“Dangerous stuff?”
“Not bad. He has his own Russian leg breakers on his payroll, but there’ve been times when he’s needed security with discretion. Or he’s needed a diversion from his activities and certain businesses. I’ve assisted him with that.”
His explanation sounded too pat. She slid her hands up his chest. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I accept your past. But I don’t want to be in the dark about it. Better for you to tell me than for me to find out from someone else.”
“You’re right.” Ronin sighed. “Max runs prostitutes. It’s how he started out. And although he’s got his fingers in many more lucrative pies, he still controls the high-end escort service agencies in Denver. I don’t agree with what he does, and he knows that. But every time he’s asked for my help getting his girls out of a bad situation, or if they need protection, I haven’t hesitated.” His eyes locked onto hers. “And no, I’ve never traded my services for those services his girls offer.”
Don’t judge. This isn’t about Ronin running hookers; this is about him protecting them.
She could wrap her head around that. Ronin Black as a white knight.
“And to finish this conversation so it doesn’t stop us from getting on with our night, Max owns many clubs. I’ve trained his security and bouncers. That part all on the up-and-up.”
“Hey. Wait. Does Max own . . . ?”
“BDSM clubs? Yes. Does he own the clubs I’ve belonged to? No.”
“This is a lot to absorb.”
“I know, baby. But it’s in the past. Since TP and Max have this bizarre competition when it comes to my favors, I assumed it wouldn’t be long before I heard from Max. I just wasn’t expecting him to foist his kid on me too. Just what I don’t need—to be known as Black’s Babysitting Service.”
Amery laughed.
Molly and Chaz approached them.
“Is it safe to talk to you now that you’re done whispering naughty nothings to each other here in the middle of the room?” Chaz asked.
“We’re just trying to decide the best avenue of escape before anything else happens,” Ronin said.
“If you need a distraction, Molly could start a striptease.”
“Chaz!”
“What? I’d offer, but this isn’t really my crowd.”
“And with that”—Ronin intoned dryly—“we’re going.”
“Wait. We left my car at the arena, remember?” Amery said to Ronin.
“Leave it. It’ll be fine until morning.”
“If Chaz can drop me off, I’ll drive it to my apartment tonight and then to work tomorrow,” Molly offered. “It’ll save me bus fare.”
“Mol, that would be great.”
“You’re working on a Saturday?” Ronin asked.
“Yes. We’re behind on a few things. I’ll get my keys.” Amery wended through the thinning crowd and ducked downstairs to the coat check. No one was around. “Hello?”
Seemed like an hour before the coat check girl showed up, although it’d probably been only five minutes. But by the time she returned to the party, she saw the change in Ronin’s demeanor, even from across the room.
Molly and Chaz were silent when she rejoined the group. “Now what happened?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were working for Okada?”
He’d said it with such sharpness it sounded like Al Qaeda. Freudian slip, maybe? Amery looked at Molly.
Her eyes were filled with regret. “I’m sorry. I thought he knew.”
“Yes, one would think the subject would’ve come up since you’ve been working on the project for several weeks.”
Chaz slipped his arm around Molly’s shoulders and pulled her back. “We’ll leave you two to work this out.”
For the first time since they’d reconciled, Ronin wore that unyielding mask, and her heart sank. She’d f**ked up.
“So even after I warned you about her, you still allowed my sister to manipulate you?” Ronin demanded.
“It’s not like that. I’m not even working directly with Shiori—she just relayed the terms and options since she was here in town.”
“Terms,” he repeated. “Am I part of those terms?”
Amery blinked at him with confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been a carrot, a stick, a wedge, and a damn doormat for Okada. What options were you offered if you returned to me?”
“None! My contract with Okada has nothing to do with you. Nothing. My designs beat out all other designs, even from big agencies across the country. Those are some powerful career-changing opportunities, Ronin.”
“And you didn’t think to discuss them with me?”
“You would’ve told me not to take it! You’re so damn suspicious that your family is trying to get at you through me.”
His eyes held a dangerous edge. “I have good reason to believe that, Amery.”
“Well, you’re wrong this time. And maybe this reaction was exactly what I feared and why I didn’t tell you.”
“Bullshit.”
They hadn’t raised their voices, but they were both angry. She noticed Ronin had blocked her from the room and backed her into a corner.
“Didn’t you just say to me, not ten minutes ago, that it would be better for you to find out the truth from me about my business dealings and not from someone else? Didn’t it occur to you how hypocritical that statement is?”
Telling him that she hadn’t expected Molly to blab would only piss him off more. Really, what could she say at this point? She’d f**ked up. But she wasn’t the only one. “So what’s your excuse for not telling me what the neurologist said?”
Ronin looked shocked by that . . . and not the least bit contrite.
“Yes, I knew about your appointment, and I waited for you to talk to me. I gave you many opportunities, and you didn’t take a single one. So much for me being an important part of your recovery process. So much for us maintaining open communications about everything. You shut me out again.”
He crowded her. “Is this about payback? I didn’t tell you one little thing that happened in my life, so you use that as an excuse to hide a big goddamn secret from me?”
“First of all, your health isn’t one little thing. Second of all, how can you even say that to me? I’m not like that.”