“First thought: I hope Kieran doesn’t have a secret wife who doesn’t know he belongs to a sex club.”
Archer laughed, the warm sound carried to her core. Trouble, that’s what Archer Westbrook was. Pure, hot-as-hell trouble, who seemed to have turned her brain onto permanent turned-on mode. “I can assure you there is no secret wife,” he said. “Kieran’s on alert and will handle whatever comes his way.”
“Good,” she said with a nod. “My next thought is just total confusion. Logically, I’m thinking Connie brought in her own mask to take photographs. Maybe she’s using tech that either you couldn’t see, or she got rid of the camera when she realized she was found out.”
“I agree with you,” Archer said.
“But—” Elise pondered. “Why would anyone publish a picture of themselves in a tabloid? What could they possibly get from that?” She hesitated, then voiced her thoughts. “Has Rhys made enemies? Could this be to blackmail him?”
Archer shook his head slowly, frustration in every hard line of his face. “I don’t have answers to those questions.”
“Well, things typically don’t make sense until they do.”
The side of his mouth curved. “Are those Elise Fanning’s words of wisdom?”
“Damn straight, they are.”
He laughed again, then rose. “What’s your plan for today?”
“I need to look through some security footage to see if I can figure out who broke in here. Then I’ll dig deeper into Connie and Isaac.”
“All right. I need to go put out some fires with the members. Three of them have given up their membership, and I suspect more will follow.” He ran a hand across the back of his neck. “Take the day, and I’ll meet you at your place later, and we can continue forging ahead on our case.”
“My place?”
He nodded. “Right now, as far as I’m concerned, you’re not safe. I put you in this situation. The least I can do is offer you some protection while you work.” He paused, and she gawked, so he added with a grin, “I’ll sleep on the couch or the floor. I don’t need any special accommodation.”
Everything inside her head screamed bad idea, especially when she was already feeling unsteady on her feet where it came to him. And she was always steady on her feet. “Thank you, really, but that’s not necessary.”
“Elise.”
“Archer.”
He frowned.
She frowned back. “Honestly, I’m okay. I’ll look into who broke in and will call once I’ve got a name, and if I’m unable to figure out who it was, I’ll call the police to report the break-in, so you truly don’t have to worry.” She gave him her best easy smile, hoping to put his concerns to rest. “I’ll even let you go have a chat with them, if you’d like.”
He watched her closely, then gave a firm nod. “Keep me updated.”
As he headed for the door, she called, “Thanks again for checking in on me.”
His eyes softened. “Like I said, you’re not in this alone. You need me, just call.”
Once he left, she flopped down into her chair, exhaling a long breath and realizing having Archer watching her back wasn’t so bad after all.
Chapter 6
Later that night, after Archer made the hour drive from Manhattan to Brooklyn, he arrived at Elise’s loft in a mood. She hadn’t called him to update him on who broke into her office. Judging by what he knew of Elise, he figured she had a hard time depending on others, especially those she didn’t trust. Oddly, it grated on his last nerve that she didn’t trust him. He needed to fix that. But it wasn’t only Elise on his mind; five members had walked away from Phoenix because of the breach, and Rhys was not happy. And while it was Archer’s team who’d let the camera into the club, the responsibility landed on his shoulders, absolutely destroying any happiness he felt from last night with Elise. He spent the day taking half of the calls Rhys had to make to the members, and luckily, Archer’s reassurance that the matter was being handled swiftly calmed the remainder of them down.
With a heavy sigh, he exited the truck, trotted up three floors to Elise’s loft, and knocked on the front door.
Footsteps came from the other side until the door opened, revealing Hazel. “Oh, hi, Archer.”
“Hey,” he said. “Is Elise here?”
“She’s actually out for a jog but should be home soon. Is she expecting you?”
He laughed softly. “I’d say no, but I imagine she’s probably, as always, one step ahead of me and knows I’d show up here.”
Hazel laughed softly and then nibbled her lip. “She might have mentioned you wanted to stay the night to keep an eye on us.”
Archer didn’t know Hazel too well, but he liked her from what he did know. She had a sweet softness about her and seemed as loyal as Elise. “I’m concerned about the break-in at her office today. I feel like I’ve put her in a dangerous position because she’s working a case for me. I promise to stay out of your way, but until we’ve got a handle on this, it’ll make me feel a whole lot better knowing you two are safe.”
Hazel examined him, obviously reading his intentions, then she nodded. “Elise will probably kill me, but okay.” She opened the door wider. “I was actually just heading out, but feel free to watch some TV until she gets back.”
“Thanks.” Archer stepped into the loft just as Hazel headed out. “I’ll see you later.”
Hazel’s mouth twitched. “Yeah, maybe you will.”
She headed down the stairwell, and Archer shut the door behind her. Yeah, the maybe was because Hazel doubted Elise would go for him sleeping over. He got that, knew Elise was a fighter and liked handling her own business. Hell, he respected that. But he simply had to get her to see why he needed to watch over them. He protected people. He didn’t put them at risk. Not in the military. And not now. He also didn’t mind getting to know her a little more, finding out what made this woman tick.
In the doorway, he knew as he untied his boots that he was crossing a line, but he also knew Elise. She’d already refused his help, but that was her pride talking. He’d seen the slight shake of her hand when she cleaned up her office. The unsteadiness in her gaze. She was rattled. Until he knew with total certainty she was safe, he’d stay close.
After he kicked off his boots, he took in the space. Her loft was a lot like her. Unique. Stylish. He took a seat on the couch, grabbed the remote control, and turned on the television to watch the sports recap.
Twenty minutes later, the front door opened. “Hazel Rose, you know not to leave this door open—” Elise caught Archer sitting on the couch, and the reprimand fell away. It took every ounce of his strength not to leap up off the couch and erase the distance between them. She was flushed from her run, her hair pulled up in a ponytail. She wore a black sports bra and purple leggings, and Archer wanted to explore every inch of her. Something the rising heat in her eyes suggested she wouldn’t mind.
Smart and aware as always, she tilted her head, obviously listening for Hazel. When only the voice of the sports reporter filled the air, she frowned. “You know it’s rude to break into someone’s house, right?”