“There’s always stupid,” Seth muttered. “How many memberships has Frank revoked over the years because some rich asshole thinks the rules don’t apply to him?”
“You think someone’s messing with Frank?” Colton asked, his concern evident.
Seth let out a heavy sigh. “I wouldn’t be surprised. You don’t get to be in a position like Frank’s without making enemies. Just because he plays fair doesn’t mean everyone else does. Anyway, they have a warrant to search the club. Detective Asshole is demanding the client list, but that wasn’t included in the search warrant, so without a new warrant that specifically names the client list, no way in hell will Frank give that up. King is looking into who made the allegation and the judge who signed the warrant. None of them seemed familiar with this judge, not even Mason.”
Considering Mason had been part of the St. Augustine police force before being hired by Four Kings Security, that didn’t bode well, but hearing that King was on the job offered some relief. Ward Kingston was a force to be reckoned with, and heaven help the poor bastard who hurt someone he cared about. The guy had flown to another country to hunt down a man who’d hurt one of his own. The asshole was serving life in a federal prison somewhere.
Four hours later, the police finished their search and found nothing. No trace of drugs or drug use, and they’d been thorough. Detective Asshole was pissed, but not as pissed as Frank, who decided for the security of his clients to close the club until Monday in the hopes the Kings and Mason would get to the bottom of this.
After talking to his clients and reassuring them, Frank sent them home, thanked Mason, sent his staff home—with the exception of Seth and Kit—then headed for his office. Joshua followed Ace and Colton as they trailed after Frank, the two of them quietly talking as they went.
Inside Frank’s office, Frank whirled to face Ace and exploded. “I want to know who this son of a bitch is! Someone is fucking with me, with my reputation, my business. I want to know who I’m at war with.”
“We’ll find out who did this, Frank, but you need to—”
“Don’t you fucking say it, Sharpe. If one more person tells me to calm down—”
“Frank?”
Frank stilled. He turned, his thick dark brows drawn together as if he’d only just realized Joshua was there, which was likely the case.
“Joshua?”
Without a second thought, Joshua crossed the room and gently placed a hand on Frank’s arm. “It’s going to be okay. The guys will get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, how can I help?”
Frank’s shoulders dropped, and he appeared to deflate, his anger seeming to leave with his heavy exhale. “Thanks, sweetheart, but I’m good.”
“He’s not good,” Seth said, ignoring Frank’s glare. “We hired an event manager because ours is on his honeymoon. The event company we’ve been using for years disappeared off the face of the freaking earth, and the new one we hired is doing fuck all, but they were the only ones available on such short notice. The first event manager they sent was an ass who showed up once, then never returned, and they haven’t sent a replacement. I’m doing the best I can, but I don’t know anything about hosting events, much less one of this scale, which means Frank and I have been working seven days a week trying to make this happen. We had a burst pipe in the employee lounge that’s being fixed, and now a PR nightmare to face. We need help.”
“Damn it, Seth,” Frank growled.
“Stop being a stubborn ass. We need help. I want to go home and sleep with my boyfriend, and you just need to sleep. Period.”
Joshua took hold of Frank’s chin and turned his face so their gazes could meet. Standing this close, Joshua was stunned by the dark circles around Frank’s usually bright eyes. “When was the last time you slept?”
“Thirty-two hours,” Seth grumbled.
Joshua gasped. “What?”
“Did you forget I pay your salary?” Frank barked at Seth, who didn’t look the least bit intimidated. Poor Kit looked worriedly from his boyfriend to Frank.
“Did you forget I don’t give a fuck?”
“Asshole.”
“Right back at ya.” Seth folded his arms over his expansive chest and waited for Frank to push back on this, but he didn’t. He just grumbled at Seth.
“Let me help you.” Joshua laid his palms on Frank’s chest, getting his attention. Their gazes met, those intense honey-colored eyes making it easy for Joshua to lose himself. In that moment he saw it, something he’d never seen in Frank before tonight. Joshua doubted Frank had ever let his guard down long enough for anyone to see it.
Vulnerability.
Frank Ramirez was an intimidating man familiar with the shadows. It was evident in the way he moved, in the confidence he exuded. He was reserved and respected, but as he placed his hands on Joshua’s and squeezed, he let Joshua see a tiny part of himself that few, if any, had probably seen.
The stubble had grown in thick and dark, matching his thick black eyebrows and the soft waves of his hair. It was getting long, curling around the backs of his ears, a strand escaping to fall over his brow. He was as imposing as ever, dressed in his signature black suit, shirt, and tie, his shoulders impossibly wide.
“Let me help,” Joshua said again.
“You already have a job.”
“True,” Colton pitched in from beside Ace.
Seeming to realize they weren’t alone, Frank tenderly moved Joshua’s hands off his chest. Joshua dropped his arms, but he didn’t leave Frank’s side.
“Joshua does have a job,” Colton continued. “But he’s also been training someone to fill in for him for when he’s out of the office. This would be a perfect opportunity for them to step up. Plus, Joshua has time off he needs to take.”
Frank shook his head. “It’s too much.”
Ace snickered. “Frank, Joshua managed both Colton’s work and wedding schedule. Pretty sure he can handle anything at this point.”
“I can attest to that. He impressed Leo’s father, and he’s a retired Army general.” Colton came to stand next to Frank and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Let Joshua help you.”
Joshua waited with bated breath as Frank thought about it.
Exhaustion must have taken over, because Frank gave in. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Perfect,” Joshua said cheerfully. “First things first. Let’s go to bed.”
Three
This was a huge mistake.
As much as Frank appreciated his friends wanting to help, he wasn’t oblivious. Colton was one of Frank’s closest friends. He was also a meddler. Ace was just as bad. Good thing Fitz hadn’t shown up, or Frank would have been faced with the trifecta of matchmaking menaces.
Instead, he faced a far greater threat.
Joshua Sterling was in his early thirties, fair-haired, with big blue-green eyes and a sinful body that fit perfectly against Frank’s. That knowledge was something he could have done without, but not only had Joshua ended up pressed against him once, but twice. Once clothed, the second during a day at the beach when he’d been volunteered by his meddling friends to swim Joshua out to the sandbar after Joshua admitted he couldn’t swim in water that was too deep for his feet to touch the bottom. Their wet bodies pressed together in the hot sun had been torture, but Frank had survived.