Page 43 of Shadow Dance

“Can’t. I’m on duty,” I say.

She pouts. “Are you a bodyguard or something?”

“Mhm.” I tilt my head toward an empty seating area nearby. “We can sit down, if you want.”

She does want. We sit and talk for a while, the conversation getting flirtier as things around us escalate. When I look up from Zoe, the guys are rowdier than ever and Maeve’s nowhere to be found. Alarm jolts through me as I stand and scan the room, wondering if I somehow missed her going downstairs.

Zoe chatters away at my side, her arm linked through mine, but I barely hear her. Somehow, this role I’ve taken on as Maeve’s protector has started to feel real and not knowing where she is has me on high alert. I’m about to peel Zoe off so I can check the dance floor when Maeve stumbles out of the bathroom at the far end of the mezzanine.

Our eyes meet, and then she makes a beeline for me.Shit.She’s obviously wasted, but if she’s doing coke again because she’s jealous or something, we’re going to have words. Also, her very possessive, very violentboyfriend is sitting feet away. Granted, he’s got his face in a bottle girl’s tits as she pours him another glass of champagne, but still. He doesn’t miss much, regardless of how high he is.

Fuck. I’m supposed to be focused on the job, keeping an eye on Cal and reporting back the shit I see, not playing games with Maeve. Getting emotionally involved with her is messy and stupid and it could compromise everything I’ve worked for.

And yet I can’t force myself to stop caring about her.

I watch warily as Maeve stops in front of me, more than a little unsteady. The strappy fuck-me heels she’s got on aren’t doing her any favors at this point. “I wanna dance, Jaime,” she demands, ignoring Zoe.

But Zoe doesn’t ignore her. “Then go dance,” she says primly, her grip on me tightening.

Maeve cuts a glance her way, her green cat’s eyes narrowed into slits. Before she can say something we’ll both regret, I look down at Zoe. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Zoe frowns, clearly put off. “Wait, what?”

“He’s my bodyguard,” Maeve says extra slowly, like the little blonde is mentally challenged. “It’s hisjobto keep hiseyesonme, so go find?—”

“All right, all right. Let’s go.” Stepping between them, I take Maeve’s arm and steer her over to Callum. “I’m taking her downstairs, okay? She wants to dance.”

He waves me off, looking a little worse for wear himself. I guess Maeve isn’t the only one who overdid it tonight. Sighing inwardly, I turn and maneuver my wasted ballerina downstairs, keeping my arm around her waist so she doesn’t face plant. She smells like tequila.

“Jaime,” she whines, clutching me at the foot of the stairs. “Come dance with me.”

“Why are you so fucked up?” I glance around, hoping no one’s paying attention. Between Cal, his friends, and his Uncle Dario, this place is a minefield. “What did you do?”

“Just a little tequila,” she slurs.

“A little?” I ask dubiously.

“Okay, like two shots,” she amends. “And some lemon drops.”

“Did you do coke?”

“No,” she says, looking affronted as she smacks my arm. “Jeez. Just a little liquor,Dad. And I smoked.”

Well, that explains things. “Mhm. Go dance.”

“Dance with me!”

“Your boyfriend would love that.”

“Fuck him! I don’t care,” she shouts over the music. “And neither does he!”

“Trust me,” I say, leading her to a relatively safe spot near the edge of the dance floor. “He cares.”

Chapter 12

Maeve

I’ve only been to Quartz & Crystal a few times. I used to come a lot more when I first moved out here, but after a while, the scene started to bore me. That, and I got tired of the bottle girls flirting with my boyfriend right in front of my face. I got that he was everyone’s favorite, the owner’s cute nephew, but it was annoying. Disrespectful.

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