Page 56 of Dash

“LeBlanc here needs a ride home,” Dash said and two of the men stepped forward.

They took Alexander by the arms and dragged-walked him to the nearest exit door. And just like that, the whole thingwas over. Trev and the others melted back into the crowd, leaving only Micah by my side. I set a hand on my chest and willed my heart to slow down.

Leaning on his cane, Dash stalked over to me. He didn’t have a hair out of place. “Sorry about that.” He came to a stop before me. “But the matter of LeBlanc had to be dealt with. Now we’re leaving. Bozeman?”

Micah pressed on his comms and took off ahead of us. Dash seized my hand and moved forward with me in tow.

“But—”

“No arguments.” His stern tone conveyed anger and annoyance. “I kept my part of the bargain. Now it’s your turn to keep yours. We’re done here.”

My stomach plummeted and my optimism crashed. The dress, the makeup, it had all been a waste. Tonight had been an exercise in futility. If I’d ever had a chance at seducing Dash, the incident with LeBlanc had ruined it.

The brass doors opened to reveal a stretch limo and two black Suburbans waiting for us outside. Micah opened the door and I got into the vehicle. I slid across the L-shape seat and sat in the limo’s far corner, leaning against the panel divider and facing the glitzy bar, giving Dash lots of space. He eased himself into the back seat, and perching his arm on the door rest, kept the distance between us.

My heart broke all over again.

The limo was nice, with a modern, luxury interior, low lights, and comfortable leather seats. Sure, the limo was elegant and party-ready, but I had nothing to celebrate. Instead, I felt as if I was trapped inside a hearse and was about to attend my own funeral.

As soon as the door closed, Micah climbed in the passenger side next to the driver and the three vehicles took off. The evening had been a smashing success. My plan?

It had been a total failure.

Chapter Fifteen

Dash

“I don’t recognize this route to the airport,” Thena ventured in a soft voice after a few moments of silence. “Where are we going?”

“Out of the city,” I said curtly. “I’ve got a jet waiting for us at a private, secured airport. It’s over an hour’s drive.”

“You should’ve told me,” she murmured, avoiding my gaze and looking out the window.

“About LeBlanc?” Fury flared in my core. “The whole thing was screwed up and…”

“And what?”

“It was gonna hurt your feelings,” I offered, all too blunt.

“It did that,” she admitted, peeling off her gloves and setting them aside. “But I need to know these things. Are there more crooked deals that involve me in the ledgers?”

“Not that I know of at this time.” It was the truth, but I sounded like a guarded asshole. When she glanced at me, I got a glimpse of her doubts.

“Will you tell me the next time?” she asked.

“If there is a next time.” Shit, I sounded even more like an asshole.

She looked shaken as the caravan crossed the bridge, exited the interstate, and turned onto a two-way country road. I cursed myself for ruining her evening. I was beyond pissed. Our mysterious foe had been a no-show and that fucking clown LeBlanc only aggravated my frustrations. I realized how I must look to her right now. Like a damn Neanderthal on a war path. I wasn’t proud of that.

On the other hand, LeBlanc deserved what he got. The asshole had struck a fucking deal with her dick of a father. He’d tried to deceive her and then he’d tried to persuade me to goalong with his deception. Son of a bitch. I clenched my teeth. He had to be taught a lesson.

The limo’s speakers came on, playing an excellent rendition ofThe Way You Look tonight. Damn Bozeman. This had to be his doing. The song said all the things I’d wanted to tell Thena. I wracked my brain for a way to steer this evening into the hope category, but words eluded me. My explosion yesterday, my confrontation with LeBlanc tonight, and my short fuse afterward pretty much guaranteed I’d fucked-up things beyond repair.

Unfuck them, then.It’s what I would’ve expected from anyone in my team.

I had no idea how to unravel this clusterfuck, but now that we were out of the city, I slid the comms out of my ear, set it aside, and raised the privacy screen. A slab of thick, black, soundproof glass separated us from the Bozeman and King, whose top driving scores had earned him the job of chauffeuring the limo tonight.

I glanced at Thena’s delicate profile. She looked gorgeous in that sexy dress. For a brief moment, I wanted to be one of those Casanovas who knew what to say and what to do to seduce a lady into forgiveness.Nah.A Casanova I’d never be. It wasn’t in my DNA.

---