knew her plan, he’d try to take over. Lucian was a leader—a very successful one—but she was sick
and tired of following the tide. She needed to prove she could do this on her own. “For my future. I
have nothing! I want to invest in me, since no one else gives a shit and I need thirty-five thousand dollars to do that.”
He stilled, his eyes narrowing, and she saw him weighing her words. Again he reached into his
drawer, only this time he removed a heavy blue ledger. Long fingers flipped it open and reached for a
pen. His hand swiftly moved over the check, the ballpoint scratching across the dense paper. The tear
along each tiny perforation mesmerized her with its slow intent, but at last the slip fell free. He
dropped the check in front of her with flourish. “There you go.”
Scout stared at the check. The numbers read $35,000.00, but she couldn’t read the script. She had trouble with anything that wasn’t printed in capital letters.
Eyeing him suspiciously, she blinked as he arched a brow. “Take it. It’s yours.”
Her fingers hesitantly reached for the check. Once closing over the thick paper, she pulled her hands
back to her lap. “I’ll . . . I’ll pay you back.”
“I don’t care about the money, Evelyn.”
“Well, I do. I’ll pay you back. Every cent. I’ll make payments whenever possible. Once I’ve paid
off the principal, we’ll figure out what I owe in interest.”
He rolled his eyes. “All right, but here are my conditions.”
Her mouth opened. She shook her head, trying to scramble up the right words. “But you already
gave it to me.”
“I gave you a voucher. A check of that amount has to be cleared through me. What you have is trash
unless I approve it when the bank calls.”
“Fine,” she gritted. “What are your terms?”
“Your payments will be made in person. I also require an address of where you’re staying. These are simple requests, and any bank would demand a hell of a lot more from you. Be grateful that’s all
I’m stipulating at the moment.”
Her jaw locked against what she wanted to say. He was trying to intimidate her. It wasn’t
happening. “Fine.” He’d have to wait on the address.
“Good.”
Several beats passed where neither of them said a word. She glared challengingly back at him,
refusing to be bulldozed or bullied. She read Lucian’s intentions in his eyes just as he likely read hers.
She stood.
“I should be going.”
All the intensity left Lucian’s face. He shot to his feet. “Can I offer you a ride?”
She laughed. “Do I look stupid?” His expression was wounded. She sighed. “Lucian, I have no doubt
the second I walk through that door you’ll be on the phone with Dugan or some other underling,
insisting they follow me. Can we skip the stalking for a change? I’ve been through hell and back over
the past month. I think I’m entitled to my privacy.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I worry.”
She shook her head. “How would you feel if someone followed you everywhere?”
“People follow me every day. I’m in the tabloids. I’m on the news. There aren’t many places I can
hide, Evelyn. You know that.”
“And I know you hate it, so how could you intrude on my privacy in the same manner?”
“Because it’s not the same. You’re on your own and I’m only trying to keep an eye out.” He
suddenly frowned. “Why are you dressed like that?”
She glanced down at her Clemons uniform. Her hand quickly snapped off her name tag, and his eyes
narrowed.
“You got a job,” he guessed.
“I told you I plan to pay you back. I need money to do that.”
“Where are you working? I would’ve given you your old job back.”
“I don’t want any ties, beyond this loan, to you or your companies.”
His head slowly drew back, and she saw how her words wounded him. “Did what we have mean so
little to you?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“Perhaps you should ask yourself that question.” She picked up her bag and folded the check,
slipping it safely inside the zippered pocket. “I have to go. Please don’t have anyone follow me.”
She turned and he called her name. “Evelyn.”
Her resolve was waning and she had to get out of there. It was so hard seeing him and not touching
him. Her heart wanted to run to him, feel his arms around her as she cried about the injustice done to
her, but he was the culprit behind all of her heartache.
All she needed to do was think of how he’d betrayed her, and the pain was enough to drop her to her
knees, cutting off all urge to step closer.
“Will you continue to pay for Pearl to stay at the rehab?”
His eyes narrowed. “The fact that you can even ask that shows how little you think of me.”
What did he expect? He’d completely shocked her when he’d let her go and broken his promise to