Page 25 of Devil's Vengeance

Pressing my lips together, I nodded. “Yeah. Someone just opened the door a little hard, is all. We should look into getting one of those slow close doors.”

She made a face. “If it’s in the budget, I will. Windy days are the worst. I’m just glad the glass is shatterproof.”

I wasn’t sure why I was protecting Chase. He hadn’t earned that from me. He’d kind of done the exact opposite. But he also saved my life and while his way of protecting me was a little backwards, it came from a good place. Maybe. Or it was all a lie so he could string me along. It didn’t escape my notice that he was backtracking right after seeing me with Trick. I still felt like he was jealous and lashing out.

I shook my head to clear it. I needed to stop thinking about Chase. I had a date tonight with a nice man who called and apologized for the fight and made sure I was okay the normal way. And he asked me on a date. Not just a drunken hookup where he’d pretend not to know me the next day. I needed to focus on men like him.

“Hey, do you mind if I skip out a little early today? I’ve got a date tonight and I want to look nice.”

“You mean with that shifty biker who keeps stopping by to flirt with you?”

My eyebrows flew up, surprised. “You think he’s shifty?”

“I think he’s trying too hard to impress you. It feels disingenuous. Like he has an ulterior motive.”

Her comment stumped me. I hadn’t gotten that from Trick. I mean, yes, he was a little cheesy, but it was just flirting. And I liked that he tried hard. I deserved someone putting in the effort to spend time with me.

But Chase’s warning rang in my head. What were the odds that Regina and Chase were both wrong about the guy? Was I letting Trick’s charm blind me to red flags I hadn’t noticed yet? Or were they just not noticing what I did?

CHAPTER 16

MARIAH

The doubts crept in the closer I got to when Trick would pick me up for our date. I could ignore Chase’s comment and just assume it was jealousy, but Regina was a different story. I’d known her for a long time, and I didn’t think she’d lie to me. She also had no loyalties to Chase, so she wouldn’t just be backing him up. So what the hell was I missing?

Their comments made me more on guard when Trick showed up. He leaned against the door frame, his usual cocky smile on display. I thought he was just flirtatious, but now I wondered if he really was being disingenuous, like Regina said. Where was the line between trying hard and trying too hard?

“Hey, gorgeous. Ready for a good time?”

I forced myself to smile. I was being ridiculous. It was just a date. And I liked him. Regina and Chase were wrong about him.

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Something flickered on his face and his gaze trailed over me, his lips pursed in a frown. “You sure? You don’t want to change?”

Stunned, I looked down at my outfit. I didn’t see anything wrong with it. It was more subtle than what I wore to the club party, but this was a date, not a night at the club.

“Tell you what. Why don’t you go change and I’ll wait here. We’re not in any hurry,” he said, pulling my attention back to him.

Indignation swelled in my chest and I felt my cheeks heat from the anger. “Excuse me? Why would I need to change?”

His eyes trailed over me again, and I could tell he wanted to comment, but he held back, giving me that sugary smile that made me blush the last few days. It wasn’t as effective now.

“You’re right. My bad. You look great.”

It felt a little like he was placating me, and a part of me wanted to drop the date completely, but I had to wonder if I’d be so up in arms if Regina and Chase hadn’t gotten into my head. He made a suggestion and backed off when I said no. I didn’t need to cancel the whole evening over one comment.

“Ready?” he asked, raising his eyebrows at me. “I figured we’d take my bike. You ever been on one before?”

Pushing aside my discomfort, I followed him out, locking my apartment behind me. “A few times. My dad has an old classic, and he’s taken me out a few times.”

He said it was the best kind of freedom after being stuck in a semi cab for days on end. Mom pretended she hated it but never said no to going for a drive with him. Pretty sure it was just her need to fuss over everything that made her protest.

“An old classic, huh? He doesn’t feel comfortable with something newer?”

Was that judgment in his tone or was I just imagining red flags because I was being paranoid?

“I never asked,” I answered, forcing myself to stop overthinking. Trick had done nothing to deserve my suspicion. And once this date was over, I was going to give Chase a piece of my mind for getting in my head. Regina I’d let off because she was my friend and just looking out for me. Once she heard that the date went well, she’d realize she was wrong.

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