“I’m sorry for bothering you … I just wasn’t ready to go home yet,” he said, his voice softer.
He wore a wedding ring, for fuck's sake. Go home to your wife. If I was still married, I’d never be at a place like this looking to make a connection with a stranger.
Staring wistfully at my car, I was startled at the sound of Layla’s voice.
“Is he bugging you again?” she asked, approaching us. I saw her car idling a few rows down and was so thankful she hadn’t left yet.
“I’ve got it handled.”
Brant chuckled and took a step back. “I don’t mean any harm, ladies. I’ll be on my way.” He pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “Good night, Finley.”
I didn’t return his sentiment and he turned and headed to a silver sedan.
I heaved a sigh of sweet relief. “Thank God,” I muttered into my hands.
Layla put a reassuring arm around me. “Listen, this has gone on long enough, we need to fix this.”
“And what do you propose exactly?” If I complained to the management, I’d only get moved to the less desirable shifts or have my hours cut back even more than they already were. The club could only afford so many bouncers and if certain girls became targets for odd customers, I’d seen it handled that way before. I couldn’t let that happen.
She leaned closer, her eyes narrowing. “I know a lady. She can put a curse on him. Make his small pecker shrivel up and fall off. You just have to bring her a chicken.”
I almost laughed, until I saw in her eyes that she was completely serious. “No, it's okay, I’ll be fine,” I assured her. Somehow. It would have to be. I needed this job.
I said goodbye to Layla and got inside my car, watching her taillights fade into the distance. I sat there in the darkened interior, hands resting on the steering wheel, reflecting on the crazy last couple of days I’d had. As soon as Layla’s car was gone from sight, a big black SUV pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop beside my car.
What now?
Greyson climbed out, looking upset about something.
I rolled down my window as he approached. I was still sore from our disastrous dinner, so I could have just driven off, but that would only give him an excuse to show up on my doorstep to check on me.
“Are you okay?” he asked, placing his hands on the door frame and leaning in.
“I’m fine,” I lied. I didn’t want him of all people knowing that a customer had just left me rattled.
Apparently his grief and guilt over Marcus made him want to play the role of white knight. It was so annoying how he always seemed to catch me at my worst. And of course, tonight was no different. I was exhausted, frustrated, and pretty sure there was black makeup smeared under my eyes. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I just had a strange feeling that something had happened.”
I raised both eyebrows. I knew Greyson lived in the nice part of town, on the other side of the lake, a good twenty-minute drive. “So you drove up here?”
He nodded. “I figured you’d be getting off work. I knew the club closed at one.”
The clock on my dash told me it was closer to two now, and getting up with Maple at six wasn’t going to be fun. But I couldn’t deny his strange sixth sense about me was proving to be spot on. “I was just about to head home.”
“Was I right ... did something happen tonight?” he asked.
I gave a careful nod. “It’s over now. Honestly, I’m fine.”
“You’ve got to give me more than that, sweetheart.” His tone left little room for negotiation.
“In this business there are some real creeps. I’m sure it was harmless. Just some misplaced affection.”
Greyson’s dark eyes stayed locked on mine for a few moments longer and I wondered if he was going to press me for the full story. Then he took a deep breath. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nodded. “I just want to get home.”
He dropped his hands and took a step back. “Okay, then. Goodnight.”
“Night.” Surprised that he wasn’t going to argue with me like he had the other night, I cranked the engine and pulled out.
The shadowy hulk of his black SUV followed me out of the lot a minute later. I expected to see him turn at the corner towards the highway on-ramp. Instead, his headlights stayed in my rear-view mirror for mile after mile. It wasn't hard to keep track of him; at this unholy hour, so far out of town, we were the only two people on the road.
If any other guy had pulled this stunt, I'd already be calling 911. But I knew Greyson. He and Marcus had been friends for years. And even after Marcus died, even though I hated Grey for everything he'd taken away from me, I found I couldn't completely distrust him. Even if he was only helping me to soothe his own guilt, I could tell that his desire to help me was sincere in itself. He didn't have an ulterior motive—or rather, he did, but I knew it already. This was his attempt to atone for his sins, pure and simple. He hadn't gone to all this effort just to get into my pants or steal my kidneys or whatever the hell Brant was after. Grey's chivalry may have been annoying as hell...but it was pure. No funny business. Unlike certain middle-aged creepazoids.
So instead of pulling over to yell at him, I just kept driving. My new shadow followed me all the way to my dilapidated apartment complex. By the time I backed into my assigned parking spot, I was surprised to find tears in my eyes. As much as I resented Grey, nobody had shown such genuine concern for me in a long time. Nobody else had cared whether I got home safely.