Casanova(54)

“You know, in my dreams, Chris Hemsworth is single and you’re gagged.” She put the balloons on the belt.

“Am I at least in the same room?”

She blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering quickly. “I don’t know how to respond to that.”

“Say yes,” the dude behind the register said as he scanned the scooter. “Yes is always the answer.”

“Now I remember why I left Florida,” Lani muttered. “You’re all pervs.”

“Ah, yes, and California, home of the porn industry, is jam-packed with non-pervs,” I said dryly.

“And you think I’m the sassy one.” She folded her arms as I paid.

I tucked my wallet back inside my pocket and steered the cart to the doors. “Men aren’t sassy.”

“And women aren’t kittens, but that doesn’t seem to stop you calling me it.”

“Touché.” I smirked and popped the trunk.

She waited until I’d loaded it before she said, “Now can you tell me where we’re going?”

“I’m showing you.”





CHAPTER FIFTEEN


LANI



What was such a big deal that he had to keep it secret? Why, for the love of god, couldn’t he just tell me?

I’d never been so worked up about anything. I didn’t get it. If he was showing me, he could tell me. I just wanted to know where he was taking me and why we were buying birthday things for a little boy. They were simple answers, and ones that could probably be answered in one if he’d just tell me.

Brett pulled out of the Target parking lot.

Would he keep his promise and tell me everything? That was all I really wanted to know. What we’d just done went against everything I knew about him. The Brett Walker I’d seen over the last week or so didn’t buy little boys scooters or balloons or party hats for their birthdays. He bought women drinks and pissed me off a lot.

It was kind of...hot.

“Promise me something?” Brett glanced at me at a red light.

“Depends what it is,” I answered slowly, turning to face him.

His strong jaw twitched. “Don’t ask questions until we leave.”

“None at all?”

He shook his head.

“Why?” I asked him, my voice quiet.

He shifted up a gear and pulled away when the light turned green. “Because it’s important to me that you see before you know.”

“I...”

His expression shifted, and I could swear I saw a flicker of worry turn his lips downward.

How was I supposed to refuse?

This, what we were doing, whatever it was, was really important to him. And somehow, I knew that whoever this little boy was, he mattered a lot to Brett.

“Okay,” I said after a few seconds of silence. “No questions, I promise. But when we’re done, you have to tell me everything.”

Brett only nodded in response. Yet that nod felt like it carried more weight than if he’d actually told me everything.

Was this part of that big, huge secret his family was keeping? Or was this something else?

Why was I kind of afraid to find this out?

Brett took a left and pulled into the parking lot of a sizable apartment complex. It wasn’t the nicest I’d ever seen, but it was clean. There wasn’t a speck of dust on the windows, and several of them even had window boxes bursting with bright flowers.

I looked across the car, but he didn’t look back. In fact, all he did was take a deep breath and get out of the car. I did the same and shut my door. “What about the stuff in the car?” I asked when he headed toward the big double doors.

“I just need to check on something.” He waved for me to follow him.

I did. To my surprise, the second we stepped through the door, we were greeted by a large, burly man with a gun at his hip.

Where the hell were we?

“Morning, Jake.” Brett shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Morning, boy. Who’s your friend?” Jake’s eyes glanced over me and I swallowed hard.

“This is Lani. Lani, this is Jake.”

That was it. That was his introduction. There was no explanation of who he actually was.

“Hi.” I raised my hand awkwardly.

Jake nodded in my direction before he gave Brett his attention. “Sali know she’s here?”

“Yes, sir,” he answered. “I called her last night.”

“Want me to get her for you?”

“Please.”

Jake pushed off the table he was sitting at. “Give me two minutes.”

I watched as he crossed the lobby and scanned a card at the door. “Brett?” I said when Jake had gone through it. “Where are we?”

“This is Hope Building,” he answered without looking at me. “It’s a shelter for women and children fleeing abusive partners.”

My heart thumped against my ribs. I don’t know what I thought he’d say, but it wasn’t that. What was he doing here?

“Okay, the question thing? Can I ask about this?”

He nodded. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know about the building. Just...not me. Until after.”

That was fair. “Who’s Sali?”