exact alley. At the time, he’d thought that Ethan had been stalking his buddy Chance’s lover, Gwen Hawthorne. Devlin’s job had been to go around back, to seal off that escape route.
Too late, Devlin had found a killer waiting back there for him.
Not
Ethan Barclay, but a man who’d made it his mission to destroy the club owner. Devlin had been caught in the crossfire, and he still had the battle wounds to prove it. He’d been left in that alley, bleeding out, with the garbage, and he’d been sure that he was dying.
Julianna exited the cab and ran toward Wicked.
Why is she going to him?
Devlin had been digging into Julianna’s life. He’d found
no
connections to Ethan Barclay.
But maybe he hadn’t dug deep enough.
The door to Wicked opened and Julianna disappeared inside.
Devlin turned off his vehicle. He stared at the club and he knew that twist in his gut—it was suspicion.
It was also jealousy.
Why is she going to him?
***
“You weren’t supposed to come here, Julianna,” Ethan said as he headed toward the bar. The club was empty, and Julianna knew Wicked would stay that way, until dark. When the sun set, Wicked always came alive. “The plan,” he continued, as he downed a gulp of what she thought might be whiskey—she’d never been too savvy on her drinks, “was for you to stay safely away from me. You already look guilty enough without me dragging you down into the mud anymore.”
Her heart stuttered a bit at those words. Most folks thought Ethan was the bad guy. And, well, truthfully, he wasn’t a
good
guy. But he wasn’t evil, either. She stared at him a moment, her gaze sweeping over his face. Once, he’d been the perfect embodiment, the tall, dark, and handsome ideal. But that had been before a twisted bastard named Daniel Duvato had attacked Ethan with a knife. Now, twin scars marred Ethan’s perfect cheeks. He was still handsome, but definitely with a dangerous edge.
“No one can look away,” Ethan muttered as his fingers rose and brushed over the scar on his left cheek. “At least now I look like a villain.”
“Stop it,” she told him. “Play that game with someone else. Someone who doesn’t know you. Not me.” She pulled out the flash drive and put it on the bar. “I had to come over because I found this.” She hesitated. “Actually, Devlin found it. The drive was taped under one of Jeremy’s desk drawers.”
His hand closed around the flash drive. “Devlin?”
“Devlin Shade. He’s a body guard,” Julianna rushed to explain. “He works for—”
“VJS.” Ethan appeared pained. “Sophie referred you, right?”
She nodded. “You know him?”
“Unfortunately, I know him and his buddies.” He shook his head. “And I’ll tell you now, he isn’t going to be happy about this little visit.”
“He doesn’t know I’m here. I-I took the drive and ditched him.”
Ethan’s lips quirked. “Old habits die hard, huh, Jules?”
Jules.
Ethan was the only one who’d ever called her that. She’d been telling the truth when she told Devlin that her friends called her Julie. They did. Ethan didn’t qualify as a friend. Not exactly.
He lifted up the flash drive. “Let’s see if this is the one.”
Her heart beat faster. “How will we know if he made copies? I mean, what if—”
The cry of an alarm broke through the interior of Wicked. She jumped at the sound.
“Easy.” Ethan didn’t look at all ruffled. “After that knife-wielding asshole came in here and tried to carve me up, I instituted a few new security measures.” He turned away and a few seconds later, a screen appeared behind the club’s bar. The shelves of glasses slid back, revealing a flat screen. He tapped on his phone, and an image appeared on that screen.
“You didn’t ditch him,” Ethan said flatly.
Devlin’s furious features filled the screen.
Oh, crap.
Ethan glanced at her. “How is this going to play out? I can tell you now, he’s not just going to walk away.
Too late, Devlin had found a killer waiting back there for him.
Not
Ethan Barclay, but a man who’d made it his mission to destroy the club owner. Devlin had been caught in the crossfire, and he still had the battle wounds to prove it. He’d been left in that alley, bleeding out, with the garbage, and he’d been sure that he was dying.
Julianna exited the cab and ran toward Wicked.
Why is she going to him?
Devlin had been digging into Julianna’s life. He’d found
no
connections to Ethan Barclay.
But maybe he hadn’t dug deep enough.
The door to Wicked opened and Julianna disappeared inside.
Devlin turned off his vehicle. He stared at the club and he knew that twist in his gut—it was suspicion.
It was also jealousy.
Why is she going to him?
***
“You weren’t supposed to come here, Julianna,” Ethan said as he headed toward the bar. The club was empty, and Julianna knew Wicked would stay that way, until dark. When the sun set, Wicked always came alive. “The plan,” he continued, as he downed a gulp of what she thought might be whiskey—she’d never been too savvy on her drinks, “was for you to stay safely away from me. You already look guilty enough without me dragging you down into the mud anymore.”
Her heart stuttered a bit at those words. Most folks thought Ethan was the bad guy. And, well, truthfully, he wasn’t a
good
guy. But he wasn’t evil, either. She stared at him a moment, her gaze sweeping over his face. Once, he’d been the perfect embodiment, the tall, dark, and handsome ideal. But that had been before a twisted bastard named Daniel Duvato had attacked Ethan with a knife. Now, twin scars marred Ethan’s perfect cheeks. He was still handsome, but definitely with a dangerous edge.
“No one can look away,” Ethan muttered as his fingers rose and brushed over the scar on his left cheek. “At least now I look like a villain.”
“Stop it,” she told him. “Play that game with someone else. Someone who doesn’t know you. Not me.” She pulled out the flash drive and put it on the bar. “I had to come over because I found this.” She hesitated. “Actually, Devlin found it. The drive was taped under one of Jeremy’s desk drawers.”
His hand closed around the flash drive. “Devlin?”
“Devlin Shade. He’s a body guard,” Julianna rushed to explain. “He works for—”
“VJS.” Ethan appeared pained. “Sophie referred you, right?”
She nodded. “You know him?”
“Unfortunately, I know him and his buddies.” He shook his head. “And I’ll tell you now, he isn’t going to be happy about this little visit.”
“He doesn’t know I’m here. I-I took the drive and ditched him.”
Ethan’s lips quirked. “Old habits die hard, huh, Jules?”
Jules.
Ethan was the only one who’d ever called her that. She’d been telling the truth when she told Devlin that her friends called her Julie. They did. Ethan didn’t qualify as a friend. Not exactly.
He lifted up the flash drive. “Let’s see if this is the one.”
Her heart beat faster. “How will we know if he made copies? I mean, what if—”
The cry of an alarm broke through the interior of Wicked. She jumped at the sound.
“Easy.” Ethan didn’t look at all ruffled. “After that knife-wielding asshole came in here and tried to carve me up, I instituted a few new security measures.” He turned away and a few seconds later, a screen appeared behind the club’s bar. The shelves of glasses slid back, revealing a flat screen. He tapped on his phone, and an image appeared on that screen.
“You didn’t ditch him,” Ethan said flatly.
Devlin’s furious features filled the screen.
Oh, crap.
Ethan glanced at her. “How is this going to play out? I can tell you now, he’s not just going to walk away.
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