Page 42 of Arran's Obsession
“What other concerns?”
“We fund a nursery. Housing. Education. Many of the women are studying, some to pick up basic qualifications they missed, a couple are doing degrees. We even have a lawyer to help out when needed. Thea, one of the women who lives here, is a social worker. She spends a lot of her time helping out.”
“Then why do they need you and your skeleton gang?”
“Protection. If I didn’t provide it, do you think the warehouse would exist untouched?”
That steady gaze of hers burned with a mixture of curiosity and reluctant belief. I didn’t have to prove myself to her, but I wanted to. I needed her to understand everything I’d built and the empire I’d die to defend.
My phone buzzed, and I read the screen, glad for the excuse to stop our stare off. “Shade has your things from the basement. He asked if you want anything from your flat brought. He can go there with Alisha, and she can pick up some clothes if no one’s home to help.”
“How long will I be here?”
“A few days more. Then we’ll go back to the warehouse.”
“Days? How’s that going to work when I have a ten-hour shift coming up on Tuesday?”
“It won’t.”
She dug her fingers into her hair. “I’m going to lose my job. I had Sunday and Monday off but I can’t take more.”
“When you get your phone back in a few hours, call your boss and tell him you’ve been arrested or have jury service. Whatever floats your boat. Lying comes easily to you. Make something up.”
She shot me a dirty look. “That’s only part of it. I’ll be losing money.”
“You’re forgetting I’m duty bound to provide for you. While you’re under my roof, metaphorically speaking, I’ll support you.”
“Paying me? Doesn’t that make me a sex worker?”
“We’d have to have actual sex for that.”
Genevieve’s eyes flared. A shockwave of lust rushed through me, so strong I nearly staggered under the weight of it, my dick so hard I could drive nails into the plasterwork.
I swore and balled my fists. “I need to go for a run. Want to come or stay here?”
She slid from the bed. “I’ll come. Tell your friend no thanks for going to my place. Summer had a bag of clothes ready when she brought me back here. Even running shoes and a sports bra.”
“God, woman. Don’t talk to me about your underwear unless you want me to tear it off you.”
This earned me a smirk, then she flapped for me to leave the room so she could get changed.
I texted Shade who gave me a thumbs-up which I figured meant he was on his way.
When Genevieve was ready, we set off through a side door of the mansion and into the night.
“Does the dark scare you outdoors?” I asked.
Genevieve stretched to warm up, her cropped t-shirt lifting at the sides to expose her skin. My mouth dried.
“Now you mention it, not really. Probably because if I’m outdoors in the dark, I’m moving. I work at night a lot, but it’s in the city where it’s brightly lit and I’m on my scooter with a headlight.”
We started running, and gravel crunched under our shoes. The mansion sat in acres of parkland which gave way to forests and wild moors, the Cairngorm mountains surrounding. There were paths here and there including a circular one which would take us on a decent running route.
A heavy yellow moon hung overhead, low, ripe, and nearly full. It lit our route well, and for several minutes, we ran with no arguments, just peace.
I wanted to get back to my questions about the murdered woman, but I held off, enjoying the tranquillity.
Likewise, Genevieve didn’t rush to fill the space. The only sound was the thuds of our footfalls, a rhythmic beat in the night air.