He glanced down to where Bethany’s dark head lay on his shoulder. She hadn’t stirred either. They’d made love countless times until they’d both fallen into an exhausted sleep.
He reached for his cell phone lying on the nightstand and saw that Kaden was calling.
“Jace Crestwell,” he answered.
“Mr. Crestwell, I thought you’d like to know that Kingston returned to the apartment.”
“He’s there now?” Jace asked in a low voice.
“Yes, sir. Came in a few minutes ago. Let himself in and he hasn’t left yet.”
“Make sure he doesn’t,” Jace said curtly. “I’ll be right over.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jace disconnected the call as Bethany stirred beside him. She lifted her head and gazed at him with sleepy eyes.
“Everything okay?”
He kissed her forehead. “I have to go out for a while.” He hesitated a moment. “Jack came back to the apartment.”
Her eyes became more alert, shaking off the veil of sleep. “I’ll go with you.”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll handle this, Bethany.”
She became agitated and before she could work herself up and become more upset, he said firmly, “I don’t want you involved in this. We had an agreement on this. I need you to trust me. I’ll handle it.”
“Okay,” she said quietly.
He kissed her again. “It’ll be fine, baby. Trust me.”
“I do,” she whispered.
“While I’m there, I’ll arrange for your stuff to be moved here.”
She bit her lip.
“Are you having second thoughts?” he asked warily.
She shook her head. “No. I want this. I want you. And I do trust you, Jace. Please don’t think I don’t. This is hard for me. Jack is important to me. You both are. I know he’s not perfect. I know he’s done things that aren’t . . . good. But I just want him to be safe and have things most other people take for granted.”
“I know you do, baby. Don’t worry. I’ll call you when I finish up with Jack, okay? Is your cell charged?”
She shrugged and he rolled his eyes.
“I’ll plug it in before I leave. It’ll be on the kitchen counter.”
He pushed aside the sheets and slid out of bed but then he leaned over, wanting to kiss her again, to savor the feel of her under his lips one last time before he handled the issue of Jack.
This wasn’t a situation he wanted to be in. But for Bethany he’d do it, even if his preference was to tell Jack to fuck off and stay the hell out of Bethany’s life from now on. But Bethany would never forgive him that, and he wasn’t going to risk losing her when helping Jack would make little difference in his life other than the inconvenience of confronting the other man.
A part of him relished it. He wanted to see for himself what Jack’s position was regarding Bethany. While Bethany considered him a brother, Jace wasn’t convinced that Jack’s feelings toward her were very brotherly.
That he’d keep to himself because Bethany was naïve when it came to a lot of things, Jack included, and she’d never see the situation the way someone with perspective might. But then, Jace had little perspective when it came to her.
“I don’t want you to worry about this, baby. It’ll be all right. Jack can call you and you can call him. I don’t even mind if you see him as long as Kaden or Trevor is with you when I can’t be.”
“Thank you, Jace.” Her eyes were bright and earnest. “This means so much to me.”
“Love you,” he said huskily.
Her entire face softened and the worry fled her eyes. He realized then what reassurance those words gave her and he vowed on the spot not to let a day go by without giving them to her.
“I love you too.”
He walked into the bathroom before he said to hell with Jack and pressed Bethany back onto the bed to make love to her for the rest of the day. He was already going to be very late getting into work, which was unlike him. He’d call Eleanor on his way out to give her a heads-up. Despite it being just after the holidays, things were business as usual, and they had multiple projects in the works. Projects that needed his, Gabe’s and Ash’s constant attention.
And if he were honest—and he was—he knew that it had been weeks since he’d been able to give work his undivided attention. Maybe he’d never make work his number one priority again. He had Bethany now and she was the most important thing in his life. Not work, not business, not even his partnership with his two best friends.
• • •
Forty-five minutes later, he strode into the apartment complex and was met by Kaden in the lobby.
“He’s still here?” Jace asked shortly.
Kaden nodded. “Yes, sir. He hasn’t come down since he arrived.”
“Very good. I’ll want you and Trevor to constantly monitor his presence. Even when he leaves. I want to know where he goes, who he sees and what he does. And I especially want to know if and when he contacts Bethany, if he sees her or arranges to see her. Under no circumstances do I want him seeing her alone. I’ve let her know she isn’t to see Jack without you or Trevor or myself, but if Jack attempts to seek her out, she may not know about it until he’s there in her face. And I want you in between them. She is to be protected at all costs.”
“Understood,” Kaden said grimly.
Jace walked to the elevator and Kaden fell into step beside him. Jace cast an inquisitive glance in his direction and Kaden’s jaw went firm.
“Sir, it stands to reason that if he’s a potential risk to Bethany’s safety and you’re going to confront him that he’s a risk to you as well. I’d feel better if I was present for this discussion. I will, of course, maintain a discreet distance and keep in confidence anything I chance to overhear.”
Jace cracked a grin as they stepped into the elevator. “You make good points.”
They rode up in silence and when they arrived at the door of the apartment, Jace didn’t knock or announce himself. He inserted his key and went in.
“Bethy, it’s about time,” Jack called from where he was sprawled on the couch in the living room. “I was beginning to think I was never going to get that dinner you promised.”
Then Jack looked up and his gaze became hooded and wary when he saw Jace and Kaden.
“Where’s Bethany?” Jack demanded.
“She’s safe,” Jace said curtly. “And she’s going to stay safe. You and I need to have a discussion, Jack.”
