“And I thank you for that. But I’ve hired her, keeping her close for now.” I take another sip of my beer, washing away my irritation with all of the things Taylor is dealing with right now. “But my biggest concern here is that I don’t like how they knew that I’d be with her that night and got the photograph of us.”
“I agree,” says Ryder, spinning his beer bottle between his fingers. “What’re the chances of that? It’s rare for you to be on the tabloids’ radar lately, why the interest in you now?”
“Precisely,” I agree with a nod. Ryder would understand because he isn’t in the tabloids much either. Micah and Gabe tend to have the spotlight put on them the most. Micah hates it. Gabe doesn’t, since in his eyes, the attention means better business for his bar. I understood the logic.
Micah taps his fingers against the table, eyebrows drawn down. “That could be a coincidence. Maybe they knew that Allie was moving in with me that weekend. Perhaps the paps were simply there trying to get a photo of us.”
“That’s possible,” I agree, watching McKenna turn on the television screens from behind the bar before I address the group again. “But, regardless whether that’s true, they’re still aware of things they shouldn’t be, like Allie moving in with you. Have you even told anyone about that?”
Micah lowers his beer bottle from his mouth and shakes his head. “Only all of you.”
“And that’s the concern,” I note.
Most things in the tabloids are bullshit, but some things aren’t, and that’s when things get scary. With wealth and power come people who will feed you to the sharks to get a piece of what you’ve got.
When I receive nods from the men around me, I add, “Still, I can’t figure out how they’re getting this information.” No one in my inner circle, including these men around me and Allie, would be behind this. Our loyalty to one another binds us together in ways outsiders would never understand.
Yes, I can handle a scandal. I simply don’t want the headache of one. And I don’t want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a crisis-management firm to clean up my dirty little secrets.
Gabe watches McKenna move around the bar to fix the volume on one of the televisions before returning his gaze our way. “While it’s easy to think this could all be linked together, it could all also be a big coincidence.”
“You know I don’t believe in coincidences,” I tell him, because I never did. I also trust my instincts implicitly. “One article, I could believe it was a coincidence, but two times now they knew personal details about Micah and Allie that they shouldn’t have known.” One stated that Micah was interested in a woman who was hands off to him. And the second article stated I wasn’t happy when I found out about their relationship. And now, that they knew Allie would be moving out of her house on that particular night.
Silence surrounds me as nods follow, and I see Gabe’s mind working now, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He finally says, “Let’s see if anything else comes out again before we start jumping to conclusions.”
We all nod in agreement and, right then, McKenna opens the front door to a barrage of customers ready for lunch.
Micah turns to Ryder and quickly asks, “How are things with Winters’s daughter?”
He’s speaking about Gary Winters, a Baltimore senator whom Ryder acts as security for. I recall from a past conversation that Gary’s daughter, Hadley Winters, has a membership at Gabe’s club, Afterglow, and she’s behaving recklessly. Not only is she engaging in unsafe S&M, but she’s been indiscreet, playing in public instead of in one of the private rooms.
Ryder exhales deeply before speaking. “She hasn’t seemed to catch on that we’ve secluded her in private rooms, or at least, she’s not asking any questions.” Which had been a request made by Ryder to Gabe. “She’s becoming my problem, and I’m less than thrilled about that.”
I can only imagine the trouble he faces now. I glance up, seeing customers moving toward the bar, and I add to Ryder, “If we have nothing else to discuss, do you mind if I have a minute alone?”
“Not at all.” Ryder downs the remainder of his beer.
“I’ll be in touch,” I say to Micah and Gabe, receiving nods, and the others exchange goodbyes before Ryder follows me past the patrons moving into the pub and steps outside.
The afternoon sun is hot when we settle next to my waiting Jaguar with my driver inside. “Listen, I need another favor from you,” I say to Ryder.
He shoves his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants. “What do you need from me?”
“Well, it’s not exactly you that I need something from,” I explain, thinking only of protecting Taylor, and knowing if I don’t protect her that her happiness hangs in the balance.
Ryder begins to smile. “Now I’m curious.”
“Good,” I reply. “Because I’ll need you to use your best negotiation techniques to get me what I need.”
Chapter 7
Taylor
“Happy new job day!”
Bright and early on Wednesday morning, I smile at the warm voice filling my new office and glance up from my keyboard toward the doorway, finding Allie entering, a vase full of bright, colorful flowers in her hands. “Thanks,” I say, rising from my seat. I meet her in front of my dark wood desk as she hands me the flowers. “You didn’t have to do that,” I tell her.