“Look, I appreciate it, Connor, but I really can’t afford that kind of apartment, and, well, Micah probably won’t want me living that close to him anyway.”

“Now hold on,” Gray said. “You don’t think he’d want you where he could at least be assured of your safety? No better place than right there at his own complex.”

She smiled a little sadly. “Micah will be very glad to see the back of me.”

Nathan cursed softly, and Connor frowned even harder.

“What time do you get off?” Connor asked.

Startled by the abrupt change in topic, she shot him a questioning stare. “Two.”

“Did you drive or do you need a ride?”

“Uh, I drove.”

“I’ll meet you at Micah’s apartment at two fifteen then.”

“Whatever for?”

“To show you your apartment. It’s not furnished yet, but I’m sure we can work something out.”

She stared at him in complete befuddlement. “What, do you own the place or something?”

“Not exactly,” Connor replied. “My dad does.”

“Oh, I couldn’t let you do that. You don’t even know me.”

He put a firm finger over her lips. “Two fifteen. Micah’s place. You’re Micah’s. That’s all any of us need to know. We tend to look after our own around here.”

Gray nodded his agreement, and even Nathan had donned a fierce look at her resistance.

But I’m not Micah’s anything!” she protested.

Her announcement was met with uncomfortable silence.

“He running hard?” Gray asked softly.

God, how the hell had she gotten into such a conversation with complete strangers? And friends of Micah’s at that. Like she wanted her feelings bandied about in some amused male conversation later?

She clamped her lips shut and stared mutinously at them. “I need to go now.”

“Two fifteen, sweetie,” Connor said gently. “Don’t be late. I hate to be kept waiting.”

Nathan and Gray cracked up, laughing so hard that Nathan started wheezing. She just looked at them in bewilderment.

“He’s never on time for anything,” Nathan explained between bouts of laughter. “If he says two fifteen, be ready around three.”

Connor shot him a dirty look. “I do not keep a woman waiting. Ever. It’s bad for my sex life.”

Angelina chuckled. She could see why they irritated Micah so, but then when Micah wasn’t being so damn serious around her, he was the king of practical jokes. She wanted to see and enjoy that lighter side of him again. Obviously he shared it with his friends, but with her, he was strung as tight as a rubber band.

Connor turned back to Angelina. “Seriously. Two fifteen. I’ll be on time and waiting.” He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay. I won’t turn down that offer. After last night, I have a feeling Micah is going to kick me out anyway.”

They looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and questioning, as if they couldn’t quite tell whether or not she was teasing, and were about to burst with wanting to ask her what she meant.

Before they could, she headed toward the next table to refill more drinks.

“What do you make of this?” Nathan murmured after she’d gone.

Connor stared at her for a long time as she smiled and served the other customers. “I don’t know. I know Micah’s been acting pretty damn weird. It’s not like him to be so ... serious around a woman. Or so grumpy.”

“I’m more curious what her story is,” Gray said. “What’s with wanting an apartment where no one checks her background?”

“Leave it to you to pick up on that,” Nathan said. “Think she could be in some kind of trouble? Maybe that’s what’s setting Micah off?”

Connor frowned. “I dunno. She seems so ... innocent.”

Gray snorted. “Some of the best criminals are.”

“Oh come on,” Nathan scoffed. “Criminal my ass. If that girl’s a criminal, I’m Martha Fucking Stewart.”

“I knew going out with Julie was going to turn you into a fucking pansy,” Connor said in disgust.

“Want to take it out to the parking lot and see this pansy kick your scrawny ass?” Nathan challenged.

“Boys, boys,” Gray said.

“I wonder why Micah would have kicked her out,” Connor said, turning the conversation back to the matter at hand. “Or do you think she was kidding about that?”

“I think she was only half kidding,” Nathan said.

Gray nodded. “You should probably stay out of it, Connor. Micah won’t like you interfering.”

Connor studied Angelina, looking at the fatigue and sadness behind the bright smile. Fuck Micah. Micah might be the softy when it came to women, but for whatever reason, he wasn’t treating this one very well, and while Connor liked to tease Micah about being such a pushover, Connor didn’t like to see an unprotected woman either.

True, it wasn’t any of his business why Micah had his head up his ass when it came to Angelina, but it didn’t mean Connor was going to turn a blind eye and let her rent a place where she was going to get mugged, raped or killed.

The guys liked to give him a hard time because he was so protective of his sister Faith. Well they could just give him shit for taking Angelina under his wing as well. Because he damn sure wasn’t going to direct a young woman out into the city unprotected.

CHAPTER 12

Angelina left the café at five minutes to two and slid into her car. It was actually a decent temperature for this early in the fall, and she started to roll down her window after she inserted her key.

She stopped and stared around the interior, a frown pulling at her brows. Something was weird. She glanced down at the console and the miscellaneous items she had housed there. A few pens, a pack of gum, a tube of lipstick, dental floss, two envelopes ... Her pictures were gone.

She rummaged through the stuff looking for the two snapshots of her and David that she always kept in her car. Where the hell could they be?

A prickle of unease snaked up her spine. Had someone been in her car?

She closed her eyes, shook her head and then leaned back against the head rest. A rueful laugh escaped. She was being ridiculous. No one had been in her car. It had been locked and there was no sign that anyone had broken in. Plus she was no longer in Miami, and she’d been careful. There was no reason to believe she could possibly have been followed to Houston, and moreover, why would someone make the effort?

