Page 24 of Demons

When he was done with his explanation, he was looking from me to Jaiden as if we were clueless.

“SKSJ,” Jaiden said slowly. “Shephard, Kingston, Salazar, and Jones.”

Haines’s brows drew together as if that hadn’t occurred to him.

“Are you sure that’s what it stands for?” Haines asked.

“Positive.”

The single word hadn’t come from Jaiden. I recognized the deep voice instantly.

I noticed Jaiden’s complexion instantly pale before turning my gaze to King, who was standing at the end of our booth. He was wearing his typical jeans, T-shirt, and boots. His eyes scanned the others in a bored fashion before meeting mine.

“King,” I said, staring up at him. I hoped he didn’t think I was the one talking about them. It would be unprofessional of me.

“Hello, Capri,” he replied.

Feeling as if I should explain but not sure how to do it, I shifted nervously in my seat. “Did Bloodline head north already?”

He nodded. “They left at about six this morning.”

Great. Okay. Well, what did I say now? Oh, introduce everyone. That would be the polite thing to do.

“King, this is my best friend, Esther,” I said, pointing in her direction. “And her fiancé, Jaiden.” Then, waving a hand to my side, I forced my smile. “This is Haines. He leases one of your buildings for his dental practice. He just wasn’t aware that SKSJ stood for, well, your last names.” I was now rambling and sounding like an idiot.

King looked at Haines, and I could see a flash of concern in his eyes. I wasn’t sure what that was about or if I was just reading it wrong. His gaze lifted, and this time, when he tensed, it was obvious. Even his jawline was more pronounced.

I turned back to see what he was looking at when my eyes collided with Thatcher’s dark ones. Several things happened that I wished did not. Starting with my heart rate picking up speed and my stomach feeling all fluttery.

He excited me. Thatcher kept my emotions spinning. I was either terrified, anxious, or giddy. Sometimes all three. I never knew if he was going to acknowledge me or not. When he did, it felt amazing. When he didn’t, my mood sank.

“We just stopped by to grab some lunch,” King said to me, reminding me he was standing beside me. “It was nice to meet all of you.”

I tore my gaze from Thatcher’s to look back at King. I was going to say something, but he was already walking away. In Thatcher’s direction.

“Okay, wow. I’ve never seen that man up close or heard his voice,” Esther said with clear fascination in her tone.

“He’s married and has a baby girl,” I told her.

“And you’re engaged,” Jaiden added, sounding pissed.

Esther rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean I was going to go jump him. Chill. But he’s kind of gorgeous. You can’t deny that.”

King Salazar was rather attractive. He had the kind of face that could be on billboards. But it had never been him who caught my attention. I preferred the mystery that was Thatcher Shephard, apparently. Leave it to me to be intrigued by the supposedly dangerous one. It was a good thing that this was a one-sided attraction. The thought of him even seeing me as anything other than a jockey was comical.

“I don’t understand the fascination everyone has with him or the others. They’re not special. So, they have money. I’m a dentist.” Haines sounded defensive, as if he needed to remind us that he was here and we should be paying attention to him.

“Years ago,” Jaiden whispered, looking at Haines, “that dude who walked in with the black cowboy hat had killed a guy. In the parking lot of the pizza place. Snapped his neck, then lit a cigarette and leaned up against the car beside the guy, waiting on the cops to show up. It was crazy. And he didn’t go to prison. Now, explain that if they’re not some kind of crime lords. They have important folks at their disposal.”

I’d never actually heard the details of the supposed killing Thatcher had done. We had been kids, and I hadn’t paid attention. I had my own problems back then. I seriously doubted that Thatcher had actually broken a guy’s neck, then smoked a cigarette beside the body, waiting on the cops. That was someone making stuff up. This town was good at that.

“Don’t talk about it with them here,” Esther hissed. “I don’t want to die today.”

Jaiden nodded as if that made sense.

“Y’all, seriously,” I sighed. “Can we talk about something that isn’t made-up tales that have become more elaborate over time by the town gossips?”

“I agree,” Haines said, smiling at me.

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