Page 48 of Savage

“That’s right. Lucien Vale.” Lachlan said his friend’s name like it alone should impress the guy—and it seemed Lucien’s reputation was, in fact, impressive.

“I know Lucien.”

“Most do.”

“So why aren’t you athisplace?”

“Because I’m looking for someone, and I was told he was here.”

I didn’t dare breathe at the interrogation, knowing we must’ve caught someone’s eye to have this guy stop and question us. But Lachlan didn’t seemed bothered.

“I thought you said you were here to have fun with Blondie. But if you’re looking for a good time with someone else, I’d be happy to take him off your hands.”

A meaty hand with a gold ring on the pinkie reached for the chain at my wrist, and just as he was about to take hold of it, Lachlan grabbed his arm, twisting it at an ungodly angle and making the other man curse.

Several people around us stopped to look our way as Lachlan stepped forward and said, “You ever try to touch what’s mine again, I’ll break this, and then your neck. Got it?”

A shiver raced through me at the deadly promise, and I had a sudden flash of my vigilante as Lachlan dropped the guy’s arm and came back to lay claim to me.

The warmth of his hand at the back of my neck both calmed and excited me, and I wasn’t sure which was more alarming.

“Now,” Lachlan said, “Ireallyneed a stiff drink.”

He directed me toward the bar and signaled the bartender, then hooked a finger under my chin, angling my face up toward his.

“You did good back there, Blondie. Made me proud.”

I wasn’t sure if it was the tone of his voice or the intense way he was staring at me, but the praise made my heart skip several beats. It was odd considering I was looking into a face I hadn’t known until hours ago. But even though the color of his eyes and hair were different, I could still see Lachlan. The man I’d met in the coffee shop. The one I’d felt an instant chemistry with and still did.

“I’m glad…sir.”

A pleased rumble left Lachlan’s throat as he did a scan of our surroundings before turning back in time to greet the bartender.

“Evening,” the young woman said. “What can I get for you?”

“Bourbon neat, top shelf for me, and he’ll have a Shirley Temple.”

What the fuck? A Shirley Temple?I hadn’t had one of those since I was ten.

“You got it.” She poured Lachlan’s and had mine mixed and across the counter in moments. “Can I get you anything else?”

Lachlan pulled a black credit card from his wallet and held it between his fingers in front of her, much like he had me with his business card.

“How about some of that Rapture that’s going around?”

“Sorry, never heard of it.”

“You’ve never heard of it, or you don’t sell it from where you stand behind that bar?”

She shrugged. “Can I get you anything else?”

If Lachlan was disappointed, he didn’t show it. Instead he went straight for the kill shot.

“A sit-down with Mick.”

Her hand froze on the card, and from beneath my lashes I saw her entire body stiffen. “I don’t know who that is.”

“See, now I think you know exactly who I’m talking about. Your eyes give you away. They keep drifting over my shoulder,left corner. It’s dark back there. Darker than any other corner of the club.”

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