The Auction (Club Indulgence Duet, #1)(6)

He slings his arm around my waist and leads me to the door. "Best to keep you safe, then. I got you."

I sigh. "Thanks."

"Sure." He guides me to my car and waits until I pull away.

I'm halfway home when I get the chills again. I could be wrong, but I swear someone is following me. There's an SUV that stays far enough away that I can't see who's driving it.

I debate about what to do, then I gun the engine and go through a red light. The SUV disappears, and I continue on to my place. I pull into my apartment complex lot, and a car with a group of my neighbors in it parks next to me.

"Blakely," Tim calls out, sounding intoxicated.

I laugh. "I take it you had a good night?"

His girlfriend Sarah shakes her head and then points at him. "He needs food to soak up his shots."

I wince. "That great of a night, huh?"

She rolls her eyes.

Matt, who also lives with Tim, sings, "Blakely, Blakely, Blakely!"

"He drank more than Tim," Sarah announces.

I smile bigger and say, "Sounds like—"

Floodlights glow around us. Tim puts his hand over his forehead and squints. "Dude, turn your brights off."

I spin, and bile rises in my throat. An SUV is pointed right at us.

"Let's go inside," I say, then take one step toward the building.

"Turn your lights off, assholes," Matt shouts.

"Matt, don't!" I warn, then tug on his arm.

Sarah asks, "Do you know who's in that SUV?"

I shake my head, not sure what I would tell her. Is it the guys from Cheeks or someone else? And maybe I'm assuming they're following me but it's really some drunk idiot from our complex. I answer, "No, but I think it's best we go inside. We don't need any altercations."

"Agreed," she says, then links her arm through Tim's.

The four of us get to the entrance. The SUV doesn't turn off the lights or move. I punch in the code, and the lock unlatches. We step inside, and I shut the door.

As quickly as possible, I make my way up the stairs to the second floor, helping Sarah goad Tim and Matt to follow me.

I finally get inside my apartment. Both my roommates' bedroom doors are shut, so I assume they're sleeping out or have company since neither had to work tonight. I go to the living room window and peek through the blinds.

The SUV is still there with its brights on, except the bald man from the club is standing next to the passenger door, looking up as if he knows which unit I live in.

My heart beats harder. I stare at him until he gets back inside the vehicle and it takes off. I have no clue who the men are, but I'm officially freaked out.





2





Riggs





Calm chaos is all around me, but it doesn't relax me today. It still reminds me of Blakely's eyes after all these years. God only knows where she is, and I used to feel sorry for Hugh and Madelyn that she disappeared into thin air, but now, I'm beginning to enjoy that they have a family issue.

I don't know that he's screwing me.

It's pretty clear.

Wait for the evidence. It's Hugh.

The clawing in my gut has only gotten worse. No amount of surfing can eliminate it, including the last wave I caught, which might be the biggest one I've ever ridden.

The red flags started rising about a month ago when I noticed Hugh was taking longer and longer to send me numbers. Last week, my personal accountant called me.

I never liked Hugh's guy, George. Something about him gave me bad feelings. A few years ago, I met Rachel. She instantly impressed me with her level of expertise, so I tested her with a few personal projects and quickly saw she's one of the best in her craft. It wasn't long before I turned all my accounts over to her.

I wanted to hire her for the business, but Hugh refused to let his guy go. It was the first time he utilized his power to override me in the business. We may both own the company in equal shares, but he's always held veto power.

I agreed to it when we formed the company. I had no money, and Hugh gave me an opportunity I would never have had otherwise. But it burned me when he used it. I can account for over eighty percent of the growth of our firm. I've brought in more business than Hugh, and lately, I'm confident he no longer knows more than me. If anything, he's become a tad outdated. And my decade-plus of experience no longer makes me anything less than him.

Although I'm sure he'd beg to differ. One thing I can always count on is Hugh's ego. He thinks his family money will always trump me since my wealth is new. I'm not naive to it, but I've accepted it over the years. It's just how he's wired.

When I told Hugh I was keeping Rachel for my personal accounts and firing George, he did everything he could to try and change my mind, but I refused.

Now, I'm glad I listened to my gut and brought Rachel on board. She works for me and only me. And while I must be careful to keep things strictly professional since she has the hots for me, she's brilliant.

It's not that Rachel isn't good-looking, but I'm not interested. She was a tad flirty the first time we met, but it quickly got a bit more intense. After that, I made her call me Mr. Madden and not Riggs. That little adjustment made it clear this arrangement was strictly business. I only discuss our accounts with her and never mention anything about my life outside of work.