Page 63 of The Afterthought

"You're a smart girl. Stop by sometime next week, and we will get everything in order for you."

"Thank you so much, Officer. I look forward to working with you."

I walk out of the station, immediately questioning my sanity. Am I really going to work alongside Sheriff Wolfe? After what I found out, I should stay away from that crooked asshole. I suppose sometimes it's best to keep your enemies close. That's what I'm going with in this scenario. All I have to do is pretend I don't know anything while I'm there. He doesn't know that I know he was at the club. I may even have access to learning more about him or any other cops the Cobras have in their pocket by working there.

I caught Greyson up on everything he missed while he was out of town between our sex sessions last night. I had to tell him about how Alec threatened us at the restaurant. He didn't take that very well.

I'm nervous he's going to do something that he shouldn't. Once he sets his mind to something, there is no changing it. He is persistent as fuck. It's one of the qualities that I've grown to love about him.

My phone rings, and I glance down to see it's a random number I don't have saved. I shouldn't answer it. It could be a PI job. Maybe it’s Mrs. Myers trying to get an update on her son's disappearance. Reluctantly, I press the answer button.

"Hello?" I question.

"I missed the sound of your voice."

"Who the hell is this?"

"You hurt my feelings," he says, and immediately it clicks.

"Alec. I blocked your number." I roll my eyes.

"Yes, I'm aware. It's a minor inconvenience, but I was able to find a way around it." He chuckles before continuing. "I've heard through the grapevine that you've gone and forgiven your little boyfriend for everything. It's unfortunate. I thought we had something special."

"Is there a reason you're bothering me?" I'm close to hanging up when he catches my attention.

"I know what you did. I didn't think you were stupid, but apparently, I was wrong," he states plainly.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you were in the VIP room at Temptations the day I had a special guest. Candy was supposed to be working, but she sent you back there."

"How do you know about that? Did you hurt her?"

"Candy will be fine. She's learned her lesson. I think what you should know is that nothing happens in my club without me knowing about it. I have cameras, Avalynn." His tone sounds short. I was worried about this exact scenario.

"I delivered drinks and left, that's it." I keep my tone flat, trying to sound convincing.

"You and I both know that's not true. I saw you stop to listen in on the conversation my guys and their special guest were having before you delivered their drinks. I don’t know exactly what you heard, but I highly suggest that if you value your precious boyfriend's life, you will keep it all to yourself."

"If you think Greyson is afraid of you, you're out of your mind," I spit.

"Greyson Hayes never had any sort of weakness—until now. Green is a good color on you, by the way. It's different from your usual black style. I like it."

I freeze, knowing what he is implying. He has eyes on me right now. My heart slams in my chest. I look up and down the street to see if anyone is watching me.

"Don't fuck up my plans, Avalynn. I would hate for you to end up in an unfortunate situation because of your boyfriend. He would do anything for you, including turning himself over to a group of men ready to do their worst to him."

I grit my teeth, refusing to give him any sort of reaction. Does he think that I'm not going to tell Greyson about this call? He's out of his fucking mind. Maybe he's expecting me to tell him so that it will distract him away from whatever business he has going on with the Crimson Rose. I know things have been out of sorts with them lately. He's been making comments about how more things have been going wrong than usual.

"Do you hear me?" he yells. "Keep your useless mouth shut, and nobody has to get hurt."

"Yeah, sure Alec. Whatever you say," is all I respond with before hanging up on him and blocking the phone number he called me on. I won't be answering any more calls from numbers that I don't have saved on my phone. Fuck the PI work.

I start my car to drive home, checking my mirrors at every turn to ensure nobody is following me. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but you can never be too careful. When I park the car in my spot across the street from my house, I notice the front door is wide open. I should drive away, but panic floods through me. What if Chloe is in there?

I rip open my glove box and pull out my pistol before running across the street and into the house. “CHLOE!" I call out, but there is no response. I sprint through the house, checking everything around me cautiously to ensure that nobody else is in here.

When I get to her room, I throw open her door and instantly feel relieved when she isn't there. A piece of me relaxes, but I'm still on edge. I clear the rest of the rooms and make my way back to the living room when a figure appears in the doorway.

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