Page 35 of Miss Typed

She stopped moving to look me straight in the eye. “None of your business.”

“Does it have to do with your brother?”

Her face drained of color, cluing me in that I’d hit pay dirt. Then suddenly she was off of me. “You need to leave, Aiden. Don’t come again. If you do, I’ll alert security.”

She was pissed. And I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a turn-on to see she had a backbone.

“I’ll go. But this conversation isn’t over, Chloe. Not by a long shot.” I’d just have to figure out other measures to get the truth.

* * *

I paced the wooden floor of my apartment after I got home. I finally concluded there was only one way I could force her to cooperate. She’d be furious. However, I reasoned it was for her own good. If she was in trouble, she needed my help.

Calling up a local contact, I put the wheels in motion.

It wasn’t until three days later, on New Year’s Eve, that she came storming into my office.

“Tell me tonight wasn’t because of you.”

Schooling my features, I glanced up at her fiery face. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

“Tonight. The club. One of the biggest nights of the year is off because of a tip there might be a raid. Was it you?”

“Who’d do a raid on a club? Absolutely not.”

She was wearing black slacks and a cream-colored blouse buttoned up to her throat. Her lack of visible skin made me fantasize about ripping both articles of clothing off of her.

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re playing semantics, Aiden. Were you responsible for having the club shut down tonight?”

“What I may or may not have done is for your safety. New Year’s Eve is the prime night for the authorities to go searching for an illicit club.”

She was breathing heavily, panic written all over her face. “And this weekend, will you ensure the club is closed then, too?”

I almost felt bad. But all it would take for me to back off was for her to be honest with me. “Tell me the truth about why you need the money, and I won’t do a thing.”

She flung her hands up. “This is extortion.”

“Which is a hell of a lot milder than what will happen if you get caught working there.”

Tears burned in her eyes, which made guilt crawl up my throat. But I swallowed it down. I knew people who’d been thrown into foreign prisons. She was naïve to think she’d make it out alive.

“I’ll quit the club after next weekend. On one condition.”

I steepled my hands on my desk. “Which is?”

“You leave the club alone after I quit. No more threats.”

“Done. But that will be your last weekend, Chloe. I’ll know if it isn’t. Now, are you ready to tell me why you need the money?”

She shook her head sadly. “No. You forfeited your right to know anything the minute you forced me into this decision. You got what you wanted, though. Congratulations.”

With her parting words, she turned and walked out.

Instead of celebrating a win, I felt like I’d lost a great deal.

Chapter Fifteen

Chloe