Page 2 of Dance with the Devil

Christopher is bi. I shouldn’t be surprised that the Jessie he mentioned a few times these last couple of weeks is a woman. Unlike me, he’s definitelynotstuck with his V-card. Lately, though, he’s been dating mainly guys. There was Sal. Ben. Tonywas around for a couple of weeks before he ghosted Christopher, and then he had a fling with one of the newer Dragonflies that didn’t last. As far as I know, he’s been single for a bit now.

No wonder he didn’t really push back against me earlier when I told him that we could go out tonight because Damien would be spending most of the evening in the basement gym, ‘training’ Savannah—and I say ‘training’ because while he’s definitely teaching his wife self defense techniques, I made the mistake of opening the door to the basement the other night and discovering that that’s notallthey do down there. They’re definitely going to be too distracted to come up to the third floor and check to see if I’m there. And since Christopher would be cruising for a little action of his own…

It’s been a while since he’s been hung up on a woman. Part of me wonders if that’s because, if he dated more girls, Damien could remember that Christopher might one day hit on me. I know better. That’llneverhappen. We’re best friends, and as much as I want something like Damien and Savannah have—except, maybe, for the whole stabbing meet-cute thing that my brother still refuses to elaborate on—it’s not going to be with Christopher.

But I want him to be happy, too, so I give the redhead a once-over. Her hair is a fiery if unnatural shade, wild and wavy, and it’s styled around a striking face. Add that to the tits she has on display and the sassy way she cocks out her hip to rest her empty serving tray on it, and I nod.

“She’s hot,” I tell him.

“Hell yeah, she is. Nice, too. Last time I came by, she comped me a free drink.”

I poke him in his upper arm. “You came by without me?”

He winces, more from the accusation in my tone than the fact that my fingernail did any damage. “Sorry, Gen. But that was a night when your brother was home and you thought he’dcheck on you. Tony texted me and invited me to hang out at the Playground. He was such a good lay, I thought I’d give him another chance.”

I roll my eyes. I should’ve guessed. No wonder he didn’t tell me. After how pissed Christopher was after Tony ghosted him and how he ranted to me about the disrespect, I would’ve given him an earful if I knew he gave Tony a second chance.

“And? You make up with Tony before he disappeared on you again?”

Because if he has his eye on Jessie, Tony’s no longer a focus for Christopher. He might change lovers as frequently as I change my underwear, but he’s loyal.

“Never happened. He was a no-show. So I flirted with my waitress a bit, and she gave me the drink. I meant to get her number, but I got a call and had to head out before I could. But I see she’s here tonight. Maybe that’s a sign I should… wait. I was talking about Jessie. Who were you talking about?”

“Me? Oh. Yeah. The blonde next to her.”

“What about her?”

“Is that the girl? The one who was with Kieran when he got killed?”

Christopher glances over at me. “And how do you know about that?”

Is he serious? “Because you told me that Dame lost one of his enforcers after the thick idiot tried to steal a Sinners’ girlfriend from him.”

There’s more to the story than that. Between Christopher and what I overheard at Damien’s dinner party—when he was too busy keeping an eye on Savannah’s introduction to the Family to notice I was eavesdropping on some of his soldiers as usual—it seems like one of my brother’s top killers went rogue, kidnapping his ex-girlfriend after she moved on with a member of the Sinners Syndicate.

That man ended up shooting Kieran to get her back, and he put the word out that he’d do the same to anyone else who hurt her. I was curious when I heard that—like me—she was purposely kept out of the life, instead working as a waitress at the Devil’s Playground.

Makes sense. From what I learned, her husband is the second command to the Devil of Springfield himself, and he also manages the Playground. I haven’t seen him prowling around the crowded club just yet, but when I noticed the pretty blonde and she looked a bit familiar, I had to wonder if that was her.

It made me wonder other things, too. What would it be like to be so loved by a man that he’d do anything to keep you safe? To make you his? Not because he’s your brother and he thinks he still has to take care of you after all this time, but because you’re the one woman he can’t live without?

I have no idea, but here’s hoping that one day I’ll find out.

For now, I’m content to needle and tease my best friend while, if only for a couple of hours, I can shed the mantle of who I am, and who I’m supposed to be.

Christopher flushes as he realizes I’m right. “Oh. Yeah. I did say that, didn’t I?”

“Don’t worry,” I tell him, going up on my tiptoes so I can throw both my arms around his neck, laying my head on his shoulder. “I didn’t let Damien know that, after a gin and tonic or two, you gossip like a schoolgirl.”

“Thanks, Gen,” is his dry response. “I appreciate it.”

I kiss his cheek, then let him go. The blonde waitress has disappeared into the crowd, serving the tables that border the edges of the dance floor. I decide I’m bored with the topic of whether that was Nicolette Williams or not, instead focusing on the redhead who still has Christopher’s attention.

I tap my chin. I’m not sure if it’s because of the obvious dye job influencing me or not, but… “She looks like she might be feisty. You sure you want to take her on for size?”

“If she’ll have me,definitely.”

From across the floor, I watch as Jessie suddenly flips her empty serving tray up, then swings it out, smacking one of the male club-goers in the back of his head after he boldly grabbed her tit as he ‘danced’ by her.

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