Burn (3 page)

He glanced down at the report again, pondering his next move. He already had a man on her. The idea of her being alone so much bothered him. Not that he didn’t think it was perfectly okay for a woman to do whatever the hell she wanted in the city. But it bothered him for Josie. A lot. Would her supposed Dom even have a fucking clue where she was during the day? Did he give her protection? Or did he just hook up with her when he wanted someone to fuck?

A low growl rumbled in his throat and he swallowed it back. He needed to calm the fuck down and get his shit together. This woman was nothing to him. But even as he thought it, he knew he was a damn liar. She was something. He just wasn’t sure what yet.

His cell phone rang, and he looked down, frowning when he saw the contact. It was the man he had watching Josie.

“Ash,” he answered shortly.

“Mr. McIntyre, this is Johnny. Just wanted to let you know what I just observed. With what you told me, I figured you’d want to know what’s going down.”

Ash sat up in his chair, his frown deepening. “What’s wrong? Is she hurt?”

“No, sir. She just came out of a pawnshop. She sold some jewelry. I was in the shop, heard her talking to the pawnbroker. Said she needed the cash to make rent. He asked her if she wanted to sell it or pawn it and she said sell because she doubted she’d have the money to get it back unless something changed. Didn’t say what that change would be, but thought you’d want to know what she did.”

Anger splintered his mind. What the fuck was Josie doing hocking jewelry in a goddamn pawnshop? If she needed cash, then why the hell wasn’t her Dom providing for her? Why wasn’t he protecting her better? The
hell
she’d be in a fucking pawnshop if she belonged to him.

“Buy it,” Ash clipped out. “Buy every piece. I don’t care what it costs. And you bring it to me.”

“Yes, sir,” Johnny said.

Ash hung up and then leaned back in his chair, his mind working furiously. Then he rose abruptly, his phone to his ear calling for his driver to meet him in front of the office building.

He nearly ran over Gabe in the hallway.

“Ash, you got a second?” Gabe called when Ash continued down the hall.

“Not now,” Ash ground out. “Got shit to do. I’ll tag you later, okay?”

“Ash?”

Ash stopped, impatience simmering as he turned to look at his friend. Gabe’s brows were drawn together in concentration and concern gleamed in his eyes.

“Everything okay?”

Ash nodded. “Yeah, fine. Look, I’ve got to run. I’ll catch up later.”

Gabe nodded, but there was doubt in his eyes. No way Ash was sharing what was on his mind. Gabe had enough to keep him occupied with his wedding. Shit, that was tomorrow. Which meant Gabe probably wanted to talk shit about the wedding and the ceremony.

Ash stopped at the very end of the hall and called back to Gabe.

“Everything okay with the wedding? Mia okay? You need anything?”

Gabe paused at his office door and smiled. “Everything’s fine. Or at least it will be when the fucking ceremony is done and she’s mine. We still on for tonight? Jace is determined to throw me a bachelor party, which is not making Mia happy. I doubt Bethany is any happier, but he swears it’s just drinks at Rick’s and nothing that will piss either woman off.”

Damn it. Ash had forgotten about it all. In his preoccupation with Josie he’d put the wedding and the night out with Gabe and Jace solidly out of his mind.

“Yeah, I’ll be there. Eight, right? I’ll just meet you and Jace there.”

Gabe nodded. “Okay, see you then. Hope everything works out.”

Gabe was fishing again, but Ash ignored him and turned for the elevator. He didn’t have much time if he was going to make it to the art gallery before it closed.

• • •

Ash walked into the small gallery and quickly glanced around. It was apparent that this was a small dealer with not a lot of well-known artists displayed. He probably dealt with independent artists. Those yet to be discovered. Those displaying in hopes of being discovered.

His eyes settled immediately on a painting on the wall, and he knew without confirming that it was one of Josie’s works. It just looked like her. Bright. Vibrant. Carefree. He felt her when he looked at the painting. Saw her, remembered the way she smelled and when she’d smiled, those ocean eyes he could drown in. Yeah, it was definitely hers. He wasn’t wrong about this.

“Can I help you?”

Ash turned to see an older man smiling at him. He was dressed in a worn suit with scuffed shoes and wore glasses that drew attention to the lines in his forehead and around his eyes.

