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Now she couldn’t stay at her own home. Hadn’t driven her car in days. And Nate wanted her to quit her job and work for him at Six Points.

A shudder went through her.

“You okay?” Nate asked from behind the wheel of the rental car.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking.” About how far her life had spun out of control. How she felt completely off-balance. How every time she got close to Nate, her head filled with bad ideas.

She looked to the right and caught a glimpse of Navarre’s Barracuda in the side-view mirror. He and Jackson had insisted on providing an escort, claiming it was more fun than their original plans of playing Demon Scourge.

It wasn’t that she loved waiting tables. It was hard work, long hours on her feet, and some days the tips sucked. But she was good at it, she liked the people she worked with, and her boss treated her well. Switching jobs meant going from the known to the unknown, and the idea made her twitchy.

And then there was Nate.

She stole a glance in his direction, her eyes tracing his profile, the hard line of his jaw, and her pulse quickened at the memory of the kiss they’d shared last night at the hotel. Working with a man she was attracted to would push her farther out of her comfort zone. As one of the owners of Six Points, he’d also be her boss. That complicated matters between them, especially if they became romantically involved.

Hell, who was she kidding? There was no “if” about it. She could deny it until she was blue in the face, but in her heart, she knew the truth. That kiss would turn into something more, and the something more would inevitably grow into an emotional attachment.

But she also knew that kind of attachment came with an expiration date. Like it or not, Nate wasn’t a long-term guy. And when their time together came to an end, things were bound to get awkward. She seriously doubted she could work at a place where her ex was also her boss.

Nate turned onto a street leading to a sprawling industrial park. Crape myrtles lined the center median, their blossoms providing a splash of much-needed color to the rows of drab gray buildings. With his eyes on the road, he reached into the center console for his phone and held it out to her.

“Could you do me a favor and send Wade a text? Let him know we’ll be there in a minute and ask him to roll up the bay doors. The password is—”

“Squishy. I remember.” She sent Wade the message and tucked the phone back in the console.

As they rounded a curve, the Six Points building came into view. Dorcas wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but she supposed the large, boxy concrete and corrugated metal building fit the bill. It suited the business: big and imposing, yet simple and efficient. There was only one window facing the front, while a sign with the company’s name and logo hung several feet above.

Nate drove around to the back of the building, with Navarre a few car lengths behind. Two of the three big bay doors were open, and the instant both cars were inside, the doors rolled down.

“It’s probably overkill, but I didn’t want to take any risks,” Nate explained as he shut off the engine.

Much like the outside of the building, the inside was nondescript yet functional, with concrete floors, steel-gray walls, and a row of floor-to-ceiling metal shelves filled with assorted tools and equipment. A box truck was parked in the far left bay, its front end raised off the ground and a dozen or so tools arranged near the passenger tire. And at the door leading to the interior of the building stood a man who personified intimidation.

She’d crossed paths with Wade a few times before, but she honestly couldn’t say she knew him. He was a large man, over six feet, not quite as muscular as Jackson, but he was pretty damn close. He had lightly tanned skin, and his thick, black hair was cropped close to his scalp. His brown T-shirt fit snug against his chest, while his ripped, faded jeans were smudged with dirt and grease. At first glance, he appeared to be in his mid-thirties, but it was hard to gauge his age with that big scar on the side of his face. It looked as though someone had carved a cross there, but the healing process had twisted it, making it curl in several places.

Nate gave his brother a nod as he unfastened his seat belt. “Don’t be offended if he doesn’t say much. It’s just the way he is.”

Following Nate’s lead, she got out of the car, and she didn’t even need to look over her shoulder to know that Jackson and Navarre had fallen in step behind them.

“Thanks, man.” Nate walked toward his brother. “Who’s in today?”

“Larissa, Nina. Pasquale and Dahl are in the gym, working out.” Wade’s voice sounded rough, deep, like it had been dragged from the depths of his soul. “Austin went to EMQ, and Ryan left to pick up your truck.”

“That’s cool.” Nate gestured to the jacked-up truck. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s running hot. I think it’s the water pump.”

“Need help with it?” Navarre offered.

“No, I’m good.”

Jackson’s gaze swung to Nate. “If you don’t mind, boss, me and Navarre are gonna hit the gym while you two do your thing.”

“Sure, no problem. If you’d rather cut out, we’ll be fine on our own.”

Navarre scoffed. “Yeah, that’s so not going to happen. When you’re ready to leave, shoot us a text.”

While the guys took off to pump themselves up, Dorcas and Nate walked down the long corridor, passing a break room, a half dozen closed doors, and what looked like a conference room.