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Jace’s face crinkled in sy to do?"
"Well, I have plans tonight with Brittany, and you and Bethany if you cana full-court press I’ to tell me no, I at least want to hear it froed silence"
"Good lucka total hypocrite since I got in your face for checking up on Bethany, have you checked Josie out?"
Ash nodded "Yeah, I did After our firstin the park No skeletons in her closet that I uncovered anyway"
"Okay, well, if there’s anything I can do, you know you only have to ask If you get her to agree, we’ll have to hook up, and when Gabe and Mia get back froether You can introduce Josie to Mia and Bethany They have a good group of girlfriends, and I’ll tell you frohts out?" He broke off and a shit-eating grin attacked his face
Ash held up his hand with a groan "I know, I know You’ve already regaled me with the details of drunk, sexy wo to be fucked in those fuck-me shoes No need to torture o call Bethany I’ll let you know about tonight Where we eating and what tiive her a heads-up so she can be ready"
"How about the Bryant Park Grill right after work?"
Jace nodded "Sounds good We’ll see you there"
Chapter nine
Brittany was noticeably nervous at dinner, though Bethany was a co Brittany like a long-lost friend
The Bryant Park Grill was hopping, as it was every day right after work hours It was filled with suits, business cocktails after a day at work It was a popular after-work haunt, but that wasn’t why Ash chose it
He’d chosen it because he thought he ned to keep tabs on Josie, she hadn’t been out of her apartment at all for several days
Maybe she orking furiously to finish a new piece of art for the gallery Maybe she wasn’t giving his proposition a ive her until to attention to the dinner conversation because he was teo to Josie’s apartment unannounced
Patience Jace had said to have patience Ash nearly snorted over the hypocrisy of that statement, even if Jace had admitted it
Their food was served, and Brittany had finally relaxed, even s in Ash’s direction At one point she leaned toward him so only he would hear and said, "Thank you, Ash You can’t knohat this means to me You’re the only family I have now The others have cut all ties They treatto have my own life You understood what I wanted and needed and you didn’t judge me for it"
Ash smiled "Join the outcast club It’s not so bad really The longer you reain and you’ll realize that this is so a lot sooner But you’ve done it, and that’s all that counts It’ll get easier I promise"
"Does it bother you?" she asked in an earnest voice "I mean does it bother you that they treat you like an outsider? That they have such disdain for you and your success?"
Ash shrugged "It did in the beginning I suppose I haven’t given it ood friends and they’re my family And now you"
Her face lit up, the shadows chased frolad we can be fa to let you down I know I didn’t get the job onit toof Ash’s cell phone He reached auto at first that he was doing so It could be Josie He’d waited a da fro naned to Josie
"Excusethe button to accept the call
He walked away from the table to a quieter area near the restrooms
"Ash," he said shortly
"Mr McIntyre, I know my reports have been much the same all week Miss Carlysle hasn’t left her apartment until now and I knew you’d want to knohat I saw"
"What?" Ash de one hell of a black eye Split lip Looks like so It could have been an accident, but I doubt it And it could be why she hasn’t left her apartment"
Ash swore "Where is she headed now? Are you on her?"
"Yeah, I’allery She had several canvases when she got into a cab I’ll keep you posted"
"Do that," Ashup
He stood for a e at the idea that someone had abused Josie in some way And then he cursed the fact that he hadn’t asked his man if Josie had been anywhere or if she’d had visitors Surely he would have reported it if she had But then he hadn’t had her shadow back on the job until two days after their dinner He’d thought she would have contacted him by then and when she hadn’t, he’d put his man back on her to monitor her activities
Obsessed? Yeah, that was one word for it De like a crazed stalker, the kind oing to har his man on her, because someone had hurt her, or at the very least she’d been injured in some way
Why hadn’t she called him? Why hadn’t she come to him for help? She had to know after their conversation that he would take care of her