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her turn as the woman on my arm. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nina standing with a tray in her hands, waiting to serve the semi-wealthy and society wannabes who were right at home at Sheila Anderson’s gallery. She took a step toward me and my entourage and stopped.
    “Tristan, are you going to buy this picture?” Vanessa asked in her usual, cloying way. “I think it would look great hanging in one of your hotels.”
    I wasn’t listening to her, though. I was too busy meeting Nina’s gaze. She held my stare and didn’t look away. She had a fearless vibe to her that impressed me. Standing there dressed like some cheap waitress, Nina looked too good for this place and her ridiculous costume. I wanted to know more about this person, but there was no way I could approach her with the gang surrounding me. I’d have to find another way.
    There was a piece of art on the far wall, so I guided the actresses to that part of the room as Sheila Anderson busied herself with barking at Nina. After a few minutes of staring at another picture I didn’t give a damn about, I led the girls to the car and instructed Jensen to take me to mine at the hotel and drop the women off wherever they wanted to go. They’d done their job for the night, and I had no further use for them.
    A half-hour later I was parked behind the Anderson Gallery unsure of what the hell I was doing there but sure I wanted to meet Nina in person and not only to make amends for what had happened to her father. I hadn’t planned on being interested in her. All I wanted to do was see if I could find a way to help her, but something in the way she held her head high as she did the dirty work dumped on her at the gallery impressed me.
    I wanted to know more about this woman, and that was something pretty rare for me, so I stood there waiting in that alley next to the Dumpster hoping she’d be the person forced to take out the garbage and not one of the other two women serving drinks and cocktail wieners that night. When the door opened, I saw luck was on my side.
    “Nice show, huh?” I asked, willing to lie if it got the ball rolling.
    She spun around, obviously frightened, and I realized that a strange man standing in a dark alley waiting for a woman probably wasn’t the best move. I was no rapist, but it still didn’t look good. I remained cool, standing against the Jag with my arms folded, hoping to give off a non-attacking vibe. I didn’t need to begin whatever this was with her screaming for the cops.
    Regaining her cool, she answered, “Yeah, it was great. The artist is quite talented.”
    I didn’t know her, but I knew bullshit when I heard it. Whether or not the artwork was as bad as I thought it was, she hadn’t liked it. That was clear.
    “It was shit and you know it. Nice outfit, though.”
    I don’t know why I took the cheap shot at her clothes. It wasn’t like they were anything anyone would willingly wear if they didn’t have to. Sometimes I was a real asshole. Instantly, I felt shitty as a frown settled onto her mouth and she snapped at me. I deserved it and tried to fix the damage my stupid comment had already caused to the situation.
    I couldn’t help but smile at the memory of Nina putting me in my place within a minute of meeting me. She was strong even then, standing there alone with a strange man in an alley way and telling him to basically go fuck himself when he stepped out of line. Looking back, I guessed I should have been happy she even agreed to get into the car with me after my stupid comment.
    She’d taken a chance on me that night and trusted me not to be some ax murderer. Now I had to trust her. Whether I liked it or not, I had to give up control of us and hope to God I didn’t lose her to someone who could give her the one thing all my money couldn’t buy.
    A stable life.

 
    Chapter Three
     
    Nina
     
    For the second time in a week, Daryl wanted to speak to me. Just hearing his voice on my phone made my stomach