown back at me.

“Get out. Go do your damn job.”

Colson nodded. “Fine. Be a stubborn bastard.”





AS I FLIPPED THE OPEN sign to Closed, I could feel Jerome’s eyes on me even as I heard him shuffling around the interior of the store. He’d been an amazing help today. We’d been inundated with people, and while I could have survived without him, I would’ve had a lot more unhappy customers because they would have been waiting much longer while I helped others.

Wondering if my unease at going home was actually visible, I frowned. The shrewd old man seemed to read me too easily. His next words answered that question.

“I’m more than happy to follow you to your apartment and lend my assistance in any way I can.”

“That’s very sweet of you, really,” I said with what I hoped looked like an unconcerned shrug. “But I’m fine. Besides, you probably have the master’s dinner to prepare.”

I’d gotten used to Jerome’s easy chuckle during the afternoon we’d spent working together. It rippled across the store again.

“The master rarely dines at home in the evenings.”

I bet he doesn’t. Probably wining and dining half the town, especially the female half.

Whether I wanted to admit it or not, Lucas Titan was one of the sexiest men I’d ever seen. He made tall, dark, and handsome his bitch. The man had to be at least six foot three, and had thick, black hair that always seemed perfectly styled without trying. Add his dark green eyes, wide shoulders, and narrow hips to the mix, and there weren’t many women who wouldn’t pause to watch him walk by. The diagonal scar slashing upward through his left eyebrow into his hairline added an undeniable hint of danger.

My body lit up at thoughts of him, and I tamped the reaction down. Not going there. Again. It didn’t matter how hot the sex had been; it wasn’t worth my pride.

I pulled my purse from beneath the counter. “Thank you again for your help today.” I was stalling on this last part and couldn’t believe I was actually going to say the words, but I needed to give thanks where it was due. “And thank Mr. Titan as well. Sending you was very thoughtful of him.”