Page 66 of Diamonds in the Mud

No doubt, she was staking out the bar, waiting for Declan to reappear.

Just as I was about to turn around and give my attention to keeping Izzy off me, Nadia shoved past Rayne, knocking her drink over. I stilled and watched Rayne face off with the woman.

Rayne’s jaw was set, and her eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and defiance. Nadia’s expression was cold and calculating, her lips curled into a sneer.

As the tension crackled between them, I hesitated, unsure whether to intervene or let them handle it themselves. But before I could make a move, Rayne spoke, her voice low and controlled, despite the rage simmering beneath the surface.

“Watch where you’re going,” she said, her words sharp and pointed.

Nadia’s laugh was mocking. “Or what, Rayne? You’ll arrest me?”

Rayne’s fists clenched at her sides, but she held her ground, refusing to be intimidated. “If you give me a reason to, you’ll spend the rest of the night as uncomfortable as I can manage,” she replied, her tone icy.

Nadia’s eyes narrowed slightly, then she shoved Rayne with her shoulder and walked away with a smile. Rayne stood there, her shoulders tense with unresolved tension.

“She’s such a bitch,” Nadia hissed as she passed me. She gave me a disdainful glance, her lips twisted into a scornful smirk as she noticed Izzy clinging to me. “As for you,” she scoffed, her voice dripping with contempt, “why not stop messing with the uptight cop bitch and put Izzy out of her misery.” With that parting shot, she sauntered off.

“Yeah.” Izzy started laughing. “Let’s go somewhere and fuck.” She jumped up and down several times and then took my hand and started pulling me away from Rayne.

Thankfully, as we passed by the pool table, someone asked me to play and I had yet another excuse not to disappear with Izzy.

By the time the bar closed, Rayne had left and, thankfully, so had Izzy. I’d seen her hanging on the arm of one of the other Reapers, one that she often left with, and was relieved.

I let myself into my apartment and had my weapon out of my holster seconds after spotting a dark shadow.

“Easy, cowboy,” Jasmine said smoothly.

“Shit,” I said, putting my gun away and waiting for my heart to return to its normal pace.

“Sorry,” she said smoothly. “You were, occupied.”

“Right,” I said, moving over in the dark and opening the hidden room.

Jasmine followed and when we were safely inside, I flipped on the light.

“What’s up, boss?” I asked as she moved over and sat down behind the computer.

“You were busy tonight.” She glanced at me.

“Yup, I was just about to write my report.” I motioned to the computer as I sat on the edge of the bed.

“Don’t bother.” She smiled over at me. “I watched the whole deal.”

“How?” I frowned.

She laughed. “Ronny’s place is bugged.”

I laughed. “Okay.” I thought about it. “So, you know about the Nest?”

I watched her eyebrows rise slowly. “Why don’t you tell me what I missed.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Perhaps time’s definition of coal

is the diamond.”

–Khalil Gibran