Page 121 of Arran's Obsession

I recoiled. “Why would you think I want that?”

A week ago, I would have taken that rescue and walked right out. Everything in my life had changed.

“Didn’t think you belonged here, but my mistake.” Moustache Cop gave me a final look then turned and followed his colleagues.

Lara hurried after him, bolting the doors. She came to me. They all did, a distressed group of dancers and staff.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” I told them.

I wasn’t sure if that was true—Arran was gone and Alisha with him—but I’d do everything I could to safeguard the business while they couldn’t.

“What do we do now?” one of the women said.

“We clear up so tomorrow we can carry on.”

Relief flowed over the group, and we got into the task of undoing the damage. Shade appeared with a quiet word about how Arran instructed him to hold back—it made sense that both couldn’t get arrested—and got stuck in cleaning. Tables and chairs were righted or switched out. Bottles and plastic went into recycling bins. A carpet cleaner handled the worst of the spills. A cleaning crew would be here in the morning, according to Lara, but even they would’ve baulked at the level of mess, and the act of resetting the space had calmed all who’d stayed.

“Good job, everyone,” I called. “Let’s call it a night.”

A few of the dancers remained while the others left.

Hayden, I thought his name was, approached me. “Genevieve? I have a shift that starts at midnight.” As if he was worried about being watched, he pointed upstairs with his other hand cupped to block his finger.

“I’ll take you through,” I said with a smile.

At some point after the raid had started, the interior doors between the strip club and the office corridor had been locked. Interestingly enough, the code Arran had given me for the lift and his apartment opened those, too.

Out in the hall, the thankful dancers continued on for their next shift.

Shade, Jamieson, and Manny stood in a line, watching me. They had done so for the past hour as if taking their eyes off me was tantamount to a death sentence. Maybe Arran had threatened that.

“Any news on our fugitives?” I leaned against the wall, suddenly weary.

I hadn’t eaten today, I realised. Nor was I all that hungry, not with Arran gone.

“Nothing yet,” Shade admitted.

“Manny, go ahead and return to normal duties,” I said. “Assuming these two are going to stare at me all night, I don’t need three of you.”

Manny nodded reluctantly. “I just got a message about a fight in Divide. Some crazy young woman was up dancing on the podium and four guys decided to brawl over who was taking her home. My team are handling it, but tonight’s made me jumpy. I’d feel better if I checked it out.”

I released him, and he stepped through the door to the nightclub side, the pulsing music becoming almost deafening for a moment then fading.

“Student night ends at one, doesn’t it?” I asked.

Shade inclined his head. “In an hour, that place will be empty, and the only customers will be upstairs.”

“Does that make things more dangerous for us or less? Arran called the public a human shield.”

His enforcer snorted. “Sounds like something he’d say. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you safe. This building is bombproof, fireproof, you name it.”

I recalled Manny saying it had been a goods warehouse, so fireproof made sense.

I focused in on Jamieson who stared at the doorway Manny had gone into. Something about the sharpness of his focus bothered me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He took a breath. “What’s the odds that the girl your head of security has gone in to tame is my sister?”

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