Start a War (Saint View Psychos #1)(51)

“So what? You’re gonna start nude waitressing with Rebel? You gonna put on a show in a cage?”

I sucked in a deep breath. “If that’s what I decide I want to do, then maybe I will. But the point is, it’s my decision.”

“It’s a bad one.” His gaze flickered over my face. For a second, it rested on my lips, but then he turned away, his expression tortured.

I wasn’t letting him get out of it that easily. I was too annoyed with him. He was acting like my father. “What’s it to be, Nash? You asked me if I was in, and I said yes. What about you though? You gonna stick around and help me turn this place into something even bigger and better than it is now? Or you gonna keep treating me like I don’t have a brain of my own?”

Some of the fire went out of him. “I never meant it like that. I know how smart you are. You always were. I just feel like someone needs to watch out for you.”

“We all watch out for each other,” Rebel said quietly. “That’s what family does.”

I nodded.

Rebel and I both turned to Nash.

He breathed out heavily. “Yeah, fine. I’m in.”





19





BLISS





Nichelle had barely spoken to me all week. But when she stuck her head into my room on Friday evening, she had the kids with her, so I pushed aside my annoyance with her and smiled brightly. “You guys all look nice. Where are you off to?”

“Dinner at the club. Do you want to come?” Everett asked in his little boy voice.

I glanced at Nichelle, knowing full well they couldn’t afford a nice meal out. She shrugged. “Your father said we were going out and to come get you.”

I shook my head. This meal would be going on their already near-to-the-limit credit card, I was sure, simply for the reason my father couldn’t afford to fall off the social radar. He had to be seen out in public, especially at the club, which was where half of all of Providence’s business deals seemed to take place. But I wasn’t going to add to the financial burden by coming along, nor did I want to be anywhere Caleb might be. “Not tonight. I’ve had a long week and am excited to just sit at home in my sweats.”

There were no parties at Psychos this weekend, much to my dismay. The cash register at the end of each day, just from the bar side, didn’t paint a pretty picture. I’d said as much to Nash. The money from the last party, once costs were taken out and staff members paid, barely covered what I’d need to pay Axel’s suppliers at the end of the month. We needed more of what was bringing in the big dollars if I wanted to pay out my family’s debts as well as have money to live on.

Nash had frowned and told me it was risky. The more parties we had, the more chance there was of someone slipping up and word getting around to the wrong people. But my dwindling bank account was never too far from my mind.

Nash had insisted I take the weekend nights off though, since I’d scheduled myself to work the days. So once my dad, Nichelle, and the kids had all yelled out their goodbyes, the big door downstairs slamming behind them, I wandered into my bathroom with the intent of running myself the most luxurious bubble bath ever. I turned the faucet on to begin filling the tub, then went back to my room in search of my Kindle and some candles. “Wine,” I muttered once I plonked them on the bathroom vanity. “A huge glass of wine needs to be in my hand.”

The tub was massive, and plenty of room to go before the water would spill over, so I ran downstairs to the kitchen, grabbing a glass from a cabinet and a bottle from the refrigerator. I’d only been intending to have one drink, but then I shrugged and took the bottle with me.

A knock on the front door right as I passed it on my way to the stairs stopped me. I cringed, thinking of the filling bath, but it would only take a moment to get rid of whoever this was. I flung open the door.

“Good evening.”

I gaped at Vincent standing on the other side of the doorway in a navy-blue suit with a crisp white shirt beneath the jacket. There was no tie, the neck of his shirt open and showing off the tan skin of his chest. His hair was slicked back neatly, and he had his hands in his pockets, which somehow just completed the casual yet stupidly attractive pose.

I tried to make my mouth move, but I was so shocked I could barely utter a sound. I’d noticed Vincent was attractive. I wasn’t blind. But Vincent in a suit that fit him perfectly, with his deep-brown eyes watching me intently, was a whole new level of attractive.

It took him from hey, here’s a cute guy I work with. To holy fucking shit, throw me up against a wall and smack my ass.

Heat rushed through me at the crude thought that was incredibly unlike me.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

My brain may as well have been flashing a ‘the lights are on, but nobody is home’ sign. “Ready for what?” I asked numbly.

“Our date. Am I early? You said Friday at seven, I believe?”

What the hell? It took me a minute to work out what was going on, but when I did… Oh Jesus. I’d told Caleb Vincent and I were dating. And now here he was. “Vincent, I didn’t…”

What on earth was I saying? The man had protected me from my abusive ex. I’d gotten him fired. And yet he was here, looking like he’d just stepped out of the pages of a GQ magazine. He was clean, and fresh, and he smelled like heaven. After the grime of Psychos all week, whatever other plans I’d had went right out the window.