Page 17 of Wizard

“Guess I’m treating you to your favorite meal sooner than we planned, baby.” Baylor winked at me before walking away.

“Aw, you forgot to tell me that your second date was going to be Italian.” Violet led me past the row of stools lining the bar and through a door that led to a huge kitchen. Several guys were seated at the tables but only two women, who both stood and hurried over to us.

“You must be Thea. I’m Courtney, Blaze’s old lady,” the one with black hair said as the guy she’d been sitting next to gave me a chin lift.

“And I’m Stella,” the honey blonde added, jerking her thumb toward the other guy with dark hair. “King’s old lady.”

“Nice to meet you both,” I replied, wondering how they already knew who I was.

By the time Violet and Echo finished introducing me to the other Hounds in the kitchen—Ink, Ace, Kevlar, and Edge—Baylor joined us.

“You need us?” King asked him.

“After I take care of my woman,” he replied.

Their byplay was brief and cryptic, but it was just enough for me to guess that his club president had already heard about my stalker. Although I was tempted to ask about it, I remembered what he’d told me about club business and always being honest with me. If I was going to be in a relationship with Baylor, I needed to fit into his world. Which meant trusting him to tell me what I needed to know…and that anything he kept secret wouldn’t hurt me. So I kept my questions to myself while we enjoyed the best spaghetti I’d ever tasted.

“Thanks, Ink. That was delicious.”

He waved off my gratitude. “Glad you enjoyed it, but the compliments really should go to mymamma. I just used her recipe.”

“C’mon, baby.” Baylor tugged me away from his club brother. “Gotta get you up to my room before I meet with the prez.”

Since I was curious about his room, I didn’t argue. When we got there, I was a little surprised by what I found. “No wall of monitors for when you do your tech stuff?”

“Not in here,” he said as he closed the door behind us.

My suitcase was next to the open closet door, and there was another that was closed. “En suite bathroom?”

“Yup, one of the perks of needing to be around twenty-four seven sometimes. I don’t have to share a shower with any of the other guys.”

“Nice.” I pointed at the small fridge, sink, and stovetop. “You even have a kitchenette.”

He patted his abs. “Gotta have fuel nearby to keep me going.”

“Makes sense.”

He strode over to the closet and grabbed a big T-shirt that he handed to me. “My club business shouldn’t take too long. Go ahead and get ready for bed. You can wear this.”

“Bed?” I echoed, my brows drawing together. “It’s only eight.”

“You had a big day, baby. I bet you’re more tired than you realize.”

Thinking about the high of having my first date with him and the low of finding that note in the flowers on my doorstep, I had to agree. “You’re probably right.”

“I usually am,” he murmured before giving me a quick kiss and walking out the door, locking it behind him.

7

WIZARD

Finally—finally—I had Thea right where I wanted her. With me.

Leaving her in my room was hard as fuck, but I needed to bring King up to speed and make sure he was on board with everything. As the president, he had every right to deny having Thea stay here and demand that I turn the investigation over to the police.

However, King was all about family and always had our backs, so I knew he would not only agree but also offer to help. Still, it was out of respect that I made the request.

When I walked into the lounge, King and his old lady were sitting on the couch, playing with their newborn son, Cadell.

---