Page 117 of Nothing to Win

THIRTY-SEVEN

“THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH,” Brogan said, slamming a hand onto his desk at SG.“They won’t let her leave the goddamn house.They’ve taken her phone!She hasn’t been at work!She’s a prisoner!”

Julius tried to calm him, as he’d been trying to do since they’d returned from Gault’s last week.It pissed him off then and it pissed him off now.

“I know, son.If she had chosen to come with us, we’d be protecting her as thoroughly.”

“Protecting her?”Brogan dropped his weight onto his palms on the desk.“They don’t have to protect her from me!”

“Didn’t you go to the house on Tuesday?”Julius asked.

“Yes, but they wouldn’t let me see her.They called the cops, Julius.What the hell is going on?If she told me to go to hell, I’d listen, I’d stop.If I thought she wanted nothing to do with me—”

The office door opened and Jenna peeked inside.“Brogan, I…”

Straightening up, he examined his nervous assistant.Before Gia, he’d never thought much about Jenna.She’d been efficient and thorough, a good assistant, but he hadn’t thought much of her as a person.Jenna would never have used his first name back then either.Now it was normal.Gia had made Jenna a friend to herself and to him, the woman was a valuable part of the Spurn family.One woman, his woman, had such a big impact in all their lives in such a short time.

“What’s wrong?”

“This has been a tough week and you haven’t wanted distractions…” or anything.Had he even been in a business meeting this week?“This might be nothing or… something, I…”

“What is it?”

“I might be out of line…”

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling.“Geez, I wish Gia was here,” he said and fixed on his assistant.“If you’d say it to Gia, say it to me.”

She smiled.“I don’t know about that, sir.”

Yeah, giving advice on sex or menstrual cycles might be a little much.He’d heard the women talk about both.

“What’s the problem?”

“It’s not a problem so much as an oddity.I got an invite to the Lawman’s Gala next Thursday night,” she said.“You know they invite a bunch of lawyers, prosecutors, cops to the—”

“Yes, I know what it is,” he said.“They invite us every year.”

“You.They invite you.I sent your rejection weeks ago.”

“And…?”

“My invite came just now.”

“Congratulations.”

Why, suddenly, did Jenna’s social life warrant interrupting his conversation?

“It might be a stupid thought, but the invitation was sent here.Not to my home.And you said the cops were called at Gia’s on Tuesday.”

“Yeah, I didn’t see them.I left.”

“Right, but if they showed up at the house afterward, they would’ve talked to everyone… that might have included Gia.”

Fuck, let’s leave it to the women.

Optimism spiked.“Do you usually get an invite?”

She shook her head.“No, definitely not, this is way above my pay grade.”