“Josie Carlysle,” Ash said bluntly. “You display her work here?”

The man looked surprised but then smiled again and turned, gesturing toward the wall. “Yes, I do. She’s good. Not focused though. I think it’s why she hasn’t caught on. She’s too all over the place and her style hasn’t emerged yet. One that’s identifiable, if you understand my meaning.”

“No, I don’t,” Ash said impatiently. “I like it. I like her work. Is that all you have, there on the wall?”

The man’s eyebrows went up. “No. Not at all. I have several pieces of hers. I only take a few at a time. I have to utilize the space to display what sells, and I’ve only sold one or two of her pieces, regrettably. I’ve actually cut back on the work of hers I display, just because it isn’t moving well.”

“I want them all.”

The surprise was still evident in the man’s face but he hurried immediately to the wall to take down the painting that had first caught Ash’s attention. It was framed. Not well, and he’d definitely replace the frame with something more worthy of her talent. But first he had to buy up all her work and let the man know that anything else that Josie brought in was
his
.

After a few minutes, the man had taken down the last painting and started toward the desk in front of the gallery. Then he paused and turned, a thoughtful look on his face.

“I have one more. In the back. She just brought it in two days ago. I didn’t have the space to hang it, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her no. Not when I’d already told her I wouldn’t be able to take anything else until I sold something.”

“I want it too,” Ash clipped out.

“Sight unseen?”

Ash nodded. “If she did it, I want it. I want every piece of hers you have.”

The man’s expression brightened. “Well, then. Perfect. She’ll be thrilled! I can’t wait to tell her.”

Ash held up his hand, halting the man before he went to the back to retrieve the painting.

“You tell her whatever you want, but you do not give her my name or any information about me. I want complete anonymity or the deal is off. Understand? Furthermore, I’m going to leave you my card. If she brings in anything else, you call me. I want whatever she brings in. I’ll pay you double for everything you currently have as long as you make sure she gets her cut. And I will find out if you stiffed her, so don’t even think about it. But that extra money also ensures I get first option on whatever else she brings you—and I will buy whatever she brings—so it would be in your best interest to let her bring in whatever the hell she wants.”

“O-of c-course,” the man stammered out. “I’ll arrange it however you like. She won’t know anything other than someone took a liking to her work and wanted everything I had. She’ll be thrilled. I, of course, will tell her she is free to bring in anything else she has.”

Ash nodded. “Good. Then we understand one another.”

“Absolutely. Let me just get the painting in the back and bring it out. Would you like to take them all today or have me deliver them?”

“I’ll take the one with me,” Ash murmured, gesturing toward the first painting he’d seen on the wall. “The others you can have delivered to my apartment.”

The man nodded and then hurried to the back, returning a moment later with an unframed painting wrapped in a protective covering.

A moment later, Ash handed the dealer his credit card and watched as the purchases were totaled. He wasn’t sure what the breakdown on the commission was, but with what he paid, Josie should have enough to solve any money issues for the short term.

The long term? He wasn’t that worried about the long term, because while Josie had no clue of Ash’s intentions—yet—he very much intended that the long term would include him.

chapter three

At ten minutes past eight, Ash walked into the private box where Gabe and Jace were already sitting, enjoying a drink. They looked up when he entered and Jace waved a greeting.

“What’s your poison tonight? Your usual?” Jace asked when Ash took a seat next to him.

A woman appeared wearing a sexy smile and propped her arm on Gabe’s shoulder.

“So sorry to hear you’re off the market,” she said in a flirty voice.

Gabe looked pointedly at her arm and when he didn’t say anything, she swiftly took it away and then turned to Ash.

“What can I get you?”

He wasn’t in a drinking mood, but he didn’t want to be a damper on his friend’s evening. And it was in fact their last evening as bachelors. Well, it wasn’t as if Jace and Ash were married, but Jace would be. It was the last evening with the three of them still single, and it signaled an end to nearly twenty years of living free and playing hard.

His friends would argue that they weren’t free or playing hard. He was sure they were doing both just fine. Mia and Bethany weren’t any hardship for the men, and they certainly had no hesitations about embracing a permanent relationship.

“Scotch,” Ash finally said.

“Was it that hard of a decision?” Jace drawled.

