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“My name is Trista Barnes,” she blurts out as we start to brush past her “My brother is Jayce Barnes”

I freeze inthat nae Slowly, I look over my shoulder at her and I can’t withhold the menace in my voice when I say, “Why are you here?”

She’s takes a slight step back, indicating her wariness and yet I can’t do anything but glower at her simply because of who she’s related to

Trista takes a deep breath and it co me her confidence level has dropped severely “I’m in a bit of trouble, and Jayce said you could help me He says you owe him a favor That he wants to collect on it in the for me Please… I just spent five hundred dollars I didn’t have to spend to get in here to see you I just need five minutes of your time”

“Christ,” I hto perhaps frighten her into just leaving I’ll even gladly refund her entrance fee While I have no fucking desire to have anything to do with Jayce Barnes’ sister, I’htly impressed and maybe a little turned on when she lifts her chin up and holds my eyes I love to watch a woman reach out for an inner confidence she’s not sure she has just yet

Beyond pissed at aze to Helena and try to lighten my voice “Rain check, okay?”

“Of course,” she says, laying a hand lightly on ainst her cheek

Helena is a classy woement to Trista before she turns back to the bar

“Follow h The Social Roo up with h the double wooden doors right behind me We end up in a semicircle foyer that has the same paneled walls and Italian marble as the room we just ca off like spokes on a wheel, each closed off by an ornately carved wooden door There are signs above each—The Waterfall Rooy Rooinal Wicked Horse in Wyo One is marked Private

I veer to the right, taking the private hall that leads toadjacent to my apartment door In fact, my office connects to ht into the kitchen, so my home-to-work commute couldn’t be any shorter

There’s a security pad on the wall I punch inmy body so Trista can’t see, then I push the door open and step back to let her go in first

I gave the designer free license to decorateas she didn’t use the colors pink or green She did a superb job, going with an industrial design I really liked The ceilings are exposed steel bea ductwork painted in black to ht hly finished wooden top with iron legs There’s a light blue rug with a wavy pattern in crearay leather One wall houses a set of built-in cabinets that hold my records on The Wicked Horse, which aren’t all that interesting or secretive since this business is about as legit as they coht?

As such, I don’t have any locks on the cabinets and I don’t use the safe built into my wall The security pad outside the door is plenty for what’s in here

Now my other business, The Jameson Group, is a different overnment, I mean CIA That’s next-level top secret and remains secured at my other offices in the business district across town But since I’ll soon be retiring froe of thirty-five, I prefer to focus ht Jerico Jaht-after private security contractors, would end up leaving that business to open a sex club?

I know my parents—God rest their souls—would have never seen this co

“Take a seat,” I order Trista, pointing to one of the chairs I rounders in front of my mouth, I take a harder look at the woht into a really shitty one