Page 46 of Venomous as a Snake

I don’t wait long.

Collin grins at me as he leans against the door. “I was expecting a dress.”

I grin as his blue eyes glitter in anticipation. “Me too. But you’re not wearing one, much to my dismay.”

“Walker said you were quick. I wanted to test his knowledge.” He chuckles. “Your croc is in the kitchen. Fair warning: he’s in—”

“A mood?” I finish for him. “When is he not? Walker is perpetually grouchy. It’s one of his quirks.”

“Quirks?” another man teases before stepping into view. “It’s just his personality.”

I snort, but defend him despite my better judgment. “Not always. Just nine days out of seven.”

“Kody?” he asks with a slight southern drawl. “I’m Forrest. Nice to meet you.”

“We’ve met,” I inform him. “You were bartending at Frenzy last night, right? The nightclub downtown?”

“Yeah. One of our bartenders called out sick.” He squints at me. “I’d remember you, though. And I don’t.”

I don’t miss the use of our in his answer, but I smirk regardless. Just because he might own the club doesn’t mean he needs to know I left a body in the office.

“That was the idea,” I admit, keeping my tone friendly. “Black hair, tight red dress. I looked like thirty other women on the dance floor.”

“Do I have a brother?” he inquires, bouncing his head. “I’m a little confused. Weren’t you meeting a guy?”

“I did,” I whisper to Forrest. “Turns out, he was a waste of time.”

Collin scrunches his nose. “What about your mate?”

“Mates,” Ali corrects. “We knew she was… meeting him.”

“Ballsy,” Forrest sings under his breath. “Meeting another man in the club one of your mates owns? That’s real ballsy.”

I cock my head to the side. “Who owns it?”

“Walker,” he tells me. “He is your mate, right?”

“Yeah.” I nod in disbelief. “He is.”

“No one told you?” Collin’s shock is genuine.

“No,” I answer, glancing at the Komodo dragon trying to escape the conversation. “You knew?”

I grab his hand and pull him back to me. His charcoal eyes widen as he shrugs.

“A little.”

“A little?” I repeat. “It’s a yes or no question, Ali.”

He grimaces, and I nod.

Ali knows.

Drew knows.

They chose not to tell me.

Which means I left that body in Walker’s office.