“Yeah. I’ll take you to your room so you can sleep.”
“What will you be doing?”
“Taking care of business.” He squeezed me in his arms as we entered the home.
Espada scowled as he passed me. The other guy, Copper, didn’t look too happy with me either. God, I felt awful for causing so much trouble. Espada had driven to a spot deep in the mountains to abandon his car.
An hour later, a truck arrived to pick us up. These guys had taken the license plates and torched Espada’s Chevy. It was wild how they thought of every little detail. They blew my mind.
I had no idea how long I’d been asleep in the backseat. The events of the day had worn me out, and I crashed hard, curled in Joseph’s arms. I could sleep for days, and hopefully, I’d forget all of this.
We entered a large kitchen. Several men were seated at a large island littered with half-empty bottles of alcohol. They stopped talking and turned their attention to me.
“This is Brynne,” Joseph said. “I’m going to take her to her bedroom.” He opened the fridge and grabbed a couple bottles of water.
“Hi.” I waved awkwardly. “Sorry about all this.”
The men grunted.
“You can meet them in the morning.” He pressed his hand to my lower back and guided me out.
Most of the lights were off in the home, but I could tell we were in a sprawling log cabin. We went up an impressive staircase with black iron railings. A gorgeous chandelier hung above us, emitting a warm, soft glow like the lights were dimmed. Across from us, a floor-to-ceiling rock fireplace stood tall and commanding. To say I was in awe was an understatement.
What did Joseph’s friends do for a living? No mechanic could afford a place like this.
“They didn’t look too happy down there.” I went into the room.
“It’s after two in the morning, baby.” He shut the door and pulled me into his arms. “Did I scare you tonight? You gotta know, I would never intentionally hurt you.” He dropped a soft kiss on my lips.
I kissed him back, spreading my lips and greeting his tongue. My response should be clear. I hooked my arms around his neck and hummed to show him my enjoyment.
“You’re turning me on, Bonita.” He ground his hard-on against my pelvis.
“I’m ready if you are. I’d love to forget about what happened earlier.”
“I wish I could stay, but I need to go downstairs and deal with all this shit.”
“Right. I’m so sorry.”
“Stop. This isn’t your fault.” He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “Who is Dorian?”
“He’s my dad’s best friend. “Uncle Dorian”—I made air quotes—“has been in my life since I was born. Dorian Adrienne is his full name. He runs the import-export business with my dad. I think he was in love with my mom.”
Joseph reared his head back. “How do you know?”
“I saw them kiss before. He made her laugh a lot. She seemed happier when he was around than with my dad.”
“Wow. Do you think they were having an affair?”
“I don’t know. I was just a little girl.” I considered his question. Were they in love? She was so beautiful, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dorian loved her. Perhaps that was why my dad was always angry… and hurt my mom. I wouldn’t mention any of this to Joseph. We were just starting out together, and I didn’t want him to think my personal life was full of drama and not worth his time.
“Well, make yourself at home in here. No one will bother you. You’re safe here, okay?” He kissed me again.
“Okay. Will you be back?” My cheeks heated.
“Tonight?”
“Mhm. I don’t want to be alone.” My reply seemed to surprise him.