Danny gave me a long look, then tugged her gaze away. She pulled the hair ties from the bottoms of her braids and started loosening them. I couldn’t help myself, my feet carrying me across to her before I even finished formulating the thought in my brain.
She stiffened briefly, then quickly relaxed as I ran my fingers through her hair, gently releasing the tight French braids she’d been wearing. It left her normally straight hair all kinky and tussled.
“Any of this,” she finally answered my question, leaning back against me as I massaged her scalp. “I never thought it would hurt so much, to think I could lose you.”
My heart shuddered and thumped faster.
“Either of you,” she added, giving another heavy sigh as she pulled away. “I’m heading out for a bit. Don’t kill each other while I’m gone, and for the love of fuck, don’t follow me.”
Quick as a whip, she holstered two guns from the dresser and swept out of the bedroom without a backward glance. I followed, wracking my brain for a reason why she needed to stay but coming up blank.
She asked me not to follow, and my feet got that message even if my head and heart didn’t. I stopped dead at the front door of the house, watching as she strode over to the Stingray and climbed inside.
“We’re not seriously letting her run off, are we?” Leon asked, making me damn near jump out of my skin. He’d appeared out of fucking nowhere.
I scowled at him, still fighting my desperate need to cut his heart from his chest. But Danny’s words were sinking in, and I reluctantly found myself in his shoes. If the tables were turned, would I have done anything different?
“She told us not to follow,” I snarled, staring down the driveway at her taillights disappearing into the night.
Leon scoffed a laugh, pushing past me with car keys already in his hand. “Wrong, Ares. She told you not to follow. I wasn’t part of that conversation.” He skipped over to the Aston Martin with way too much pep in his step. “Have a nice night with your hand, Big Man, I doubt you’ll be getting back in DeLuna’s sweet cunt anytime soon.”
He laughed as he climbed into his car, and I just flipped him my middle finger as he drove away. It was that or try to shoot him, and I didn’t have my gun within reach.
Also, my siren asked me not to. And I was neck deep in damage control now, thanks to that fucking tragic lapse of judgment in the heat of our argument. Fuck. I had some serious ground to make up if I wanted to win her away from him. And I did. I wanted that more than anything… especially now that my team was in tatters.
36
Despite all of Leon’s warnings about not trusting the Guild, I knew there was only one place I could go. Not to mention, very few places would even be open at four in the morning. So that made it an easy decision, and ten minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot outside a club. Patrons were leaving rather than arriving, given how close to closing time it must be, and they were all beautifully dressed in Gatsby-era outfits.
The security guard on the door put out a hand to stop me when I approached, giving my drastically un-themed attire a pointed look, but I just stared him down. Then plucked a hundred dollar bill from my bra and handed it over before entering the club.
I cast my gaze around the club, taking in how busy it still was for this time of night. Or morning. The patrons were all decked out in the twenties theme that the dress code required, given it was called Club 22. On the main stage, a gorgeous brunette with scars wrapping around her leg was performing a sultry burlesque routine, holding the attention of men and women alike. She wasn’t who I’d come to see, though, so I kept looking around.
Eventually—okay, after about thirty seconds—I got impatient and asked a passing waitress.
“Sabine?” she asked, running her eyes down my body and giving a surprised sound at my attire. “Um, yeah, she’s here, but I think maybe doing a private dance? She’s got some regulars that are typically here at this time. Can I get you a drink while you wait?”
I gave her a tight smile and ordered my usual dirty martini. They’d definitely be pouring Copper Wolf vodka. She left to place my order, and I waited impatiently at the table she’d seated me at. The scarred brunette was an incredible performer, but I just wanted to talk to my friend.
The waitress returned with my drink, and I finished half of it before I spotted Sabine’s honey-blonde hair. She was exiting the private rooms, her polite smile brittle as the dark-haired gentleman she’d been with handed over a thick wad of cash. She tucked it into the pocket of her robe and tightened the sash as she walked away from her customer, swinging her ass as she headed for the bar.
Halfway across the club, she locked eyes with me and gave a small, panicked headshake.
My brows rose in question, but she quickly looked away. When she was close to my table, she waved at one of the security guards near the stage.
“I’m taking a quick break, Steve,” she said loudly. “I need some fresh air.”
The bouncer nodded back, coming closer and handing her a radio from his pocket. “Don’t go too far, alright? Lots of shady characters in this neighborhood.”
Sabine laughed, slipping the radio into her pocket. “I just need a quick cigarette in the back alley.”
She passed by my table without even glancing at me, and I took my time finishing my cocktail. When I was done, I left money for the bill on my table and headed outside. Shivering from the cold, I made my way around to the back of the club and found her leaning against the alley wall with a huge fur coat covering her silk robe.
“You started smoking?” I asked, eyeing the lit cigarette in her fingers.
She cocked one brow, then took a long drag, blowing out smoke before she replied. “You would too, Danny babe, if you had to do this every night.”
I gave a bitter laugh, taking the cigarette from her and bringing it to my own lips. “Trust me, I know.” We didn’t ever discuss our contracts, but she knew where my specialties lay. Just like hers. The only difference was that I usually only fucked my targets once or twice, then killed them. She’d been playing the part of sex worker for three years.
“Do you at least get to kill any of them?” I asked quietly, handing the cigarette back.
She laughed, giving me a genuine smile. “I wish, babe, I fucking wish.”
Damn. Poor girl. “So what’s with the secret meeting?” I asked, looking around at the alley. “I couldn’t play the part of a random customer?”
Sabine wrinkled her nose, exhaling smoke. “Not when the owners know you’re Guild, you can’t. Especially after Leon’s visit last week. One Guild customer is innocent enough, he just wanted a lap dance. Two? Uh-uh. That’s suspicious as fuck. And no offense, Dan, but I don’t wanna die if Hades starts questioning my identity.”
My spine stiffened with tension. “What?”
Sabine froze, then dropped her cigarette and crushed it under the toe of her shoe. “Shit. He didn’t tell you…” I shook my head. “What an asshole. Look, if it helps, he came to question me over whether I’d ever put you in danger or sell you out or whatever. I genuinely think he was looking out for you.”
My blood boiled with fury. “And… you gave him a lap dance?” My hands curled into fists without any kind of conscious thought.
Sabine gave me a hard glare. “I was working, Dan. He came into Timber while I was on stage and played the part of a customer.”
Logically, I knew it made sense. But jealousy and possessive crazy-bitch tendencies were making me see red.
“Okay,” my friend said carefully, “I can see how this doesn’t sound great. And in hindsight, I could have just told him to fuck off until I finished for the night. But I panicked because my assignment was in the club at the same time, and I thought Leon was visiting on official business.”
My teeth ground together as I tried to calm my shit down. This was Sabine, my friend. Why was I acting like she was some trashy slut trying to steal my man? Christ, I must be overtired or something.
Sabine jerked her head to the mouth of the alley behind me. “Speak of the devil,” she muttered. “What is he, Beetlejuice?”
I whirled around to find Leon casually sauntering into the alley like he was invited. “I told you not to follow me.”
He strode closer, his gaze running over me like he was checking I was all in one piece. “No, you told the big dumb fuck not to follow you,” he corrected, sliding his woolen coat off and draping it over my shivering shoulders. “You said nothing about me.”
His smirk was pure mischief, and I glared daggers. If he’d been listening to that, he knew damn well I meant both of them.