Page 49 of Savage

“So? Maybe that’s the owner.”

“Or”—Lachlan leaned over the bar—“maybe it’s the man whoownsthe owner. You asked me what I wanted. I want a sit-down with Mick.”

“How do you know Mick?”

“Vince,” he said, throwing out the name Lucien had given him. “He told one of my buddies that Mick sells the top product in the city. That’s what I want. But if that’s not true, I can take my money elsewhere.”

It felt like minutes, hours, passed until she finally spoke again. “I don’t have that kind of pull. To get you a sit-down.”

“Then find me someone who does,” Lachlan said as he let go of the card, and she hurried off. “Here. Drink this.”

Lachlan slid my drink over to me, then shocked the hell out of me by pressing his lips to my temple.

“You did great,” he said by my ear. “You were calm, believable, and did as you were told.”

I dared turn my head a fraction, and when he winked at me, I almost melted at his feet.

“Gotta say, Blondie, I could get used to this.”

I wanted so badly to roll my eyes, but not about to risk being the one to mess shit up, I took a sip of my drink instead. “Do you think she’ll be back?”

“Definitely.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because if I was Mick and someone came into my place asking for me by name, I’d want to know who that was. I’d want to look him in the eye.”

That made sense, but I still had my doubts. What if she’d been telling the truth and really didn’t have any pull with Mick?

“We’ve got incoming,” Lachlan said, straightening beside me. “Remember, all you’ve got to do is keep quiet and?—”

“Do what I’m told.”

“Exactly.” He downed his drink in one gulp. “Things are about to get real interesting.”

18

LACHLAN

IWAS IMPRESSED.

Cooper was already playing his part beautifully, and any doubt I’d had over whether he could handle being in this situation vanished.

Almost.

We still had to meet Mick, and I knew just how volatile emotions could get when you came face to face with a man who’d played a part in killing someone you cared about.

But Cooper could do it. Hewoulddo it. From the little I knew about the situation, this seemed too important to him to get this far and fuck it up.

“You Clay?” The brusque voice belonged to a massive guy, several inches taller than me and about twice as wide. Not surprising they’d sent a bodyguard type as an escort.

I pushed my empty glass across the bar and turned to face him. “I am.”

“Have anything on you?”

It was all I could do not to react to that. I didn’t need anything but my bare fucking hands.

So I held them up, letting him pat me down without argument as he searched me for wires and weapons. When I wascleared, he turned his attention to Cooper, and I tugged on the chain to draw him forward.

---