Mixed into Love (Bachelorette Party #3)(16)

"Fuck!" he roared. "This is exactly why I need my damn bar to sell, so I can be there for you when you need me."

"It's not like getting threats from political fixers is a normal occurrence for me."

"But if I'd been there, you never would have been in the alley in the first place."

I couldn't argue with his logic since it was true.

"Go into the office and lock the door behind you. I'll be there in three hours."

Considering the flight took an hour and a half, he was a crazy man if he thought he'd be here in three. "There's no way you can make it here that quickly."

"I sure as fuck can," he bit out. "I've already sent a text to the pilot I've been using for my flights down there, and I'm headed to the private airport he flies out of. If he's not available, I'm sure he can recommend someone else who'd be willing to make a fuck-ton of money to get me to my woman when she needs me."

Pilot? Suddenly his choice in apartments made a heck of a lot more sense. I probably should have realized he could afford private flights back and forth when he dragged me out to see apartments I couldn't even afford to clean, let alone live in. He'd bought the one I'd fallen in love with, and the purchase had barely made him blink. The same way he'd bought Club Cache. In hindsight, the signs were obvious. 

It didn't matter to me, though. How much money he had wasn't important. Dane, the man who always made me feel like I was the center of his world, was.





9





Dane



Xander Gray was waiting for me when the plane landed. I'd pulled some strings to get his personal cell number while I was waiting for the pilot to get the plane ready. He owned a security company in Atlanta that had been the talk of the local news stations a few weeks ago when they'd been instrumental in saving one of Hollywood's hottest stars from an obsessed fan. Only the best would do when it came to Addilyn's safety, and from what I'd heard that was exactly what he was.

I'd called him during the flight and explained the situation, sharing the limited details Addilyn had been able to provide. He'd been willing to take the case but wanted one of his staff to handle it. I'd found myself doing something completely out of character for me-opening up about my feelings. When I explained how much Addilyn meant to me, and what the thought of her being in danger did to me, he seemed to get where I was coming from and told me he'd look into it himself. We'd talked less than an hour ago, so I hadn't been expecting to hear anything back so quickly, let alone find him standing next to a black SUV as I walked off the plane.

As I walked towards him, I pulled my phone out of my pocket to make sure I hadn't missed a call from Addilyn while we were landing. "Is she okay? Did something else happen?"

"Shit, sorry," he sighed. "I didn't think about you thinking the worst at seeing me here."

"No worries," I assured, holding my hand out for a quick shake. "I take it you've already made some progress, then?"

"Oh, yeah. You could definitely say that." He grinned, satisfaction gleaming from his dark eyes. "Mr. Gentry and his team weren't expecting a bartender to push back after the way they approached her. They figured she'd either be scared off or decide she wanted money to keep her mouth shut."

"How did they react to your approach?"

He shook his head in disgust. "Like the fucking cowards that they are. Gentry looked like he was ready to shit his pants, and the guy who must fucking work around the clock to cover up his messes wasn't much better."

"So I don't have to worry about them trying to approach Addilyn again?"

"There isn't a chance in hell they're going to get anywhere near her. It didn't even take my team thirty minutes to dig up enough dirt on Gentry to bury his political career and destroy his marriage. I'm not sure which scared him more since his wife is the one with the family money that paid to get him into office."

I felt like I could finally breathe again for the first time since Addilyn had called me. "Thank fuck."

"You don't have anything to worry about from those two," he assured me. "If they were to see her on the sidewalk tomorrow, they'd run in the other direction to get away. It was hands down the easiest case I've ever taken on. I'm not sure how the bastard has managed to keep his shit out of the public eye for so long, but I have a feeling he's going to have a harder time with it going forward."

"What do you mean?"

"Gentry tried to hire me before I left, and his guy didn't like it. Not even a little bit. Guys like him tend to be territorial with their clients. He probably figured I'd eventually push him out of the picture or something. If he's pissed off enough about the offer and decides to leave? Gentry is fucked."