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“Okay,” I said. “I can respect that. But you still don’t know me.”
He shifted his feet, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “No, I don’t. Just like I don’t know where the bloodstains in my parking lot came from. And I should, but my security cameras seemed to have missed that.”
I frowned. “Security cameras?”
Storm had missed something. That wasn’t like him. What had this man seen? Fuck, I hated to take him out, but if he was an eyewitness or had any footage, I’d have to make sure he never talked. We were too close to Dancastle’s trail for that.
He nodded. “Yeah. The security cameras I have outside. They should have shown me where that blood came from that night. The night you and your friends were here. They don’t though. One second, the pavement is normal, and the next, there are small pools of blood in several places. Weird, huh?”
Smarter than he looked. That was Storm’s mistake. He’d underestimated the man.
I shrugged. “You can’t tell me you’ve not had blood in your parking lot before.”
He shifted again. “Yeah, but the other times, I had footage of who had caused it.” Rodney sighed and gave me a wary look. “I don’t want no trouble here. And if it were anyone other than Royal, I might answer your questions just to make sure you don’t cause an issue. But she ain’t got no one looking out for her. That sorry-ass father of hers …” He paused and clenched his teeth. “She’s …” He paused again, then muttered a curse as his eyes locked on something behind me.
I glanced back to see who it was that had him so tensed up, and relief came the moment I laid eyes on her. Royal was walking in this direction—until her gaze met mine. She stopped, and her shoulders rose and fell as she looked at me.
Come on, Ace. You know you want to. It’s right there in those pretty eyes.
When she started walking again, I could feel it. I was gonna get an in tonight. She didn’t like to show weakness, although according to Rodney, she’d had a rough life. That would toughen someone up. I was going to find out exactly what she’d been through or if she was full of shit and Rodney just believed her stories. The man clearly didn’t know about her current boyfriend being a senator’s son. Seemed she only told him what she wanted him to know.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” she said, placing a hand on her hip and giving me a pointed look.
I turned completely around and faced her. “I didn’t expect to see you here either. Thought you had plans that didn’t involve hustling men at pool.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “I did. I had plans hustling a bunch of frat boys at Texas Hold’em. Unfortunately for them, they drank too much, so it was over much faster than anticipated.”
I let out a surprised laugh. “You’re serious.”
She nodded. “Very,” she replied, then walked over and pulled out the stool beside me. “Now, tell me, Amory Blaine, why are you here?”
Rodney cleared his throat, and she swung her gaze toward him.
A soft smile touched her face. “It’s fine. Down, boy. I can handle myself. You know that.”
“I just thought you might want to, uh, play some pool. Those two are passing through. Heard ’em talking. They are stopping here to see a friend at the University, then headed further north.”
She leaned over to see around me toward the pool tables. “The younger ones, dressed like they walked out of a Ralph Lauren store?”
“That’d be them,” Rodney said.
She straightened back up and looked at me. “I googled you. Nothing. No social media. Not one small thing. That’s odd,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “What do you want with me?”
Straightforward. Damn, that was sexy. Hell, she’d be sexy, even without all the other shit. But that sassy mouth and no-nonsense approach were refreshing. I’d never experienced it before. At least not with a smoking-hot female. I wasn’t going to let that affect me though. Hattie was also gorgeous, and she wasn’t hiding shit.
This one was dangerous in ways that Merce couldn’t be. He knew it, and she was his weapon. That had to be it.
“I didn’t plan on it,” I replied. “Typically, when a woman tells me no, I don’t come back.” Which was the truth, but with her, I had no choice.
She laughed then. “You got a lot of experience with women telling you no? I’m calling bullshit on that. I would even wager I’m the first one. Which is probably why you’re here. I’m an anomaly. Or is it the chase? You never had one you had to chase, and it’s exciting.”
Dammit, she’d be fun. Why did she have to be an illusion?
“I can’t say I like the idea of a chase. But you have my attention, and I find myself unable to stop thinking about you. If you did something to turn me off, then perhaps I’d go away. Instead, you’re just making it worse.”
Thankfully, new customers came up to the bar, and Rodney had to leave us to go get their drinks. I wanted to talk to her without his presence hovering. I had to get her interested in me, but as of right now, she seemed to be the only one who was charming anyone.
“If you knew me, you’d realize you’re wasting your time. My kinda different isn’t something a guy like you would want in his life. Trust me. I’ve dated the rich guy with a powerful family, and he dropped me the moment his dad told him to.” She reached over and picked up my glass, then took a drink.
