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“Skyla, wait.” Blake followed her into the bedroom.
“No. See, when you force me to pour my heart out to you, you don’t get to hold back on me. That’s not how this works. So, if you want to stand there all stoic, then get the hell out of my way.”
“He’s dealing the same drugs that almost killed Orly when she was on the run from Russell Graham,” Blake said just as Skyla was about to leave the room. “We’ve been tracking him, hoping he’d lead us to the guy making them, which would hopefully lead us to Russell.”
Skyla turned slowly to face Blake, fury coursing through her veins now. “So, instead of coming to me and letting me help you any way I could because I love Orly like a sister, you decided to lie to me and track him. How?”
Blake drew in a deep breath before answering. “Phone records.”
Skyla couldn’t believe it. Except she could. AJ had told her not to call him. He’d changed up their meeting places. He knew the FBI was trying to get evidence on him. She just never thought… No. She’d been used by men her whole life, so why not by her friends, too. “You knew about my connection with AJ?”
Blake nodded. “I didn’t know what exactly it was, but yes. We knew you were in contact with him.”
Skyla swallowed at what that ‘we’ meant. Caden knew, too. “And that’s why you’ve been skulking around Madigan’s so much, isn’t it?” She wanted to scream, cry, pound him with her fists for making her believe even for a few minutes that he actually liked her.
Blake nodded. He looked like he was about to say something, but she’d heard enough. “I’ve decided to call an Uber. Stay the hell away from me and if you don’t, I’m not healing your ass again.”
She stormed out of his apartment and ran down the stairs, fighting back tears. She stopped just inside the main entrance to pull out her cell phone and order an Uber. She’d been used for one thing or another since she was fourteen years old. It had hurt at first, but then she’d developed a thick skin and even came to expect it, so why hadn’t she seen it coming with Blake? And why the hell did it hurt so much?
***
The next day, Nico sat on the front step of Madigan’s like a lost puppy dog. The sight of him pissed Skyla off, even if AJ had said he was going to be watching her. Yeah, right. Fuck that. “What are you doing here?” She spat out. “Need me again so soon?”
Nico stood, holding a small pouch, and stepped aside, gesturing for her to open the door.
Skyla huffed out a breath and keyed the lock. “I think it’s safe to say that you’re fired,” she said, not bothering to look over her shoulder at him as she unlocked the door. Her manager was scheduled to work tonight, but the last place she wanted to be was stuck in that big house alone with her father. She’d been avoiding him ever since that night in the basement, and he didn’t seem to notice her absence.
She let herself inside Madigan’s and stopped dead in her tracks when Nico proceeded to follow her in. Turning to face him, she let the fury from last night’s events shine through in her expression. “You can’t hurt me and I’m under no obligation to employ you. Besides, the FBI will probably be arresting you any minute now for shooting a federal agent. So, please leave.”
“No,” he said, still completely devoid of emotion. “I’m good for business. if you know what I mean.” He winked at her. “And I like the people here. As for shooting someone, I believe you healed him, so there’s no proof of that.” His smug grin made Skyla want to punch him right between the eyes.
“How about you actually tell me the truth for once. Why are you really here?”
“For your protection,” he said easily.
Skyla rolled her eyes. “Who exactly are you protecting me from, and where were you last night when a guy who must’ve been your evil twin kidnapped me at gunpoint, and shot my friend?”
Nico sighed like he was indulging a petulant child. “I don’t have to explain myself to you. But as you pointed out, I kidnapped you at gunpoint. I didn’t shoot you. As for your friend, I shot him, but didn’t kill him. In fact, he survived for over two hours after I shot him. What does that tell you?”
“That you’re a psycho who likes to torture his victims.” It was both a question and a statement meant to elicit a reaction, but Nico didn’t even flinch.
“I don’t need your approval, and as you said, yes you may fire me, but then my constant presence will draw attention and questions. You don’t want that.”
“I could just have you removed from the premises.” She pointed to a sign over the bar that said Madigan’s reserved the right to refuse service to anyone at any employee’s discretion.
That’s when Nico smirked. “I wouldn’t do that, Skyla. I’ve worked here for a while. I know who your friends are. I know who you care about. I can’t hurt you. But -”
“Stop,” she commanded. “If you ever threaten my friends again, I’ll never heal anyone for your father again, and your whole club can just go to hell. If you want to work here so badly, then put on your damn apron and get to work. But no more hiding drugs here, no more shootings, and no more kidnappings. Got it?”
Nico glared at her like he might argue, but then smirked and walked past her to the kitchen area. She should’ve felt a sense of relief, but all Skyla felt was dread. She hadn’t won, far from it. In fact, she’d done the complete opposite because of her stupid big mouth and knee jerk reactions.
She’d just shown him her hand, and with the look he’d given her, he knew exactly how to play it.
***
A few hours later, Madigan’s was booming. Skyla was keeping an eye on Nico, but he seemed to be acting like his usual self. Flirting with the women, talking with the guys, and getting along with the other staff. It was like the man was two people. There was this side of him that Skyla knew, and the other side that she’d just met yesterday. It was hard to imagine they were the same person and she might not even have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own two eyes.
“What’s a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?” A familiar voice asked.
