Page 94 of Impulse

“The Armenians,” Jillian whispered.

She remembered that shiny head peeking out the window the day she’d learned about her father’s money problems.This could end up bad.The only thing she could do was make sure Lex wasn’t caught in her mess.

“Let me handle this,” Lex whispered.

“No, Lex.This is my problem, not yours.”If anything were to happen to him… Or worse, if they learned his identity, shit would hit the fan.Thugs always followed the money, and Lex was a better bargaining chip than she was.

“Damn it, Jillian,” Lex growled.“I know what I’m doing.Men like these only understand one thing.Brute force.”

She’d been sure he’d say money.What the hell did he plan to do?Take them down?No, she had to do something.Maybe she should pretend she wasn’t Jillian.That she was visiting and was at the wrong house.Nah, if they’d been scouting her house, they knew exactly who she was.

There was no way she could bullshit her way out of this, unless she drew the attention of her neighbors.Her subdivision was full of young, upward mobile men and women, and on Sundays, they hung out at the pool and gym, which were in the building across the parking lot.Someone was likely to see them.

“Jillian Finnegan?”Baldie asked, stopping a fair distance and widening his stance.His right hand slipped under his jacket, probably for his gun.

“Who wants to know?”she asked aloud, hoping a neighbor heard her.Lex stiffened.

Baldie chuckled and exchanged grins with his partner, who was of average height and skinny with greasy hair.Physically, he was lacking as a sidekick, but his beady, dark eyes shone with malice and he had cruel lips.He was the one she had to watch for.The smaller thugs often had a complex and overcompensated.

“The boss wants to see you,” Baldie said in a thick Armenian accent.

“She’s not going anywhere,” Lex said and gripped her arm.

Baldie studied Lex.“Do I know you from somewhere?Why does he look familiar, Yegor?”

“He’s probably like her,” Cruel Lips said in an even heavier accent and laughed like a demented fool.“A star in the business.”

“Leave before either of you does something you’ll regret,” Lex warned, not appearing intimidated by the two men.In fact, he sounded cocky.“Tell your boss that if he ever bothers Ms.Finnegan again, he’ll have to deal with me.”

Jillian closed her eyes.Did he understand that men like Baldie didn’t handle threats very well?Her heart hurtled to her throat when Baldie adjusted his stance, glanced around, and tapped the bulge at his waist.He was definitely packing.

Mouth dry, Jillian tried to take a step away from Lex, but his grip tightened.She elbowed him.“Whatmy bodyguardis saying is I can take care of this.You’ll get the money my family owes your boss as soon as I talk to my father,” she said, still buying time.Come on, neighbors.Look out your windows.Videotape us.Do something.“We can stop at the house on our way.”

Baldie sneered.“We’re not interested in the money, Ms.Finnegan.We are here for you.”

“Why?”Stupid neighbors.Of all days to keep their noses out of my business, they had to pick this one.

“Because you are Jillian Finnegan.Now what we find interesting is what your father said when we stopped by his house.Do you know what he said?”

“That I’m not his daughter,” Jillian said, hating that it still hurt to say those words.

Baldie chuckled.“That’s right.And that’s after you arrived and left in a helicopter.Now why would a man deny having a daughter and remove pictures of her from his walls?A daughter neighbors said is a big star?”

No wonder the pictures were missing when she’d gone with Lex.

“I told you she’s a porn star,” Cruel Lips said from the corner of his mouth.

“Shut up, Yegor!”Baldie said.

Now Jillian was offended.“Excuse me?”

“Nobody’s seen her in any real movies,” Yegor whined, and Baldie let out a string of words in Armenian.From Yegor’s expression, he’d just been chastised.

Lex had reached his limit.His voice cut like shards of glass when he spoke.“I’m going to say this one last time.Leave before someone gets hurt.”

“What are you going to do, Mr.Bodyguard?”Baldie asked.

“He’s a nobody,” Jillian said quickly and jerked her arm from Lex’s hand.She was surprised when he let her go.“He’s a struggling actor I’m paying to act as my bodyguard.”The irony of it all.“We can leave him here.I’m sure he’ll find his way home.”