“Do you have Kent or Kyle’s phone number, Fallon?”When she shook her head, Carson’s expression darkened as his gaze flickered in Silas’s direction.“We need to remind the Wests how important it is for them to share their contact information with new employees.”
“I had it, but I ditched… umm… I recently changed phones and didn’t take time to transfer all the information.”More like she’d tossed her phone and smartwatch off a bridge when she remembered Hagen bought them.She’d known there was a good chance he was tracking her.This time, the look the men exchanged was easy to read—they knew she wasn’t being completely honest with them, but they weren’t going to call her on the deception… yet.She’d read enough to understand this was one of those “keep your snarky comments to yourself” moments.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, Silas held it out so she could see the screen as he scrolled through his recent calls before highlighting Kent West’s name.When Fallon realized Silas was using Facetime, she reached up to smooth her windblown hair, took a deep breath, and hoped she didn’t look too worse for wear.The man who answered was younger than she’d expected.His smile appeared genuine, and she might have missed the brief look of surprise when he realized Silas wasn’t alone if she hadn’t been watching for it.
“Silas, want to tell me why I see our new bartender standing beside you on… holy shit, is that the river road?”
“It’s a long story, and we’ll be happy to give you all the details when we aren’t about to melt.What we need is for you to reassure Fallon we are members of the club and can be trusted to deliver her safely to your door.”
She saw a flair of approval in Kent West’s eyes as he gave Silas a quick nod and turned his attention to her.
“Fallon, I know we haven’t had the opportunity to meet in person, but we’re looking forward to you joining our team.I’m happy to hear you asked for confirmation before getting into a vehicle with strangers.You will be safe with Silas and Carson.My brother and I asked the two of them to show you around the club this evening.”His attention was drawn to someone she could hear speaking out of the camera’s view.She didn’t have to wait long to find out who’d joined him.
“Hello, Fallon, I’m Kyle West.Cam Barnes tells me there is a disabled car registered to you along the river road.We’ve dispatched a crew to bring it to the club.They will put your things in the apartment upstairs.”She knew Kent and Kyle West were twins, but she was shocked by how much they looked and sounded the same.
“Wait… I thought I was staying in one of the small cabins by the river.I’m not sure I can afford the rent for a larger place.”Kyle West frowned, making Fallon wonder if she’d already landed on her new boss’s bad side.
“Fallon, I think there has been a misunderstanding.I don’t know where you got the impression you’d be paying rent, but that’s not how we do things around here.We have some concerns about your former employer.”Fallon didn’t miss Kyle’s slight pause between the last two words, and from Carson’s furrowed brow, he hadn’t missed it either.“You’ll stay in the apartment upstairs until we’re convinced he isn’t going to problem.”
Hagen made a lot of threats when she refused to be forced into a sexual relationship with him—particularly one involving another woman.Maybe it was selfish, but she had no plans to share any man she was sleeping with.Sighing to herself, Fallon hated how hypocritical it made her sound to admit she’d fantasized about two men bringing her pleasure, but she couldn’t help the way she felt.
Her ex-boyfriend’s verbal thrashings and emotional manipulation had made her feel smothered.He’d badgered her about her parents, constantly inquiring about her inheritance.The final straw was the night he pushed her down the staircase because she’d refused to participate in a ménage with a young female clerk from the store where Fallon worked.Maybe it was selfish, but she had no plans to share—particularly not with a girl who’d only had her driver’s license for a couple of years.
Fallon knew about the Wests’ military backgrounds and their contract work for Uncle Sam since retiring as Navy SEALs, so she wasn’t surprised when the alerts started hitting her phone, letting her know they were doing an extensive background check.Her dad had shown her how to set up alerts on the internet when she was in high school.He’d told her it was in her best interest to know when someone was making inquiries, and he’d been right.One of the things she wondered about on the drive to Texas was why Hagan hadn’t checked her background before hiring her as a pharmacist.Now she was worried about the Wests’ strange feeling she might be in danger despite the fact she’d moved across the country.
Damn it all to prickly pears, what do they know that I don’t?