Page 64 of Nothing to Win

“Good.We’ll pack her—”

“Wait, I can’t…” Both of them looked at her, just… looked.“I can’t move into Crimson Palace.Yes, I thought about it for like three seconds—”

“That’s long enough,” Roxie said.“We’d love to have you.Brogan’s right, you can’t come back here.”

“My parents won’t allow it.”

“What are they going to do?”Roxie asked on a scoff.“Bet my lawyer’s bigger than their lawyer.”

“I’ll cover any required legal fees,” Brogan said.“If they persist—”

“They won’t get into Crimson Palace.Our security is faultless, completely impenetrable, unlike me when my husband’s around,” Roxie said and clicked as she winked, then cleared her throat.“Sorry, serious, if we need a protective order—”

“You’ve known the guy ten minutes and already been accused of stalking?”Zairn drew their attention to the other side of the bar while putting two drinks in front of them.“Ladies.”

Roxie picked it up to sip and smiled.“And for that, Super-Hot Hottie, I might even have sex with you tonight.”

“My wife could have a problem with that.”

“Nonsense!Bring her along.”Roxie shrugged, leaning in as he did.“I can handle both of you.”

He snickered.“My wife’s not an easy woman to handle.”

Brogan interrupted the flirtation.“Lomond, Gia’s moving into Rouge.”

“Okay.”Zairn didn’t miss a beat.“We can have someone pick up her things tonight.”

Brogan was diligent.“She’s safe at mine for now.”

Safe?Her family home wasn’t… These people, new people in her life, cared more about her future than those who’d raised her.Stupid as it was, all she could think about was her father’s outrage.

The men continued but she tuned out the planning.Her whole life could change.Did she want her whole life to change?

“We’re here to help you.”Roxie’s words seeped in.“Your happiness is what we care about.”

Backing up just a step, Roxie slid off the stool to scoot away with her, putting maybe a meter between them and the guys.

“When I made the deal with Brogan, I…”

“Didn’t expect this?”

“I think about the end sometimes—I try not to think about it, to be honest.He’s here planning for it, like he can’t wait to get rid of me.”

“Guys are different.Brogan’s been here all day and last night, he’s lived how oppressive your parents can be.He’s a smart guy.He’s fixing, he thinks he’s fixing.Men like to fix.”

“I’m broken?My life is broken?”

“I don’t know, honey.”Roxie’s calm helped relax her.“You tell me.”

Tell her.

What could she say to Roxie when she didn’t even have words of sense for herself?

TWENTY

SITTING IN BROGAN’S SEAT, at his desk in SG, she chewed her sandwich.There was always paperwork lying around.Even in this digital age, people sent Brogan physical packets.Yeah, contracts in hard copy maybe made sense, but did they need so many reports?Especially the thick ones.Still, the documents gave her something to read while Brogan or Jenna were taken away by work.

That day, Jenna was her hostess at Spurn Global, and came rushing back into the office, leaving the door open.