And stopped dead when I got there.

Illuminated by the big wicker-globe-covered hanging fixtures, sitting back in my comfy, creamy armchair with his feet on my flowery beanbag, was Brett “Cisco” Rappaport.

The man who, a few months back, had kidnapped Evie, Ryn, Pepper and me—my friends, but also fellow dancers (except now Evie had quit and gone full time as an engineering student and computer tech).

Then he went on to kidnap Ryn again some weeks later.

He’d since been cleared of the crime he’d been framed for committing by two dirty cops who had killed another cop.

But still, not a good guy.

In my living room. “I’m irate with you,” he announced.

Okay …

Did I run?

I mean, he didn’t have any henchmen with guns trained on me this time.

So that was good.

But he didn’t even say “Hi” before he told me he was irate with me.

And he was nefarious, what with having henchmen and kidnapping women and all. I didn’t know what he did to make a living, but I didn’t think it was running an animal shelter.

“Um …” I started when he said no more and also didn’t move. “Why are you irate with me?”

“Because I saw that first dance. And the second one. Also the last. And Axl Pantera saw that first dance. And the second one. Also the last. I also saw the man nearly come out of his skin, beating back the need to charge you on the dance floor, carry you to his Jeep, take you to his house, and tie you down until you swore you’d never leave him, and here I am.” He extended an arm out to indicate my place while I fought to catch my breath after what he said. “Alone in your house with you, after you visited that waste of a space you call a dad. And where is Pantera?”

He leaned toward me.

I didn’t move.

“Not here.”

“Uh …he has a girlfriend,” I shared, deciding to get into that and not the information he knew I’d just come from my father’s, which freaked me out.

“He’s seein’ a woman. There’s a big difference.”

“I’m not sure after all this time she’d define it as that.”

“All this time … what? A few weeks?”

“More like a few months.”

He shook his head. “You women have way too many scruples.”

Yup.

Nefarious.

I took a chance and stepped another step into the room because I was less afraid of doing that than taking one the other way.

“Can I ask …I mean, no offense, truly, but it’s a little weird … so can I ask why you’re here talking to me about this?”

“Because you’re my girl and I gotta whip you women into shape.”

Erm.

What?

“I’m your girl?” I whispered.

His brows shot up. “Didn’t Ryn tell you?”

“Uh—”

“Yeah, you’re avoiding your friends. What is up with that?”

Okay.

Now, how did he know that?

“How much do you know about me?” I queried.

And, yup.

Still whispering.

“I look after what’s mine.”

“I’m not really yours.”

“Well, see, this is how it goes.”

He stopped talking, took his feet from my beanbag and stood.

I went completely still.

He crossed his arms on his chest.

And call me crazy (which on my next thought, I apparently was), but in my opinion, he was kind of cute.

In a bizarre, bad-guy kind of way.

And if indications were correct under that finely tailored suit, he had a great body.

Not to mention, he was tall.

“I kidnapped you,” he reminded me.

“Yes, I remember,” I told him.

“And I still assert that was Evie’s brother’s sitch. I mean, he was the one who swung you girls out there. I was just reacting to his bullshit.”

I could argue that.

I didn’t.

“But regardless,” he shrugged, “I did what I did which really swung you girls out there so it’s up to me to look after you.”

This did not track.

Even a little bit.

“Uh …” was all I could get out to refute his statement.

Cisco didn’t need me to speak.

He had more to say.

“And there’s four of you, only one of me. Which means I need some assistance. Now Evan has that Mag guy. And my girl Ryn got her Boone. But still, the last two of you need to get the lead out. I work hard. I got some cake. But I can’t be payin’ guys to keep an eye on you girls forever. You need men in your beds.”

It sounded strangled when I asked, “Am I in danger?”

“Is the sky blue? Is the earth round?” he asked questions I did not want to hear after I asked if I was in danger. “You’re a woman. It’s a crapshoot you just walkin’ to your car out back. Hell, just bein’ in this sweet, hip pad by yourself. If Pantera was here, some guy broke in to do you harm, he’d shoot him in the face.”

Considering Axl was a commando as a profession, this was probably not far off the mark.

“For sure he’d scrape off that waste-of-space dad of yours,” he continued.

My back went straight at that.

“You’re talking about my father,” I told him.

“Girl, Evie told me he was abusive. She said straight-out you had violence in your life when she was talkin’ about your dad. And Ryn told me you checked out on all of them because he got in your head and you couldn’t even dance all on your own and enjoy it without self-abusin’ when you thought you’d fucked up. I mean, when that’s the case, why do you go make dinner for this asshole every night?”

Boy, Evie and Ryn had talked a lot to this guy.

And that was the embarrassing thing that happened that made me retreat from my friends. I’d been dancing. I’d been loving it. I’d messed up. And I’d lost it …on myself.

This was embarrassing because Ryn had seen that, and I figured she’d told Pepper, Lottie and Evie about it.

Not to mention (and this wasn’t embarrassing, it was mortifying), Axl had seen it too.

“He’s my dad.”

“Yeah, and Ivan the Terrible was a dad, and look how that turned out for his kid.”

Now I was more confused.