The pictures must be with her other stuff. Maybe in her suitcase or one of her purses. Her wallet maybe. She’d find it all when she unpacked eventually.

She cranked the engine and rolled her shoulder in an effort to shake off the sense of foreboding. Scaring herself to death wasn’t high on her list of priorities for the day. Finding a place to live, however, was.

On the way to Micah’s apartment, she took mental stock of her finances. She still had cash socked away in her bank account, but she’d be an idiot to access it right now. Maybe later, when she had a few paychecks under her belt, she could take a weekend trip, drive a few states north and withdraw a large amount from the ATM or just arrange for a wire transfer. She’d research her options when the time came.

For now, she had what cash she’d dared bring with her and today’s wages. As great as it would be to have a nice, safe apartment close to Micah, she doubted it was in the cards. The money just wasn’t there, and she doubted people like Connor understood just what it was to have a hand-to-mouth existence.

Her plan to convince Micah that he needed her seemed pretty silly and more than a little naïve. It wasn’t something that could happen overnight, and it damn sure couldn’t be forced by living in close proximity.

If it was going to happen, she’d have to give him time.

A few minutes later, she pulled into her parking spot and looked over to see Connor standing against his truck waiting for her. She honestly hadn’t been sure he was serious.

He certainly seemed serious now, with the way he was striding toward her car. Any playfulness from lunch had disappeared and been replaced by a stern somberness.

She almost groaned. Yet another male determined to play big brother. Yeah, she appreciated it, but did no one ever look at her and see a hot-blooded attractive woman?

When Micah could actually forget she was David’s sister, he certainly didn’t have a problem with lusting after her. Too bad he had to come to his senses on a regular basis.

“Hey,” she said in greeting when Connor walked up.

“Hey, Angelina, you ready to look at the apartment? I figured Fairh’s old one would be best because it’s situated in the middle of mine, Nathan’s and Micah’s. We sorta put her there on purpose, but that was before Gray came along.”

Angelina cocked her head. “Do all of you have bizarrely overdeveloped protective tendencies when it comes to women?”

He blinked as if that were the dumbest question he’d ever heard.

“Well no, not all women. Just the ones who belong to us.”

She shook her head at him. “I don’t belong to Micah, Connor. He doesn’t claim me at all. I’m just David’s sister, and believe me, he hasn’t spared me a thought over the last few years.”

Connor shrugged. “Just because he’s a dumbass doesn’t mean the rest of us are. You’re here now, and by virtue of your relationship with Micah, whatever that may or may not be, you belong to us and we look out for our own.”

She couldn’t contain the smile as she stared up at him. It was nice to have ... people. People she could count on. She hadn’t had that in so long, and God she’d missed having that connection. Friends. People she in turn could care about.

“Aw now don’t go and cry on me.” A look of sheer male panic crossed his face.

She blinked away the threatening moisture and impulsively reached out to squeeze his hand. “Thank you.”

He smiled and chucked her gently on the cheek. “You looked like you could use a friend. I guess I’m volunteering.”

For the first time in a long while, she felt lighter and a little more optimistic.

“Now come on. Let’s go see that apartment.”

“Serena, swear to God, if you don’t spill, I’m going to hurt you.”

“Ow, ow! For God’s sake, Julie, lighten up on the hands,” Serena yelped. “I’m going to have bruises.”

“Don’t look at me for sympathy,” Faith said from the other massage table.

Serena glared over at Faith, who innocently studied her nails while Julie mauled Serena’s back.

“I can’t believe I cut out on Damon on our day together to come here and be abused,” Serena sniffed.

“What you should have done is cut out on Damon to come here and give us the dirt,” Julie said as she forcefully kneaded Serena’s shoulders.

“What dirt?” Serena asked.

Faith groaned. “Come on. Micah? Bug up his ass? He didn’t show up for work today. Totally not like him. Then he shows up at your house to talk to Damon?”

Serena frowned. “I can’t tell you guys. Seriously.”

Julie’s hands stilled. “What do you mean you can’t tell us? It’s us. Who else would you tell? I mean I tell you guys everything. And I mean everything. Things I totally shouldn’t. Like all those details about my supposedly anonymous threesome that wasn’t so anonymous after all?”

“Not to mention all the details on my sex life,” Faith muttered. “I could have remained little miss innocent in your eyes if it weren’t for that.”

Serena and Julie both snorted with laughter.

“Seriously, Serena, what’s wrong with Micah?” Faith asked. “I’m really worried about him.”

Serena saw the very real concern in Fairh’s eyes. Faith and Micah were certainly close, which made it all the more strange that Micah had never shared any of the details of his past with anyone here.

She sighed and rolled over, reaching for the robe to cover herself. She sat up and let her legs hang over the side of the table while Julie and Faith eyeballed her in expectation.

“I really can’t. I mean he was speaking in confidence to Damon.”

The peal of a cell phone split the air. Faith hopped down from her table and snagged her purse. After a few minutes of fumbling, she dragged the phone out and hastily slapped it to her ear.

“Hello? Oh hi, Connor, what’s up? Um well yeah I have some stuff we didn’t move to the house. Why do you ask? Sure, you can have it, but didn’t you just buy your ‘guy’ furniture for your apartment? Surely you can’t be interested in my girly stuff.”

Serena and Julie snickered.

A bemused expression spread across Faith’s face. Then confusion followed by speculation. Julie looked at Serena and whispered, “This has to be good whatever it is. She looks like she swallowed a fly over there.”