a woman inside. Startled me. Startled her more. Has she done that before?”
“I don’t think so.” He sighs. “That girl makes me nervous. She’s too cute for her own good, and that damn club she was working at wasn’t right for her. If she were mine, I would have hauled her out of there and locked her up somewhere safe.” He chuckles. “It’s been hard not meddling though. My wife worries about her too. I’ve come close to offering her a room in our house a few times, but I was afraid I’d step on her pride.”
“Doesn’t she have a place to live?”
“Yes. She has an apartment as far as I know, but I’m betting she can’t afford it without that damn night job.” He shudders.
I can’t blame him. The thought of her working in a club makes me want to punch a hole in the wall. Irrational. Not my business. No idea why I give a fuck. What I do know is that she must be at least twenty-one if she works in a nightclub. “Which club did she work at?” I ask Charles.
“The Sky Lounge.”
My eyes bug out. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
“Wish I could.”
The Sky Lounge is a gentleman’s club. It’s well known in the Seattle area. I’ve only been here six months and I’m familiar with it. “Do they…” I swallow, “serve food?”
He chuckles again. “No. They do not.”
We exchange a knowing glance. Fuck. If they don’t serve food then she’s been stripping. I can’t wrap my head around that.
“Hard to picture, isn’t it?” Charles asks, wincing.
“Very. She doesn’t look old enough, and she’s…”
“I hear ya. Not the type. I agree. And she’s twenty-two. I’m glad she quit. I hope she isn’t in any trouble though.” He turns around and points toward the corner of this back room. “The main hub for the alarm system is over there. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go pry some more info out of Britney while you get started. I’ll send Cindy back here when she arrives.”
I nod slowly. It takes every ounce of strength I can muster not to turn around and pry that info out of Britney myself. Why on earth should I give a shit? I don’t know that girl. Woman. I’ve exchanged very few words with her, in fact. She’s an employee of Cindy’s. Cindy will take care of her problem. Or hell, it would seem Charles will too.
I’m glad she has Charles. The man is formidable. Whatever problems Britney has, he’ll get to the bottom of things.
Chapter 2
Britney
Shit. Shit shit shit.
When I came here last night, I was hoping no one would notice and I could just go in to work close to ten without getting caught. I have no idea what I’m going to say. The fact that I quit my job last night was unplanned. So unplanned, that I spent most of the night worrying in my car.
I’m feeding the animals when Charles returns. He’s a good man, and I know he worries about me. He never liked me working at the Sky Lounge, but it paid the bills. I rub my forehead as I pet one of the kittens, the only one that isn’t too skittish to come out of her kennel each morning.
“I heard Cindy’s car. Let’s go out front,” Charles says. Or more like demands. I know he’s not mad at me. He’s just concerned. He’s not alone. I hate that I’m going to need to come up with a story for Cindy though. I’m not a good liar. I never have been.
I reluctantly follow Charles back to the front of the building and sigh when I see her coming through the front door with the man from the parking lot. Davis was his name. He must have gone around the building from the back and met up with Cindy on her way in.
My heart nearly stopped when I found him leaning over my car earlier. He’s so…big. His dark brown hair is cut military short, and a hint of tattoos poke out from under his sleeves now that he’s not wearing a jacket.
He’s…imposing. Serious. I’m still reeling from the amount of concern he had for me. I wonder if he would have let me remain in the car if I’d insisted. I got the feeling he would not. His hand was firm and warm when he shook mine. Also more than twice the size of mine.
As we approach, I notice the muscles in his neck and down his