me.”
“No,” she denied and looked both ways before crossing the street to her car. “I heard him offer you a life lesson.” And, oh, how it hurt to defend the man. “If you have two licks of sense, you’ll listen to him. And you’ll be benched before he can ever get to you if you mention this incident to Coach.”
She unlocked her red car and they all climbed in. Reaching for her seat belt, she glanced at Max and saw he had anchored himself in. She nodded when she heard Jaden’s belt click and only then did she start the car.
“Drop Jaden first.” Max directed her once they reached the five freeway. And then he turned to the man in the backseat. “You better tell her the rest.”
Elle got a bad feeling and her gaze flicked to the rearview mirror. Jaden was one big scowl. He muttered something under his breath.
“What?”
“I may have—” He cleared his throat. “I kind of, ah, could have—” Cough. “Thrown the first punch.”
“Jaden, Jaden.” She sighed as her mind raced. The news was as bad as she feared. She could only hope the damage was minimal to both man and property. “That’s an automatic ten-thousand-dollar penalty.”
Narrowing her eyes at Max, she reached past him for the digital recorder in the glove box. “This is your fault.”
“How do you figure?” His gaze rose from her cleavage to meet her eyes. And he lifted one dark brow.
“You took him drinking.”
“It wasn’t only me. Plus he’s his own man now. Didn’t you hear him?”
She ground her teeth together. Of course he took no responsibility. She turned her attention to Jaden, demanding he tell her everything he remembered.
He protested that it had happened too fast and he didn’t remember anything, but she kept after him until he told the whole story. By then they were at his place. She turned to face him before he got out.
“Tomorrow I want you to go through it again, write it down. And be in my office at ten o’clock.”
He groaned but nodded, and then climbed from the car. She watched until he was safely inside.
Luckily the fifteen-minute ride from Jaden’s Fashion Valley condo to Max’s Mount Helix home concluded in silence. In fact, Elle thought Max had dozed off, but it appeared he had nothing more to say to her than she had to say to him because he immediately opened his eyes and reached for the door latch when she pulled into the driveway next to his vehicle.
She rolled her eyes and sighed, ready for the night to be over. The dash clock read 3:45 a.m., which meant she should make it home by four.
Max climbed from the car while she debated the merits of going back to bed against getting a jump on the Jaden issue.
“Thanks,” he bent to say before slamming the door.
Yeah, right. Mr. Glib he wasn’t. At least it was an acknowledgment, and considering the weariness in his voice she figured she was lucky to get that. With home in mind she put the car in Reverse and waited for Max to get to his door.
He’d barely cleared her front hood when a car lurched to a stop behind her, effectively blocking the driveway. She frowned at the rearview mirror, not at all surprised he had some young thing on call at this time of the morning.
Annoyed, Elle put the car in Park and stepped out.
“Excuse me,” she said to the slim brunette who jumped out of the vehicle. “I’m leaving if you could let me out.”
“Forget it,” the woman snapped. “I’ve been waiting for hours.” She pulled open the back door and bent into the car.
Elle turned to Max. “Can you tell your girlfriend to move? It’s been a long night.”
He flicked her an annoyed glance.
“Hey,” Max called out as he walked down the drive to join Elle. “Can I help you?”
The woman reappeared, holding something she had lifted from the backseat. “This is the last time I’m doing a favor for Amber. She was supposed to be back yesterday. She gave me your info but said not to contact you. But she’s not answering her phone. And neither were you.” Carrying a bundled-up trench coat, she stormed up the drive and thrust the coat at Max. “I’ve been waiting here since one. I was about to give up and take Troy to the cops when you pulled in.”
“Amber left him with you? Where’s her mom?”
“Vegas. Amber can find someone else next time.” She returned to the car and came back with a backpack that she pushed into Elle’s arms. “I have an interview in the morning. I’m going to have rings under my eyes the size of duffel bags.”
With a huff, the brunette rounded the vehicle, got behind the wheel and drove off.
Elle looked at Max. “What just happened here?”
The coat in Max’s arms shifted and the material dropped to reveal a blond head of hair. Not a trench coat, but a small child.
“A baby?”
“Meet my son, Troy.”
CHAPTER TWO
“YOU HAVE A CHILD?” Totally appalled, Elle stared in fascination at the boy who looked about two. He gazed from her to Max with a growing scowl. How was it possible she didn’t know he had a child? “Poor kid.”
“Nice.” Max’s frown was a near mirror of the boy’s and the resemblance made her blink.
In that space of time Max turned and walked toward the house. An automatic light came on as he neared the brick pathway that led to the front door.
Elle hesitated, because really a young child in Max’s care seemed such an oddity she couldn’t wrap her mind around it. On the other hand, it was late and totally not her business. And given their history it would be a total mistake to get involved.
Decided, she made a move toward her car and the bulk of the boy’s bag shifted in her arms.
Muttering a curse under her breath, she stomped to the front door intending to knock and hand over the backpack. But the door stood open and no one was in sight. Good. She set the backpack inside and reached for the doorknob.
A scream rang out. Followed quickly by another and another.
Elle shut the door and ran toward the sound.
Down the hall she came into the kitchen. Max stood at a large island while Troy shrieked and tried to climb down the other side.
“He’s going to fall.” She raced around the island and scooped up the toddler before her prediction proved true.
Troy shrieked and struck out blindly with one bony fist.
The swing packed quite a punch and only instincts honed by being