Ash grinned, though it felt more like a grimace. A few moments later, the waitress returned with Ash’s drink and he held it up to his two friends.

“Here’s to Gabe, the first to take the plunge. Well, the first and the second,” Ash amended, referring to the fact that Gabe had been married once before. He tended to forget that and he was sure Gabe would prefer it that way as well. The marriage hadn’t lasted that long and it hadn’t ended well.

Predictably, Gabe scowled, though he did raise his glass.

“Mia is the only one that counts,” Gabe said.

Jace nodded. “Definite upgrade from Lisa. You did good.”

“Says the woman’s brother,” Ash snorted.

Jace lifted an eyebrow in Ash’s direction. “You saying Mia’s not a good choice?”

“As if. Don’t give Gabe any reason to want to kick my ass. Don’t want the man wearing a black eye for his big day tomorrow.”

Gabe snorted. “Who the hell says it’ll be me wearing the black eye? I’ll wipe the floor with you, asshole.”

Ash rolled his eyes and sank back into the comfortable chair. “So is this what it’s come down to for us? Sitting around like old farts the night before the wedding?”

“Yeah, well, you don’t have a woman to go home to and explain anything wilder,” Jace said dryly. “Mia and Bethany would both have our asses if we had anything resembling a true bachelor party. So yeah, this is as good as it gets. Sorry.”

“We’re getting too old for that shit anyway,” Gabe muttered. “Acting like a bunch of frat boys with their first piece of ass isn’t my idea of a good time anymore.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Jace said.

“Well, when you put it that way so will I,” Ash added. “Damn, were we ever that bad?”

Gabe laughed. “We were a bit more discerning, but yeah, you can’t tell me you don’t remember our days in college. Lots of drinking and sex. Not necessarily in that order.”

“At least I remember all the women I slept with,” Jace said.

“That’s because you have Ash to remind you,” Gabe shot back. “I don’t tag team so I don’t have someone to remind me of everyone I fucked because I wasn’t fucking them with best friends.”

“Now there’s an image,” Ash drawled. “That’s probably the only thing we never tried. A foursome.”

Jace laughed. Even Gabe joined in as they continued to give each other shit.

Several drinks later, Gabe kept checking his watch and it amused Ash. The man couldn’t wait to get home to Mia. Forgoing any of the traditions of not seeing the bride the night before or day of, Gabe would be going to bed with Mia, waking up with her in the morning and probably make her late for the ceremony by getting a head start on the honeymoon.

“Don’t let us keep you,” Ash said dryly.

Gabe’s head yanked up, guilt flashing in his eyes as Jace laughed.

“How long you and Mia going to be gone on your honeymoon?” Jace asked. “You never said and I didn’t see that you’d cleared your calendar at work.”

Gabe’s expression darkened. “Not working for two weeks. Not even bringing my phone or laptop with me. So if the company goes to shit in my absence, I’m not going to be pleased.”

“Fuck you,” Ash muttered. “Jace and I do all the work anyway. You just sit back and obsess.”

“Surprised you’re only going to be gone for two weeks,” Jace said. “I figured you’d go off and we wouldn’t see you for a month at least.”

“Can’t say I’m not tempted. But for now, two weeks will do. I plan to be taking a lot more vacation from now on, though. There’s a lot of places Mia wants to see and I’m going to make that happen for her.”

“You deserve it, man,” Ash said sincerely. “You’ve worked your ass off. Already had one bad marriage. You’ve got a good woman now and more money than you’ll ever spend. Time to go out and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Make sure you don’t fuck it up with Mia. She’ll love you forever, which is more than I can say for your bitch of an ex.”

“Let’s not ruin my night by discussing my ex,” Gabe growled.

“Any plans for babies yet?” Jace asked. “Has she talked you around on that?”

“She doesn’t have to persuade me,” Gabe said with a shrug. “I’m not getting any younger. My only concern was whether she was ready for children yet. She’s still young. Lot of years ahead of her. I’d wait if that’s what would make her happy, but she insists she wants a big family, the sooner the better.”

“In other words, you’re doing your best to knock her up as soon as possible,” Ash drawled.

Gabe tipped his glass in Ash’s direction and Jace winced. He visibly shuddered and then took a long swallow of his drink.