“You have me at a disadvantage,” Jack drawled. “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m the man who intends to make sure you stay the hell away from Bethany, you arrogant prick.”
Jack’s eyebrows went up. “So you’re the boyfriend. Nice place you gave Bethy. Very generous of you.”
Jace’s eyes narrowed at the sarcasm in Jack’s voice.
“She’s not going to be living here anymore,” Jace said.
Jack rose from the couch, his eyes flashing anger. “What did you do, you bastard? Did you kick her out? If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
Kaden stepped forward, his features menacing. Jace held up his hand and Kaden stepped back once more.
“Bethany is moving in with me, and she stays with me from here on.”
Something flickered in Jack’s eyes. Sadness? Jealousy? It was hard to say because the man instantly looked away.
“That’s good,” he said in a low voice. “I told her not to worry about me. She deserves a better life.”
“On that point we agree,” Jace clipped out.
“You here to kick me out then?” Jack asked, the arrogant drawl back in place.
Jace took a deep breath. It was on the tip of his tongue to say yes. To tell him to get the hell out and stay out and never to go near Bethany again. It would be so easy. But if Bethany ever knew, she’d never forgive Jace and he wasn’t willing to risk it. He wanted her happy, and she’d never be fully happy unless she no longer had to worry about fucking Jack.
“No,” he finally said. “You’re welcome to stay in the apartment. I’m going to have Bethany’s things moved to my apartment but the rest is yours to use.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What’s the catch? No way a guy like you just hands something like this to me. You have Bethany. Why would you do this for me?”
Jace advanced, anger tightening his chest. “Let’s get something straight, Jack. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for Bethany. She loves you and she worries about you. As for the catch? There’s no catch, but there are conditions.”
Jack smirked and then flopped back on the couch. “Do tell.”
“You won’t bring drugs into this apartment,” Jace snarled.
Jack’s face whitened and for the first time he looked distinctly uneasy.
“Yeah, I know about the bag. I have it, and you aren’t getting it back. I should kick your fucking ass for bringing that shit into Bethany’s apartment. And what the fuck were you thinking, bringing her painkillers when you know damn well she was addicted to them once? What kind of a fuck-up does that to someone he’s supposed to care about?”
Jack swallowed visibly and went whiter. “I have to have that bag back. You don’t understand. I’m a dead man if I don’t get that back. I left it here because it was safer that way.”
“Safer for you, maybe, asshole. But not safer for Bethany. She could have taken the fall for you.”
Jack shot to his feet again. “Look, I have to have that bag. I have to deliver it. After that, you won’t ever see that shit again. I swear it. I won’t bring it here. I won’t take it near Bethany. I’ll be done. But if I don’t deliver that bag tomorrow, my life won’t be worth a shit.”
“Give me one goddamn reason I should give a shit,” Jace bit out.
Jack flinched and then looked away. “Because they know about Bethany.”
Jace flew at him in a rage, grabbing Jack’s tattered shirt and doubling it in his fists. He slammed him back against the couch until Jace was hunched over him, his face mere inches from Jack’s.
“What the fuck have you done?”
Jack closed his eyes. “I had to give them something they could use against me as insurance and Bethany is all I have. She’s all that’s important to me.”
A low growl echoed through the room and it took a moment for Jace to realize it had come from Kaden, who stood just a foot away, bristling with rage.
“You stupid son of a bitch,” Jace swore.
“Look, just give me the bag and I’ll be out of her life,” Jack said. “You’ll never see or hear from me again.”
Jace shoved him back with enough force that Jack’s neck snapped against the couch and his head bobbed.
“While I’d love nothing more than for you to disappear and stay the fuck out of Bethany’s life, it would hurt her, and she’s all I’m concerned about. For once, think about someone other than yourself,” Jace said in disgust.
“I am thinking of her,” Jack said quietly. “She has you now. She doesn’t need me. She’s never needed me. She likes to think that I took care of her, but that wasn’t the case. It was always her taking care of me. She deserves better than a life on the streets with a fuck-up like me.”
Jace glanced in Kaden’s direction. “Can you go to my apartment and get the bag? I only want you to bring it back here to him. After that, he’s on his own. I don’t want you involved. And I don’t want that shit staying here. If he doesn’t leave with it as soon as you deliver it, then I want it turned over to the police.”
Kaden nodded, and Jack paled again.
“Consider it done,” Kaden said tersely. He glared at Jack the entire time, never once lifting his gaze to Jace during the exchange.
“You can stay here,” Jace said to Jack. “You can contact Bethany. You can see her. But only if Kaden, Trevor or I am present. If you bring drugs into this apartment or if you bring them anywhere near Bethany, I’ll have you arrested so fast you won’t know what hit you. We clear?”
Jack nodded.
“Furthermore, if you ever fucking offer Bethany drugs again, I’ll kick your goddamn ass. That clear too?”
“Yeah,” Jack muttered.
“I have to go into the office,” Jace said to Kaden. “I’ll give you a key to my apartment and I’ll let Bethany know you’re coming by. I don’t want her to know anything of this. Just get the bag. It’s sitting inside the door on the floor.”
Kaden nodded and caught the elevator key card Jace tossed to him.
Then Jace fixed Jack with his stare, putting emphasis into his words.
“You can stay here, but this isn’t a free ride. Get your shit together and get a job. I don’t give a fuck what it is. The utilities will be paid and groceries will be delivered twice a week. Anything else will be on you.”