“Hi, November. I’ve heard a lot about you visiting my mama with that dog of yours. She’s been bragging about you for a few weeks now. But I didn’t know that you were Big Mike’s daughter. I don’t think anyone even knew he had a daughter,” he says with a kind smile on his face.
“Your mom is a very nice lady, Mr. Mayson. And, not a lot of people know about me,” I tell him as if he doesn’t already know it.
“Please call me James. Mr. Mayson makes me feel old.”
“Okay,” I say, laughing.
“So what happened tonight? You said someone broke in?”
Asher told his dad about the red writing in my living room and Beast being covered in the same liquid that was used on the walls. And how all the lights were off in the house when we got there.
“Okay, darlin’, do you know of anyone who would want to hurt you?” he asks, looking at me.
“No, but the reason I moved here is because I was attacked in New York. Then, on the way here, I pulled into a rest stop to let Beast out and a car with New York plates pulled up a couple minutes later. The strange thing was that I was parked in the area for dogs and they never got out with a dog. I got spooked and ran back to my car but didn’t see them again. So I don’t know if it was just my imagination or if I was really in danger.”
“There’s no telling,” he says, looking more concerned. “Did you ever receive gifts or anything unusual before you were attacked?”
“No, nothing like that. Why? Do you think I have a stalker or something?” I ask, a chill sliding down my spine.
“Don’t know. I'm gonna do some checking around and see if we can find anything. Can you stay with someone else for the night? I don’t think you should be alone?”
“Um… I ugh… have to call my dad. I'm sure that I can stay at my grandma’s or uncle’s.”
“You’re staying with me!” Asher says, making my heart pound.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say, looking up at him.
“Well, I don’t give a f**k. You’re not leaving my sight and I don’t think your grandma or uncle want me staying at either of their houses with you. So you’re staying with me.”
Rolling my eyes at Asher, I see his dad watching us. He looks smug for some reason.
“Your son is very annoying and bossy,” I tell him.
“I'm sure with you he is, darling.” He laughs. “But he’s a Mayson so I also know that his bossy side is coming from is a very safe place,” he says, looking at me. His smile is so warm that my stomach does a flip. “What did I tell you, son?” he says, looking at Asher. “When it happens—BOOM!” He makes a motion with his hands of an explosion.
“When what happens?” I ask.
“Nothing,” they say at the same time.
“Alrighty, then,” I say, looking back at Asher. “I need to call my dad.” After calling him and explaining everything that happened, Dad wanted to come home. I explained that Asher and his dad were with me and that he didn't need to worry. I knew the club was busy because every few minutes, someone was asking him a question while we were on the phone. I told him that me and Beast were going to stay with Asher for the night.
To say my dad didn't like that idea was an understatement. It took ten minutes to assure him that I wouldn't do anything stupid but he still made me put Asher on the phone to reiterate his point to him. The only thing Asher said was, "She's safe with me, Mike," then he handed me back my phone. So now me, a hosed off Beast and my overnight bag are on our way to Asher's place. We drive out into the country. All along the roads are open fields. "So you live out here?" I ask, looking at his profile in the lights of the dashboard.
"Yeah, I bought the land I live on when I first started my business and started building my house not long after."
“Wow, that’s impressive. How old were you when you started your company?” I ask, wanting to know his age but trying to be sneaky about it.
“I was twenty-two when I first started.”
“Oh. How long ago was that?” I hear him chuckle and I look over at him. “What’s so funny?”
“I'm twenty-seven, babe. Nothing is ever easy with you, is it?” he asks and I hear amusement in his voice.
“Cool,” I say, feeling like an idiot that he figured me out. We pass a large red barn then turn down a dirt road. I can’t see anything ahead of us until we go over a small hill. My breath catches and I'm stunned. I don’t know what I expected but I didn’t expect to see a large, two story log house with a wraparound porch on the second level. Beams are holding it up and space for parking is below. I see a car and four wheeler parked under it.
“You built this?” I ask and even to myself I sound breathy.
“Yeah. It took me four years to get it finished because I was working on it between jobs.”
“It’s beautiful,” I say because…wow, it’s just amazing.
We get out of the jeep and start walking up to the front porch. Beast is walking behind us and it’s so quiet out here that I can hear his tail cutting through the air. He's so excited to see this new place and explore. Asher let us inside and I am completely stunned by what I see. It’s huge. You can see the logs. There are no white walls. It’s all warm wood and open. There are giant windows that jut out and make the space almost seem larger. There is a sunken living room with a long, dark blue couch in the center of the room. It looks like it needs to be replaced but it also looks really comfortable. On the wall, there is a huge entertainment center and off to the side is a floor to ceiling fire place made out of different types of rocks. There are no pictures or throw pillows of any kind. Actually, looking around, I realize that there are no decorations anywhere. We turn a corner and enter a giant kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and a large island in the middle with the stove built into it. It looks like a chef's dream but it also looks unused.