Page 24 of Nightmare’s Playground

And they were up to something.

They’d come in over the last week and would whisper with Nightmare in the corner like a bunch of girls.

Nightmare has been promoted—or demoted depending on who you asked—to babysitter.

“Remind me why are you going over there, again?”

“I told you. I want to see my brother.”

Ian sighed. “You’re a lying ho. What are you really up to?”

I gasped. “I am not a ho!”

My bestie waved off my indignation. “Maybe not, but you’re still lying. Now spill it. Tell Daddy what you’re really doing so I can help.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Ew… Did you just refer to yourself as Daddy?”

“Joy!”

“What?! I already told you.”

“No, you lied to me when we both know this is about the hottie who moved in next door to you and is now your bodyguard.”

Ian was way too damn observant for his own good, but that wasn’t the whole reason I was going over there. I mean, I would see Nightmare since he was helping Alex and his team do whatever they were doing.

Avoiding eye contact, I lied straight through my teeth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Mmm hmm. Sure, ya don’t.”

Closing the display case, I set the box on the counter, then tore off a piece of baker’s tape from the dispenser and taped the lid shut.

“Okay,” I said, glancing around the bakery as I stacked the box on top of the other two. “I think that’s it.”

He grumbled something under his breath, then forced a smile. “Whatever you say, Boss Lady.”

“See you tomorrow, Ian.”

Without wasting another second, I took off my smock, grabbed my purse and the boxes of sweets, and headed for the door.

When I pulled up to the warehouse Alex was staying in, I felt a pang in my chest.

It was supposed to be my brother’s permanent home when he retired.

My eyes drifted to the building next door, where Drew lived.

He’d actually bought both of the buildings about three years ago on the courthouse steps for pennies on the dollar.

They’d been in terrible shape.

But, in true Drew fashion, he’d seen the diamond in the rough and put in the work to turn them both into beautiful luxury condos.

One for him, and one for Alex.

That’d been the plan until two weeks ago when Alex dropped the bomb that he was moving to Texas when he finished with the secret project he was working on.

To say that I was unhappy that he was leaving again was an understatement.

I didn’t want him to go.