She nodded, knowing I was thanking her for more than a dab of antiseptic cream or her help. Her assurances meant more than I could ever express. She meant more to me than she knew.“All right. No more shenanigans. I’m ordering lunch, and we’re going over your schedules for the week. Richard is here tomorrow, so you need to be on your best behavior and not acting like a bunch of brawling hoodlums. I have to order in some bagels for him. He loves those.”She swept out of the office, and I laughed.“Well, we know who her favorite is now. And it’s not one of us.”“Brawling hoodlum,” Bentley mused. “Never been accused of that one until now. Thanks, Mad Dog.”“Glad to be of service.”“I don’t know why she said she expected that sort of behavior from me.” Aiden pouted. “I thought I was her favorite.”“No way, man.” Reid smirked. “I am.”“I can fire you, you know,” Aiden warned him.Reid leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. His new shirt was almost wrinkle-free, but still casual. “I

“We’re happy to do this via video,” I offered. “Bentley would be fine with it now. We know Becca arrives soon, and I think we have it all under control.”“I appreciate that. I already spoke with Bentley, and he said the same thing. I wanted to come see the models myself and speak to our other client. Now, I think I have things going, I’ll be using video more, but I’ll still come out on occasion. Katy would enjoy a trip here. She likes visiting Toronto, although she prefers the quiet of home.”“We’d all love to meet her. We’re looking forward to working with you.”He drained his beer and stood. He extended his hand. “Me too, Maddox. Me too.”Richard left, shaking hands and promising to be in touch soon. I stood not long after he departed and said my goodbyes.“It’s been a long couple of days. I’m heading out.” I hesitated a moment, then held out my hand. “Are you ready, Dee?”For a brief second, I thought she was going to refuse, but she kissed Cami’s cheek, said her goodbyes, and gath

MaddoxI WAS ANXIOUS for the next couple of days, but I finally started to relax. Aiden had one of his security guys, Joe, follow Jill, and he reported she went to the theater every day, hung with the cast, and spent a lot of time at the bar in her hotel. She flirted with many men, picked up a few, but was always alone the next evening. Nothing seemed out of place. Joe had seen her toss a bag into a dumpster the day after our confrontation, and he grabbed it. It was her laptop, broken and useless. He removed the USB and hard drive and tossed the laptop back into the dumpster. Reid destroyed the drives, showing me the fragments left in the aftermath. Somehow, it made me feel better knowing they were gone.Aiden lifted an eyebrow at me. “So?”“Sorry, I was elsewhere. What did you say?”“I asked if you wanted Joe to keep following her—or actually, Simon, since I need to switch them up now.”“Why the switch?”“She noticed Joe last night and came on to him at the bar. He, ah, doesn’t reall

After arriving at the right building, Bentley pressed the intercom button, and the door opened. We took the elevator to the top floor as Emmy had instructed, entering a vast room. The three of us stood in the middle of what I could only describe as a cyclone. Everywhere we looked, there was color. Bolts of fabric, dresses scattered, shoes lying on top of tables. Wedding dresses hung from the ceiling, lacy trains moving in the air. A huge boardroom table held multiple laptops and monitors plus stacks of invitation and gift samples. Garment bags draped over the chairs. Racks of suits and tuxedos lined the walls. Another table was set up with arrangements and candles, more color swatches piled high. Wedding cakes, fake ones I presumed, were arranged on a shelf. There was so much to take in; I had to shut my eyes. It was overwhelming.“Holy shit, what is this place?” Aiden hissed.“Hell,” I muttered. “This is hell. Bent, I thought we were going somewhere to eat cake, then a tailor shop?”

I hid my smile. “Well, if Bent gets a vest, I want one.” My gaze fell on a wild fabric sample, and I grabbed it, holding it to my chest. “Like this.”Bentley’s eyes almost burst out of his head at the bright swirls of teal and green. A vein pulsed in his forehead like a volcano about to erupt. “Like hell.”“Yep,” I egged him on. “I need it to pop.”“I am going to pop you if you don’t shut up. No fucking swirly vest. And if you think you’re wearing one of your clown-loving pairs of socks, you can think again, Maddox Riley. Black socks. Gray tux. No swirls. It’s my fucking wedding.”“Groomzilla, I presume?” I managed to get out before I started to laugh. Aiden leaned back, his guffaws loud, and even Jen couldn’t stop his amusement.“Your face, Bent.” I snorted. “You should see your face.”He glared at first, but then stopped when he thought about it. “Holy shit, I said that, didn’t I? My wedding. Like those shows.” He wiped a hand over his face. “A few hours in here and I turn into a da