Christ. Saint’s right. Temple’s got me by the balls. Problem is, I don’t want them back.
She can fight this all she wants, but it’s always going to end the same way—with her in my bed. Safe.
I’ll make sure of it.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Temple
“The Collector is such a cliché.” I observe the snaking line of people skirting the side of the nightclub as it disappears around the corner. Impatient partygoers desperate to get inside talk excitedly amongst themselves.
Gesturing to the building, I mutter, “Of course his office is inside a club that’s notorious for trafficking drugs, charging for sex, and watering down booze.”
“Yeah, but not everyone knows what really goes down.” Saint bumps my shoulder. “How’d you learn about Club Red, anyway?”
“I live in The Dunes. Enough said.”
“Not anymore, you don’t.” Winking, he strides ahead.
The reminder of how I’ve spent the last few weeks doesn’t sit well with me. I’ve spent each day waiting for it all to go to hell, since that’s what’s happened in the past. But each moment followed the other, filled with a strange contentment courtesy of my new unorthodox family.
I tell myself I’m only staying until Jack is sorted. After it all blows over, I’m leaving Bayside. But the lie is suffocating. It squeezes my lungs until I’m on the verge of passing out and nothing except the scent of the ocean can bring me back.
What a mess.
“So, this is an in-and-out job, right?” I ask Saint’s back, quiet enough for the people nearby not to hear.
“Girl, you know you can’t say shit like that unless you want a porn joke.”
“Unbelievable.” Thinking over the plan Sin, Saint, Angel, and I put together, it should be easy enough to manage. “Break into The Collector’s office, find the phone, and get out without being caught. Simple.”
Like Saint, Eve knocks into me on her way past. Only her gesture is pointed and aggressive. “Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, trash.”
Refusing to let her get to me, I take a sidestep to regain my balance. She’s been hanging around the house like a bad smell, flaunting her friendship with Sin and Saint like it’s a trophy to be won. The only reason I don’t knock her on her ass is because soon she’ll be a distant memory. Hopefully.
Eve’s sky-high heels, skintight dress, and inch-thick makeup are overkill, even for Club Red.
I turn to Sin. “Why is she here again?”
Eve flicks her hair over one shoulder. “We’ve been through this, like, a million times, trash. I’m the sex. Sex gets information. Take notes, because tonight, I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“A kidney punch works fine, but whatever floats your boat, Evie.”
Her smile is condescending. “Girl, you’re so naïve.”
I’d laugh if she was funny. “If there’s one thing I’m not, it’s naïve. You might be an accessory to the mob, but I’ve been surrounded by criminals my whole life.”
“Whatever. Watch and learn, trash.” With a finishing touch to her lipstick, Eve snaps her clutch closed and sashays to security.
The two guys holding sentinel at the front of the club are huge, almost rivaling Sin in stature. But they don’t have his animalistic grace or predatory power. Their muscles are honed from hours spent at the gym, not from real life.
Eve smiles coyly at both of the bouncers, her manicured nails tracing the chest of the one closest. Leaning in, her mouth parts as she purrs who-the-heck-knows-what in his ear. Whatever she says must work, because he grips her hip, saying something in return.
She throws her head back, laughing like he’s the funniest guy on earth, her hair rippling down her back in shiny waves.
Even I have to admit she brings her A-game. “Wow. I’m actually impressed. She’s got him eating out of her hand.”
Angel works his jaw. He cracks his neck and then his knuckles.
Shifting beside him, I lower my voice so the others don’t overhear. “You okay?” During the past few weeks, Angel’s given me space, and I’ve done the same with him. While we’re not friends, we’ve found an amicable rhythm that, strangely, works.
He shoves his hands in his pockets, scowling. “I’m fine.”
“You might want to tell that to your joints. Crack them any harder, and you won’t be able to type your password, let alone hack the club’s firewall.” I nudge him with my elbow. “You know, when I see stuff I don’t like, and let’s be honest, it’s usually a guy who’s doing it, I picture myself giving him a fly kick to the balls. It always makes me feel better. You should try it sometime.”
With his stare fixed on the bouncer’s hand caressing Eve’s curves, Angel stills. For a long moment, he’s quiet. Then, gradually, his body relaxes.
“See? It’s therapeutic, huh?”
He gives a quick nod. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
Angel shifts away, calling to his cousins. “My equipment’s in the car. I’m going to get set up before some dumb fuck decides to steal it.”
Saint gives him a fist bump. “Be safe, bro.”
Sin does the same. “Any problems, you call. Otherwise, I’ll see you on the other side.”
With a final nod, Angel heads to the parking lot.
Sin hooks his finger inside the waistband of my fitted pants and pulls me flush against him. “What’s going on between you and my boy?”
“Nothing,” I lie.
“Careful, babe.” His body is hard and uncompromising. “I can read your tells, and I know when you’re hiding something.” Spinning me to face him, he slides his hands into my back pockets and thrusts his hips forward. “Don’t start what you can’t finish.”
I think back over our time together. It’s been the most intense, fulfilling experience of my life. Sin challenges me, he forces me to be honest with myself and him. Our days have been filled with epic fights, mind-blowing sex, and blissful perfection in between.
I’ve never felt happier. Which is why, when he looks at me like I belong in his arms, the truth trips from my tongue before I can chase it back. “Too late.”
I’ve fallen for him. Hard. And one glance at his face tells me he knows it too.
Sin steals my lips in a punishing kiss. “Damn straight, babe.”
Saint interrupts. “We’re in, let’s go.”
Stepping away, I pretend I didn’t show him a part of me I’ve kept hidden from everyone else.
Sin takes my hand and leads me inside, making it impossible to ignore how our connection feels absolute.
Needing to focus, I ask, “Why did you need Eve to get us inside? You belong to the mob, this is your dad’s club, doors literally open for you everywhere. Why didn’t you walk right on in?”
His commanding presence parts the crowd. Guys eye him, wishing they were as built, and women suck on the straws of their cocktails, imagining they’re his dick.
Sin’s hold on my hand tightens. “This is different. Stay close.”