Page 11 of Salacious Devotion

I glance back and forth between the brothers. “Please tell me no one else knows what happened except Marny.”

Drake nods. “Not a soul. We’ve spoken to Marny in private. We immediately brought her up to the office. She assured us that she hadn’t said a word to anyone. She hadn’t even had a chance. No one else had passed her. Not that she would have. But the point is, we can easily look at the footage from that time period. And, before you ask, yes, we have checked. Marny did not see or speak to a soul, nor did she use her phone.”

I breathe easier.

Paige relaxes marginally on my thigh. She wraps an arm around my neck and plays with the collar of my shirt. She probably doesn’t even know she’s doing it. It’s so fucking life-affirming. Everything she’s done since bumping into me has been life-affirming.

Easton leans forward, setting his elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands together. “The story Marny will tell anyone who asks is that, yes, there was a woman who came in. She watched what was going on for a few minutes, didn’t feel like the scene was right for her, and left. We refunded her the dues she’d paid. It’s what we would do for anyone.”

I blow out a long breath.

Drake’s brows are furrowed. He addresses Paige. “I assume you’re under government protection.”

I groan.

Paige has the gall to chuckle. She pats my shoulder. “Yes. And this is a problem. I can’t tell a soul. It’s vitally important. My handler is going to have a fucking field day when I tell him I had the audacity to join a fetish club and four people found out who I am.”

“If it helps,” Drake says, “Marny knows nothing. Easton and I would never say a fucking word, not even to Faye and Lily. If we need to talk to your handler, we will be happy to do so.”

“They’re going to want to relocate me,” Paige mutters.

I squeeze around her waist. “That’s not going to happen.”

She stiffens. “I don’t get options, Dane.”

“Yes, you do. You can withdraw from the program.”

Her breath hitches. “And sit around waiting for that fucker to find me and kill you for harboring me?” She shakes her head. “Not a fucking chance. I’d rather be hidden and never see you again than find you dead because of me.”

“No one is going to kill me, baby. I’m sharper than them. Besides, I’m going to find that asshole first, so he doesn’t have the opportunity.”

Paige jerks her gaze toward me and then jumps off my leg and shoves away from me. She moves so fast, she’s out of my reach in a heartbeat. Hands on hips, she glares at me. “No. Fuck, no. See? This is one of the reasons I let them relocate me in the first place. You’re so hotheaded. You think you can hunt down a fucking killer and what? Fight him? Wrestle him to the ground and hold him with your knee while you wait for the cops to arrive?”

I can’t help but smirk. She has no idea what I’m capable of. “Baby, when I find that asshole, I will not be turning him over to the cops. You will not be waiting a year for his trial. There will be no trial.”

She gasps, eyes wide. “Dane!”

“Okay,” Easton says as they both stand. “We’ll go. Let us know if you need anything.”

My two amazing friends leave the apartment.

Paige is still staring at me. I’m not sure she heard a word either of them said. Flames are coming out of her head.

She throws her hands in the air and screams at the ceiling.

“The apartments are well-soundproofed. You can scream as loud as you need. No one will hear you.”

“Oh, that’s just great.” She rolls her eyes. “Wonderful. That fixes everything.”

We stare at each other for several long seconds. Now doesn’t seem like a great time to elaborate on my plans for what to do about the man who robbed that bank and murdered everyone inside.

She looks away, probably not wanting to hear my words either. So, she changes the subject. “This is the smallest apartment in the history of studio apartments, Dane. How much is the rent?”

I rise and put the chair back under the table. She’s right. Without doing so, we hardly have room to move around. “Five thousand dollars a month.”

Her eyes bug out. “Five thousand dollars a month! Are you kidding me? That’s a lot of fucking money. You don’t even have a kitchen. How do you come up with that kind of money? I have a nice apartment a few blocks from where I work that’s much bigger than this for far less.”

I chuckle. “Baby, I don’t live here. This is a club. This apartment is a place I keep above the club. It’s a private play space.”

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