Her eyes widened. “But wouldn’t he know by now that Ray and I aren’t together anymore.
I clenched my teeth, wishing to God that Wasden was there for me to take out my frustrations on him. “Not if he thinks you’re still important to Ray. It only matters how Ray sees you, not the other way around.”
She slumped down onto the couch and buried her face in her hands. Her whole body trembled and I felt a burn in my gut that was unfamiliar. The only time I wanted to see a woman tremble in front of me was because of my hands on her body, not from fear. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, bringing her body back against mine.
“Nothing is going to happen to you because I won’t let it. Let’s wait and see what Dean has to say.” Just one look at her tiny body all curled inward and I vowed to myself that tomorrow I was letting Dean and Charlie hunt that bastard down and break his other arm.
We sat there for a bit, Tess shivering in my arms as I ran my hand up and down her back, trying to offer as much comfort as I could. I may not know about relationships but I knew enough from my watching my parents, and Ashton and Elena, to know when to offer comfort. I wasn’t entirely heartless.
There was a knock on the door and I called for Dean to come in, not wanting to move Tess. She’d finally stopped shaking but I didn’t want to leave her alone. She lifted her head and the sight of her red swollen eyes had my temper flaring again.
Dean noticed Tess in my arms immediately. Like Ashton, he smirked, knowing he’d been right all along.
“Knock it off and tell me what you found out.”
Dean laughed and poured himself a drink before sitting down across from us. Charlie, Dean, and I had been friends since middle school. We were inseparable. When they found out what my father actually did for a living and that I was going into the family business, they were more than willing to come on board. I finished college with a degree in business, Dean in computer science and programming, and Charlie in accounting. It had worked out perfectly for when my father retired. When his employees were ready to go, too, we’d have replacements in the wings. My dad was thrilled with having them as part of the business. He saw them as part of the family.
They’d also become more to me over the years. As my dad handed more and more responsibility for running the dealership over to me, they helped keep the bar and club running, but they were also there when I needed a little muscle. All three of us enjoyed a good fight, but there were times that I couldn’t take care of things on my own.
At first they used to volunteer for the job, until it became obvious they would do it without being asked. Now when I told them what needed to be dealt with, they did it. Besides being my friends, my father paid them handsomely. Way more than they would get in the private sector, even for their advanced set of skills.
He reached out a hand to Tess. “Since Miller apparently lost his manners, I’ll introduce myself. I’m Dean.”
She giggled and the sound traveled straight to my balls.
“Tess,” she answered, taking his hand.
“It’s nice to finally meet you.” He gestured in my direction. “And nice to see you’ve pulled him out of his mood. He’s been an absolute dick lately.”
“Enough, Dean, before I decide to kick your ass.”
“Your mother will have your ass if you do that.”
I groaned. He was right. Didn’t stop me from wanting to plant my fist in his face to shut him up, friend or no friend. “Dick.”
Tess giggled some more. “Thanks for making me laugh.”
That easily, my pulse slowed, and the desire to kill my best friend subsided with the joy she got from our banter.
“You’re only off the hook because of Tess. Now tell me, what did you find out?”
The easygoing look on his face melted away to be replaced by concern. “It’s not good. Bastard owes Marcello half.”
“Fuck.” It was worse than I thought.
Tess perked her head up. “You mean Ray’s already got whatever he owes Marcello down to half?”
“No, babe, he means Ray owes half a million dollars.”
Tess began to sputter and cough. “He owes five hundred thousand dollars,” she panted out between coughing fits.
“It’s all right,” I said, patting her on the back.
Dean hoped up and poured her a glass of whiskey. She took the glass with shaking hands, throwing back half of it like a shot.
“How is it all right? Ray owes five hundred thousand dollars and this Marcello guy is going to come after me to get it.”
“Not if I have any say in it.” I was determined to keep her safe, no matter the cost.