Page 2 of Harmless Secrets

“Ali,” he yelled, trying to gain her attention, but the sound of the crowd drowned him out.

He continued to yell her name as he drew closer and closer. Then…she turned. Just a quick second and her gaze landed on him. Her eyes seemed unfocused, then, her attention landed on him. Her eyes widened as she stared at him. In that splint instant, Devon knew she had seen him. His breath tangled in his throat as their gazes locked in those few seconds. Someone walked between them and Ali turned away from him. He cursed and started to fight against the crowd. It only took a few minutes for Devon to realize he had lost her.

He stopped running. He spun around and around, trying to see if she had doubled back. Frustration coiled in his gut as he shoved a hand through his hair.

Micah came striding through the crowd. The people seemed to move out of his way subconsciously, as if they knew he was a Dom. It might also be because Micah walked as if he were still on the hunt for a fugitive.

“Where’s Dee and her MiniMe?”

“They’re getting us a table. Dee said she would wait a total of ten minutes before ordering her food. After that, we were SOL.” He looked around at the crowd then turned his focus completely on Devon. He could see himself in the mirrored sunglasses his brother-in-law favored. “What was that all about?”

Devon sighed. How did he explain the mind jolting experience he just had? He’d never told a soul about Ali, about their night together. He’d kept it a secret, his only, little secret that he hadn’t wanted to share with anyone. The fact that he had been that close to her after all this time left him frustrated. Devon thought it was hard to accept the fact he couldn’t find her. Now that he had seen her, the need for her clawed at his gut.

So fucking close.

“Devon?” Micah asked.

He looked at his brother-in-law. Concern stamped Micah’s features. It was out of character for him to run through a crowd yelling a woman’s name, so Devon kind of understood. He didn’t really want to explain himself, but he knew Micah wouldn’t let it go.

Devon smiled. “A woman.”

Micah chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. “It always is. Can you see her anymore?”

Devon shook his head. But he would. He knew where she was, at least for now.

Micah’s phone buzzed with a text. He looked at it and laughed again. “Your sister says to hurry.”

“Does she?”

“Yes, although she used much more colorful language.”

“All right,” Devon said as he turned away from his quest for now.

“So, this woman?”

Damn. Since Micah had married Dee, he had gotten a really bad reputation for meddling in his friends’ lives. The one thing Devon did not need was his brother-in-law trying to fix things.

“What about her?” Devon asked.

“Is this anyone I know?”

Devon shook his head. “I haven’t seen her in years.”

“But you chased her down in the market?”

He glanced at Micah, who was looking straight ahead. “Let it go.”

“Oh, I’ll let it go. Dee is the one you will have to deal with.”

Devon stifled another growl. This was going to be one long freaking day.

Alicia leaned up against the building down the street from the market and caught her breath. As she pulled in deep breathes of air, her heart pounded against her chest. Her head spun as she felt sweat slide down her back. She held her daughter’s hand so tightly she was amazed Bridget hadn’t complained. Bloody hell. That had been a close one.

What was Stryker doing here and just how had he found her? She had thought she had been well hidden until today. There she had been, minding her own business and she’d heard her name. Only a handful of people called her by the nickname—but she had recognized his voice. It had excited her at first. Memories of that night had flashed through her head as she turned to scan the crowd for him. Then she had seen him.

And she had run like her bloody life depended on it—because it did.

“Why did we run, Mummy? Who was that man shouting at us?” Bridget asked.

---