Page 65 of One Bad Idea

Now, I was staring. Just two weeks ago, he'd been all too willing to see me gone. Now, he wanted me back?

It made no sense.

Abruptly, I asked, "And what are you doing here, anyway?"

He glanced around. "I figured this was the best place to talk."

This was just like him, too. Obviously, he didn't care one whit that by coming here of all places, he might be jeopardizing my new job. On top of that, he was totally missing the point.

"I don't mean here in the lobby," I said. "I mean here in Florida."

"Recruiting trip."

At leastthismade sense. He did that sometimes – flew out to wherever in hopes of signing a new act.Talk about bad luck.I mean, what were the odds that he'd be recruiting someonehere, where I now lived?

Regardless, I'd heard enough. "Well, good luck with that," I said, turning away.

A hand on my arm made me stop. When I turned to look, Bryce said, "In case you missed it,you'rethe one I’m recruiting."

"What?"

He looked away and mumbled, "I miss you."

I was staring again. I didn't even know what he meant. There had never been anything romantic between us, and as far as friendship, there was less than nothing there.

But if this was just a job thing, why would he phrase it like that?

Now, I didn't know what to say.

I looked down to my arm. He was still holding on. I didn't like it. His hand was cold, and his grip was just a little too tight. I gave my arm a quick tug.

He didn't let go. "I flew a long way," he said. "So it seems to me, the least you can do is listen."

I gave a hard scoff. "And the least you can do is—"

From behind me, a familiar male voice said, "Fuck off."

At this, I almost groaned out loud. I whirled to look. Sure enough, there was Jaden, standing within arm's reach.Where on Earth had he come from?

It took me a moment to realize that my arm was now free. I turned back to Bryce, who even now, was summoning up his heartiest smile. He looked to Jaden and said, "And you are…?"

Jaden didn't smile back. In a low voice, he said, "The guy who's gonna toss you out on your ass."

Suddenly, Bryce wasn't smiling anymore. "Now, listen here–"

"No," Jaden said. "You listen." He flicked his head toward the front entrance. "Get out."

"But—"

"Now."

Bryce gave a shaky laugh. "Or what?"

Now, Jadendidsmile. The smile was cold and predatory, even as his voice remained eerily calm. "Stick around and find out."

I looked from Jaden to Bryce and back again. One was my current boss. One was my former boss. I wasn't friendly with either one of them. And yet, I found myself edging just a little bit closer to Jaden.

It made me feel funny, like I was letting him fight this battle on my behalf. But then I remembered that Jadenwasn'tthe chivalrous type. Even with the truck thing, he'd flat-out told me that he'd done it for himself, and not for me.