Page 39 of Knight

Sighing I glance back at Christian, still on the steps with some girls around him that he continues to ignore. His eyes drill into my head, my shoulders falling as I climb inside Damien’s Lambo.

He still doesn’t give me a chance to speak when I’m inside. His smell engulfing me. “You were right.”

And that throws me off. “What?” My brows furrow when I look at his face.

“My aunt,” he says. “Marion. She’s running a scheme and I need to stop her. We need to get into Cindy’s office and find out what she knows.”

“How are we gonna do that when I don’t work there anymore?”

He presses the ignition. “We’re breaking in.”

Nine

Damien’s serious.

We’re parked around the corner from MOCHA, Damien getting comfortable in his seat.

“So, how exactly do you plan on doing this?” I ask.

“We wait.” He opens his dash, a mickey of whiskey inside. Pulling it out, he cracks the bottle open, bringing it to his lips before I grab it from him. If he’s driving me around, that’s not going anywhere near his mouth. Besides, I need it more than he does. Leaning back in his seat, he smirks at me as I take a hard swallow of scotch. Smooth. Delicious. Instant calm. Shit, we likely have the same relationship with booze. “We’ll go in after dark. I took care of the cameras unless you want to put on another show.”

“After dark?” Sitting up, my brows furrow. My shoulders drop when it all makes sense. “You could’ve waited until Christian and I had coffee.”

“I could have.”

“But you’re jealous.”

His jaw clenches before he asks, “You spend all night with me and you can’t spend an afternoon trying to figure out what Marion’s game is? She likely has something on you too.” I note that he didn’t deny his jealousy, and I hate that it makes me feel good. Why does it make me feel good?

Out of frustration, I take another swig of scotch. A long one.

“Easy, Rowland,” Damien says.

“Oh, as if you get to tell me how much I can drink.” I give him a look and take another swig out of spite. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Thanks,” he says.

“I’m not even surprised you took that as a compliment.”

“I mean, thanks, for last night.”

I don’t hear an apology in there but it still throws me off. Whenever he does his sweet and sour thing it’s like whiplash. Whiplash that leaves you hypnotized and breathless. Damien King is fucking unpredictable but is that what I like about him? The intense thrill? “Why’d you leave?” I’m still not letting it go.

“Business and you looked … I dunno, peaceful for once instead of the Xena Warrior Princess thing you got going on.”

When he smirks a smile tugs at my lips. Dammit. “Don’t you think Wonder Woman is more fitting?”

“Mmm.” He looks to be thinking about his answer. “Or Catwoman. Would be hot seeing you in that suit.”

“Catwoman’s a villain,” I remind him.

“Villains are villains for a reason.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I catch a Bentley driving by us, Eden Gardens all a sudden having a resemblance to Gotham. Drab. Cloudy. Rich. I haven’t had a conversation about comic books since Zane and the guys but I get the references. “Gotham crushed them. Turned them into who they are. Relatable.”

“Are you saying I crushed you, Medusa?”

“It’s going to take a lot more than you to crush me,” I say it but I don’t know if it’s true. I have a turtle shell with a soft interior, one that Damien breaks way too easily.

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