Page 82 of Vain

“How did it go? Have you found out anything?” I ask him as he approaches the bed with a couple of bags in his hand.

He puts the gym bag on the floor and the carrier bag on the table at the bottom of the bed.

“First of all—” he bends down and kisses me “—are you feeling okay?”

“I’m good. My head is still sore, but otherwise, I’m okay.”

“Good. Marley packed some food for you and told me to tell you not to eat the hospital shit.”

“Of course he did.” I roll my eyes as he grabs the plastic bag and hands it to me. I look inside and feel my eyes get big.

“Is that Marley’sDo Me Dark and Dirtydessert?” I whisper in awe.

He grins. “Oh yeah.”

“I’m sorry, it’s called a what now?” Reese asks, coming to have a look.

“It’s only the best chocolate cake on the planet.” I grab the container. As there are three slices, I pull the lid off and offer one to Reese.

She takes it, looking at me skeptically. “I’m not a huge cake eater,” she warns me.

I let my eyes roam over her athletic body. “Oh really? I’d never have guessed.”

She flips me off. “Now if it had been a doughnut, I’d have understood…” She drifts off as she takes a bite before her eyes slip closed and she moans. “Holy shit, what kind of sorcery is this?”

“Told ya.” I chuckle before taking a bite of my own slice. I sigh in happiness. “Totally worth getting in a car wreck and getting shot at.” The room goes quiet. I look up and see Aiden glaring at me. “Too soon?”

“It will always be too soon.”

“Sorry.” I take another bite, but keep my comments to myself this time.

“So, did you find anything?” Reese asks around a mouthful of food.

“Banner called me. Turns out Daniel was fired from a previous job for aggressive behavior toward a client.”

“A client? Why?” Reese frowns.

“Not sure on the details. All I know is that she has a restraining order against him.”

“Wait, she?”

“You caught that, huh?”

“What the hell? Why would the studio hire Cox Security if he had that on his record?” I ask.

“Depends on if they actually dug into them,” Reese spits, feeling as disgruntled as I am.

“Plus,” Aiden adds, “Different states don’t always share information. A restraining order isn’t the same as having a criminal conviction.”

I put the slice of cake down, suddenly losing my appetite. “I hired him because I assumed the studio did all the necessary checks. I’m such a fool.”

“Fuck that, Matilda. They fell down on the job, not you,” Reese states before she looks between me and Aiden. “I’m gonna go and let you talk some sense into your woman,” she tells him.

“Thanks for everything, Reese. We both appreciate it.”

“As I told Matilda, it really was no problem. Do you still need me to hang around? I can—” Ringing cuts her off.

We both look at Aiden as he pulls out his cell phone and answers it. “Yeah?” He frowns before looking at Reese. “Turn on the TV.”