Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83777 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83777 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
This one was for show.
Or maybe that’s what I wanted to believe.
I didn’t fucking care. Nothing was going to stop me from going to talk to her. My eyes were still locked on her when I told Preacher, “I’ll catch up with you later.”
I brushed past a couple of slot machines and was within a few steps of her when my burner started to ring. Damn. I grabbed it from my pocket and answered, “You’ve got Creed.”
“Hey, brother. You busy?”
“Not at the moment.” I knew Grim well enough to know that he wasn’t calling to shoot the shit, so I asked, “Why? What’s up?”
“Need you at the clubhouse.”
“I’m at the Crown. Give me ten.”
I ended the call and started for the door. Once it slammed behind me, I pulled out a cigarette and took a long drag as I made my way out to the truck. The smoke burned down my throat and settled low in my lungs. It was official. This night was officially fucked.
I couldn’t catch a damn break.
Devin was right there within reach, and I couldn’t make a fucking landing. It had taken years for me to stop waiting for her shadow to show up in every corner of my life, but I had made peace with the way things played out.
But now she was back.
Same laugh. Same fire.
That had to mean something, and I was damned and determined to find out what that something was.
4
DEVIN
“How about another round?”
“Sure.” Laura glanced over at me with a smile. “You want another glass of wine or something else?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
“You got it.”
Laura turned her attention back to the four men who’d been bidding for our attention for the last half hour and gave them our order. She was talking a mile a minute, and they were all hanging on her every word. Well, most of them were.
The guy with dimples and a thick southern drawl seemed to have his eyes set on me. He hadn’t even spoken to her or anyone else. Just me, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. He was handsome and put together. But his hair was a little too styled, and it made him look like he cared a little too much about how he looked.
It was clear the guy worked out. He was tall with broad shoulders, and his suit jacket was hanging open just enough to reveal a snug black tee underneath. Confidence poured off him like cologne that was too strong.
“You really are beautiful.” His eyes skirted over me. “And a professor. That’s something.”
“Thank you.” I smiled back, letting myself lean into the attention. “It’s sweet of you to say so.”
“Just being honest… And you’re sure you’re not from around here?” he asked, flashing another one of those magazine-smile grins.
“Nope. Just here visiting my friend.”
“Hmmm.” He shook his head. “You look so familiar. I could swear we’ve crossed paths before.”
Maybe we had. I wasn’t sure. Or it could be that he’d seen my picture on the news or in the paper. The days after that night, my face was plastered everywhere. It seemed I couldn’t escape the media or the memories. They both haunted me.
There was a time when I would’ve gotten in my head about it all, especially in a situation like this. But it had been a long week. Hell, it had been a long year, and it was nice to have a little attention thrown my way. I let my fingertips graze the rim of my glass. “I must have one of those faces.”
“Oh, you definitely do.” He gave me a wink. “You think I could convince you to give me your number?”
“Maybe. Let’s see how the night plays out.”
“Fair enough.”
Laura nudged me with her elbow as she laughed at something one of the guys had said. She’d already reeled in two of them. One of them was a business type with a sports coat and khakis, and the other was tall and lanky with tattoos covering both arms. Both seemed nice enough. They were a little cocky and maybe a little drunk but seemed harmless.
I smiled back at her and pretended to laugh along with her, but something shifted. It wasn’t anything they’d said or done. It was just a feeling, like a thread pulling taunt at the base of my spine. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I had the strange sensation that someone was watching me.
I glanced around the bar but saw nothing out of the norm. There were a couple of guys next to us watching the game and a few women in the back corner, drinking and laughing. There were crowds here and there, all enjoying the various slot machines and game tables. Everything seemed fine.
I took a sip of my drink and tried to shake it off, but the unease remained. I sat there a minute, trying to figure out what was going on with me, and the feeling only grew worse. I took a slow breath and turned back to Laura, leaning in so only she could hear. “You wanna get out of here? Maybe go check out that place a few blocks down? The one with the rooftop bar?”