Chapter 15
Sitting in Jake's penthouse, I pulled my thoughts to the present. SoJakewanted to handle my ex-boyfriend? Why would he do that?
Sitting across from me, he was still waiting for my response.
"Why?" I asked.
"Why what?"
"Why would you want to get involved?" I said. "I mean,youweren't the one who dated him."
"Good thing, since he's not my type."
"Oh, you know what I mean," I said. "He's my mistake. Not yours."
"But I know him," Jake said.
"How?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Friend of a friend." He leaned forward, and his gaze became intense. "Tell me. Did he ever hurt you?"
I drew back. "What? You mean physically? No. Never." I glanced away. "Not really."
Jake's voice was flat. "Not really?"
I pushed a hand through my hair. "Alright," I said, "here's the truth. The last couple times I saw him, yeah, it started to head in that direction. But right after it did, I was out of there. I'm not stupid, you know. I saw the signs."
"Such as?"
This was getting way too personal. "None of your business," I said.
I didn't want to talk about the bruises on my arms, where Rango "accidentally" gripped me too hard. Or the time he showed up in my apartment in the middle of the night, convinced he'd find me with another guy. And I definitely didn't want to mention the time he'd "jokingly" called me a slut when I smiled at some bartender.
Jake was still looking at me. He waited.
"There's nothing worth mentioning," I said. "So don't ask."
"Should I askhim."
I tried to laugh. "First, you'd have to find him."
As for me, I knew where exactly to find Rango. He owned a club in Rochester Hills a couple of restaurants in Troy, and some title-loan place downtown. Normally, he hung out at his club, especially on weekends.
Rango was a celebrity of sorts, a hotshot D.J. with a big local following. Of course, that knowledge wasn't exactly a secret. If Jake knew anything at all about Rango, he'd know exactly where to find him.
"Or maybe," Jake said, "we'll let Rango find us." He grinned. "Who knows? Might be fun."
Just like it always had, that smile of his was doing funny things to my insides. Watching him, I tried to figure out if the years – or his amazing success, whatever the source – had somehow changed him. I didn't think so. He was still the same larger-than-life guy that I'd fallen for all those years ago, before I knew what love really was.
Who knows. Maybe Istilldidn't know.
"Well?" Jake said. "Ready for some payback?"
"Technically," I said, "I've given himsomepayback already."
"Yeah. I heard," Jake said. "How's that working out for you?"
From the look on his face, he already knew the answer. My payback attempts were mostly pathetic. Unlike me, Rango hadn't spent the last few weeks looking over his shoulder.Hehadn't had to find a new place to live, or buy new clothes without any money. And he sure as hell wasn't missing the only car he had ever owned.
