Ruthless King (New Orleans Malones #4)

Chapter 6

6

“ I don’t like this,” Victor grumbled.

Gracen glanced over at him, shaking her head. “Victor, we’ve talked about this. I’m going to a library. To check out some books. This isn’t any more dangerous than when I go to ballet lessons with Aston and Sammy.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t like that either.”

“I like that you’re protective. And I know you’d like to keep me at home in a bubble of safety, but sometimes you’ve got to put the caveman away, all right?”

Victor continued to scowl. They were a block away from the library where Jilly worked, the three of them sitting in the back seat of his Bentley while Jose sat up in the front.

Regent wanted to tell Victor that he was being an overprotective idiot.

But the truth was . . . he’d probably be worse with his own woman.

However, he was certain this wouldn’t be dangerous. He’d never allow Gracen to enter into a precarious situation.

“If you don’t want her to do this, I understand,” he said. “I’ll send Jose in instead.”

Gracen shook her head. “Jose? Really? Because he’s not going to stick out like a sore thumb, no offense. Have you ever been in a library, Jose?”

Jose scratched his head, clearly thinking. “I’m guessing I did as a kid. Do I need to know my way around a library to do some scouting?”

“No,” Gracen allowed, as Victor looked triumphant. “However, I think it will be easier to get information if you send in someone who blends in rather than stands out.”

“You stand out wherever you go,” Victor told her gruffly. “You’re too beautiful not to.”

Dear Lord.

Regent gaped at his brother. Where did that come from? Victor never used to speak like that.

Drawing Gracen close, Victor kissed her, then whispered something to her that had her blushing.

Gracen nodded, then turned to Regent. “I’m ready.”

“Remember, just act like you normally would. You’re there to check out some books. Don’t stare. Don’t be obvious.”

“She has this,” Victor said. “Gracen knows what she’s doing, don’t lecture her.”

“You were just arguing that she couldn’t do this.”

“Not because she’s not capable. But because she is precious.”

Gracen blushed again, then climbed out of the car and started walking along the quiet street. Jilly worked in a branch of the New Orleans Public Library.

He wasn’t sure that he liked Jilly working here. Especially knowing she took the bus every day. The area didn’t look particularly safe.

“According to their website, there are ten employees,” Victor said. “Four full-time, including Jilly. And six part-time. We also found out that Jilly works from ten to seven Mondays to Thursdays. And ten to five on Fridays. She has the weekends off.”

Regent nodded. He knew all of this, but it was good to corroborate his information.

“I’m in the library,” Gracen whispered through the ear-piece they’d given her. “There’s Jilly, she’s shelving books. Nothing much is happening.”

They waited a while. There was some background noise, but they couldn’t distinguish what different people were saying.

He thought he heard someone say ‘Jillian’, but he knew Gracen wouldn’t be able to get close enough for him to hear her what Jilly was saying.

“All right, I’ve seen enough,” Gracen said twenty minutes later. “I’m coming back now.”

He had men stationed outside, watching Gracen as she left the library so she’d be safe. But Victor was still twitchy until she got back into the car.

Her face was flushed. “What a . . . a bitch!”

Well. Strong words from Gracen.

“What happened? Did someone hurt you?” Victor demanded. “I’ll kill them.”

“No, no, I’m fine.” Gracen patted his knee. “Thank you, though. It was a library. Nothing bad happens in libraries.”

Regent liked that she felt secure enough in her world to think that. He didn’t like the idea of the women in his life feeling fear or being upset.

However . . .

“Bad things can happen anywhere,” he told her gently. He’d be doing Gracen a disservice if he let her think that anywhere was truly safe.

“Not that anything will ever happen to you,” Victor said

“Well, I guess that’s true,” she said, addressing Regent, “since it doesn’t seem to be a nice place to work. At least, not for Jilly.”

Regent stiffened, his protective instincts rising. “What’s going on? Is she at risk?”

He’d go in there and pull her out himself. Fuck, he knew his instincts were right.

“Not physical danger,” Gracen said, biting her lip. “And I don’t think we have any evidence of bullying, per se. But I saw her boss speaking to her, and the way she berated her . . . it just wasn’t right.”

“What did she say?” Regent asked.

“Well, it wasn’t really what she said but more the way she said it. She spoke to Jilly like she was a naughty child. Being spoken to like that all the time would start to wear on someone . . . it would make them feel like maybe they were useless. I can imagine what it’s doing to Jilly’s self-esteem. I did catch her sneaking several peeks into books she was meant to be shelving.”

He remembered she loved reading. The times he’d seen her when she was younger, she’d often had a book with her or was sitting in a corner, reading. Once, her father had taken the book from her, yelling that she needed to get her head out of the clouds and be useful.

That fucking bastard.

“How did she look when her boss was berating her?” Victor asked.

“Resigned. Maybe a bit sad.”

Fuck.

He didn’t like the idea of her being sad.

“What are you going to do next?” Gracen asked.

That was the problem. He didn’t know. “I need to speak to her again.”

“I don’t think she’s going to come out and just tell you,” Gracen said.

“Why not? Friends share their worries and concerns, right?”

“She’s your . . . friend?” Victor asked, looking skeptical.

“What? Are you implying I can’t have friends?” Regent asked.

“He’s not implying that at all,” Gracen protested.

“That is exactly what I am implying,” Victor said.

“Victor!” Gracen lightly slapped his chest. “That’s not nice.”

“Yes, not nice at all,” Regent said. “Jilly is a friend.”

“That’s why you’re so concerned about her?” Victor asked. “Because she is a friend .”

“Exactly.”

No matter how attracted he was to her, acting on that would only lead to disaster. What if they slept together and she grew attached to him?

It could get messy.

No. Best to stick to friendship.

That was all they could be to each other.

“I didn’t realize that friends spied on their friends,” Victor said.

“Of course you didn’t. Since you’ve never had friends.”

“Hey! Victor has friends.” Gracen frowned at Regent.

“No, I don’t,” Victor replied. “And I still think you’re going beyond friendship. You shouldn’t be spying on her.”

“I agree,” Gracen told Regent gently. “I wouldn’t spy on Sammy like this.”

“You wouldn’t care if Sammy was being bullied?” Regent asked.

“Of course I would.”

“Then what would you do?” he asked.

“Get her to talk to me about it?” Gracen suggested.

“Which is just what I’m going to do. We’re going around in circles. I’ll speak to her about this.”

“And if she won’t talk to you about it?” Gracen asked.

“Then I suppose I’ll just have to take care of things myself.”

But no matter what, Jilly wouldn’t have to put up with her bitch boss for much longer.