Page 66 of Broken Wolf

Fool. I was so out of his league it wasn’t even funny, and he had no clue that my allure was what made him so bold.

Then again, he was such a pompous ass, he might have been stupid enough to do it on his own.

I barely shot him a glance as I flagged the bartender. “I don’t know you, and that tired line of acting like I do when I’m on TV all the time is tired. So go back to your friends and tell them you struck out with some grace and—”

“I do know you,” he snapped, not liking that I’d been loud enough to get the attention of others around us. “You just don’t recognize me because I’m an adult now.”

I sighed as if resigned to play the game while I waited to get the drink, but really one of my team was holding the bartender off to make this play out. “So you went to one of the schools I did? Right, okay, great, and I bet you have something you want me to invest in and we’re such old friends that you don’t have my number. Okay, bro.” I rolled my eyes and went to turn back.

And the fool took the bait, grabbing my arm and stopping me.

“Let go or lose it,” I warned him, swallowing a snort when he immediately did, always the brat but at least smart enough to know he wasn’t the strong one here. “Fine, if you’re so insistent you’d risk pissing me off—who are you?”

“David Butler,” he said with a smirk.

And I just blinked at him. I gave him a moment to say more, sighing when he didn’t. I waved for him to go on.

He frowned and then got pissed, glancing back at the table he’d come from like he knew they’d be laughing at him striking out. “Hank Butler’s son. Marie Butler? You lived with us—”

“Yeah, I remember Marie,” I cut in, studying him over. “Nah, I don’t see that kid in you. You pulled something about my history or knew something from them.”

“You think I’m playing you?” he demanded with a scoff.

I snorted. “That’s not remotely the weirdest shit people have tried to play me on.” I shrugged as the bartender finally headed my way. “Or show me ID.” I ordered the three drinks I wanted since Eva and Mauro demanded to come in with me as part of the ploy.

“Here,” David grumbled, handing me his license like he was pouting I wasn’t more into it being him.

Idiot.

I grabbed it and looked at it, nodding before handing it back. “Okay, so you’re him. So what?” I snorted when that stumped him. “You were a shitty little brat who was the reason I had to leave that house. Did you think I’d hug you and be excited to see you?” I gave him a look over and made it clear I was laughing at him.

“That was all—”

“Long ago and history, right, right,” I drawled. “Well, I’m not interested in your start-up or shitty investment.”

He snorted at me. “Please, like you actually have money. We all know it’s bullshit. That’s why so many call you names.” He smirked at me when I looked at him. “No way you’d still be working for the FBI if you had money. It’s all bullshit, and anyone with a brain knows that.”

I couldn’t even hide my mocking. “Riiiiiiiiight.” I pulled out my wallet and handed the bartender a new one-hundred-dollar bill before putting it away and taking the drinks. I winked at the guy. “Thanks, honey. Have a good one.”

I meant mostly for letting us hold him up to make this work, but it also worked for what people were seeing.

David was not happy that I ignored him as I headed for my table. I saw in one of the mirrors that he gave his friends a thumbs-up like he was in and hurried after me. Asshole.

Seriously.

“Apparently, anyone with a brain knows I’m not really rich since I still work for the FBI,” I told Eva and Mauro when I arrived at the table with David.

Eva broke out laughing first. “You couldn’t afford your apartment on that tiny salary they pay you much less your security. Oh dear, this is—your life is so amusing even if too stressful.”

She had a point there.

David ignored the laughs at his expense and pulled up a chair. Whatever, I was done pussyfooting around with him, and we were in the corner without too many ears, so now I could get what I wanted. I put my influence on him and couldn’t hide my smirk of victory.

“How did you fuck over Marie? Tell me everything.”

“Guy reached out to me,” he told me. “Slipped me a card with a website. Dark web stuff. I had to answer some questions, and then I got an invite to a seminar on how to get guardianship over your elderly parents when their brains are dead.”

Charming. Eva and Mauro couldn’t hide their disgust, but I was used to criminals being revolting.

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