Page 18 of Ridin' True

Without waiting for a response, Jed said, “Pretty sure she asked you to go, and I suggest you do that.”

Rocco took his time, but he eventually got to his feet—the scary guy following his lead. Before he left, he looked me straight in the eye and warned, “This isn’t over.”

Jed stepped back to allow them to pass. It wasn’t until they were gone that I noticed the slight tremble in my hands.

“I’m guessin’ those two weren’t invited,” said Jed as he came to stand opposite my desk. The expression on his face was no-nonsense, and it was impossible to ignore the way his presence filled the room to capacity with a palpable intensity.

“No,” I breathed.

“Darlin’, I gotta ask—what business does Rocco Borrero have with you?”

“You know Rocco?”

The words fell out of my mouth, completely bypassing any mental filter.

He quirked an eyebrow at me and replied, “I know trouble follows him like a stage-five-clinger.”

“Yeah. That checks,” I murmured distractedly, still taken aback by the offer I just received.

“Gorgeous, what was he doin’ here?”

I lost my breath, his moniker spoken aloud causing my insides to defy gravity for a split second.

“Um, my brother. He’s gotten himself mixed up with the wrong people, and he’s in pretty deep.”

As soon as I answered him, I knit my eyebrows together, aware my guard had been knocked down, and I needed to put it back up. Fast.

“How deep?”

I shook my head and waved him off. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. This is not your problemat all. The last thing you need right now is to get tangled up in someone else’s mess. We have far more important things to discuss. And I’ve got some pretty big news. Sit, please,” I insisted, anxious to shift the direction of our conversation.

I lowered myself onto my chair and waited for him to do the same. It took him a moment—the look on his face showcasing his reluctance to change the subject—but when I forced a smile, he filled the seat Rocco had recently vacated. Except, even after he was seated, he continued to look at me with an expression I didn’t understand.

It was distracting, to say the least.

“I don’t want you to worry, if—if that’s what you’re doing,” I insisted.

“Not a whole lot of people who know Rocco would have the balls to stand up to him like that.”

I coughed out a laugh. “Stand up to him? I doubt he would have left if you hadn’t shown when you did.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, you looked ready to stand your ground.”

I shrugged, not sure what to say.

Jed didn’t miss a step.

“Saw a glimpse of it the other day—the way you handle yourself when you’re sure about somethin’. Someone who’s not afraid of a fight, that’s what we’re lookin’ for.”

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Who is looking for what?”

“This custody battle, it wasn’t me testin’ you. It’s real. But the club is considerin’ finding new legal representation. If all goes well with this mediation, I’d like to introduce you to our prez.”

“What?”

He was speaking in coherent sentences, and yet I couldn't make sense of what he was saying.

“It wouldn’t exactly be a full-time gig, but as the Stallions’ General Counsel, you’d be on the payroll. Not sure what the terms and conditions are here, but you’d be free to take on other clients as you wished, barring any conflict of interest.”