Fever (Breathless #2)(51)

She rolled her eyes but nodded.

“I’d like to see the poor fool who tries to take me and my girls on,” Mia muttered.

Jace chuckled because she likely had a point. But still, he wasn’t taking any chances.

Mia rose and then came around his desk to wrap her arms around his neck. She hugged tightly. “So you and Bethany will come for Christmas?”

He kissed her cheek. “Yes, baby girl. You can count on it.”

As Mia headed for the door, she nearly collided with Ash on his way in. Ash put his hands out, grasped her shoulders and then laughed.

“Whoa there, sweetheart.”

“Hey, Ash,” she said in a cheerful voice.

Ash dropped an affectionate kiss on top of her head. “I need to see Jace about something. I’ll see you around later, okay?”

She held up her hands. “I know when I’m being dismissed. Guess I’ll go see if Gabe has time for me.”

Ash snorted. “As if he wouldn’t. Ever.”

She grinned, waggled her fingers and then disappeared down the hallway.

Ash turned back to Jace and then closed the door. Jace lifted his eyebrows in question as Ash made his way to the chair Mia had vacated. He tossed another folder onto Jace’s desk before sitting down. Jace was really starting to hate those damn folders. They never contained anything good.

“Bethany’s brother’s debt is taken care of,” Ash said with no preamble. “Good news is the ass**les who roughed her up weren’t interested in anything but getting their money back. Plus sizeable interest, of course.”

“Of course,” Jace said acidly.

“Bethany should be good now.”

Jace nodded. “Thanks, man.”

“But there’s something else you should know. Not sure what it means, but I figure you need all the information you can get.”

Jace’s shoulders sloped downward and he leaned back in his chair. “What now?”

“Bethany’s brother? Jack Kingston. Not her brother at all. No blood whatsoever. But they’re tight. Been on the streets together ever since they left their last foster home. Well, they weren’t even in the same foster home. I should say since Bethany left her last foster home, since Jack’s older and he’d been out of the system for a while. Apparently he busted her out or at least came for her and she ran away. They’ve been together ever since.”

Jace frowned. “So what are you suggesting?”

Ash held up his hands. “I’m not suggesting anything, man. I’m giving you the facts so that you have them all at your disposal. Bethany calls him her brother. Thought you should know he’s not. Now as to what that means, I have no idea. But you should be aware of the fact that she could be running a pretty slick scam. She milks you for what she can and Jack’s debts are paid.”

It pissed him off but he would have to be stupid not to at least consider what Ash was saying.

“Thanks,” Jace murmured.

“Sorry, man. Know it sucks. May not even be true, but you have to be aware of the possibilities.”

Jace nodded. “Yeah. I know.”

Jace’s cell rang and he glanced down to see Kaden’s number flashing on the LCD. He held up a finger to Ash and then yanked the phone to his ear.

“Yeah?”

He listened a moment, his blood going cold. Anger surged in close behind as Kaden related his report.

“Stay on it,” Jace barked. “You find her. I’m on my way.”

He put the phone down and glanced up at Ash, who was listening in confusion.

“Bethany ditched her security and disappeared.”

“Oh shit,” Ash murmured. “What are you going to do?”

“If she’s going to walk away, she’s damn well going to say it to my face,” Jace bit out. “She owes me that damn much.”

Chapter nineteen

Bethany pulled her coat tighter around her and walked through Madison Square Park—she’d lost count of the city parks she’d searched—hoping this was where she’d find Jack. She’d searched all their usual haunts but had come up empty. She’d even checked the shelters she and Jack frequented, hoping that maybe he had a warm place to stay for the night.

She hadn’t intended to be this long. Jace would be angry. No, he’d be furious. She’d snuck away from her security detail, Jace’s faithful watchdogs, because really, what could she have said? That she planned to go searching the not-so-great parts of the city for her brother because she was worried?

They’d have pulled the plug on that idea so fast her head would have spun.

“Bethy, what are you doing here?”

Jack’s voice cracked over her like a whip and she spun around, relieved to see him standing in the lengthening shadows wrought by evening’s fall.

“Jack, thank God,” she breathed. “I was so worried.”

She went to him, intending to hug him, but he pulled back, putting his hands to her shoulders. His gaze scraped up and down the length of her body, his eyes shrewd.

“You’re looking good,” he said quietly.

He didn’t ask where she’d been. Didn’t ask anything at all. He just stared at her and told her she looked good like they were old acquaintances who’d bumped into each other on the street.