Page 60 of Don't Lie To Me

Jagger runs a hand through his hair, tugging on the ends, his fists balling. He looks like he’s about to lose it and fuck some poor asshole up. “Fuck, Sloane, I told you once the truth got out you would be in trouble. Some asshole is already hunting you down.”

Romeo’s hand comes to mine, forcing my attention back to him. “What shit got out, doll face?”

I snatch my hand back, not wanting him or anyone else to touch me right now. “Nothing you need to worry about, Romeo.”

“Don’t lie to me, Sloane. If it has something to do with the business, you have to tell me,” he demands, his voice holding a threatening edge to it.

“It’s personal,” I seethe through clenched teeth. “Nothing to do with this place.”

“Then why are you being targeted here? This looks like a pretty big threat upon you and this place.”

My hands fly to my hips. What the fuck is he trying to imply? “Why don’t you answer me that question? These fucking threats didn’t start until you showed up, and being written half in Italian is a pretty big giveaway. I reckon you know more than you’re saying.”

A stony expression settles on his face, his lips pressed into a thin, grim line that tells me I have pushed him too far. He closes the gap between us, forcing me to back up into the counter. He puts a hand on either side of me as he stares me down, his nostrils flaring. “Both times this shit has happened you know where I was. Why would I need to do something so vicious to get your attention when I already own you?”

My heart races erratically. He doesn’t even care that my bodyguard and my big brother are in the same room as us. He thinks he has some claim to me, not my club, but me directly. And neither of them stops him.

“You don’t own me, and you never will,” I spit back, glaring daggers at him. Why did I let him touch me again last night? All the progress I have made to get some power back over him this week, gone in a moment of lust. It wasn’t worth it. Or maybe it was; my needy body betrays me, still begging for more of his hands on me. What in the ever-loving God is wrong with me. I stare him down, tension burning in the air between us so strong I can feel the power he has over me. It doesn’t matter what I say, we can both feel this. And the way he twists his lips up at the side tells me he knows it as well as I do. “Fuck you.”

With a grunt, Jagger shoves roughly in between us, separating our furious bodies. “Cut this lovers’ quarrel shit out, we need to clean up this mess before staff and patrons start to arrive.” His piercing gaze comes to me. “Call your cop friend.”

“What?” I snap. “That’s the worst idea you’ve ever had. There is no way he needs to know about this. I’m calling Asher, his crew can take care of it.”

His hands come to both my shoulders, and he peers down at me all big brotherly. “Not this time, Sloane. This is a direct threat against you, and we both know if we’re going to protect you, we need a contact on the force. We have nothing to hide, but covering this up could put you in more danger. You think you can trust the detective, so use it to your advantage.”

I stare back at Jagger, knowing he’s right. Before I have a chance to think too much on it, I dial Reef Wilder’s number and wait.

“Wildcat?” he answers a little too happily since we left things terribly last night.

Jagger watches me, searching my face in a way I don’t appreciate.

“I need your help. Come down to the club alone.” I disconnect the call before he has a chance to respond, looking back to the three of them who are all now watching me in a way I don’t like. “Done.” Ishrug like it’s no big deal when the truth is we all know it is. This is bad, all of it. Me hopping into bed with Romeo and kissing the detective a couple of times, the tension between Onyx and me, and now my brother is getting involved. I feel like a ticking time bomb about to explode, not sure which way to turn or who to even trust right now.

Twenty minutes later, Romeo shows Reef through to room six where I’m waiting for him. His eyes find mine first, and I see the worry immediately. “Wildcat, are you okay?”

With a shake of my head, I glance over at the body lying lifeless on the bed.

His eyes follow mine, cautiously. “Jesus Christ. What the hell happened here?” he says, taking a step back, before moving in closer.

I gesture subtly to the other boys, silently urging them to leave us alone. And to my surprise, they comply, leaving the room and closing the door with a click.

“We don’t know. Last night after you and your team left, we had a brief electrical blackout before the generator kicked in. I didn’t think much of it until this morning when the boys found her.”

His forehead creases as he surveys the scene before him, walking around one side of the bed before the other. “Is she one of the girls who work for you?” he asks, studying her.

“I have no idea who she is, Reef, I have never seen her before.” I wring my hands, not wanting to show him the next part, because after the other night, I already know what his response is going to be. He’s going to get all protective and shit just like the other two. “There’s more.” I lead him into the bathroom to show him the mirror, a heaviness sitting on my chest as I wait for his response.

He follows closely behind me, and I see in the mirror the way he flinches when he reads what’s written in blood. His eyes dart back to me immediately, his body tense. “It’s the same threat you were giventhe other night,” he growls, leaving no room for error. He’s genuinely concerned for me.

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Yeah. Jagger thinks maybe someone is targeting me in relation to what you told me last night about my identity. That’s why I called you.”

His gaze comes over me like a warm blanket, filled with concern as he closes the gap between us, his hand moving to my arm softly. “Sloane, you’re trembling.”

I shake my head. “I’m not. It takes more than a fucking threat to scare me,” I snap back, but my voice quivers, betraying me.

His warm hand rubs up and down my arms, the gentle pressure soothing my spiraling thoughts. We stay like this for some time, and I know by the way he’s looking at me he wants to say more, but he’s waiting for me to calm down before he does. He pulls me into his solid body, hugging me. I close my eyes and breathe him in, fresh and clean and something so distinctly him. How can a man I hardly know feel so comforting to me? I have no idea, but he does. I wrap an arm around his waist and hold him close, needing this moment of silence in all the chaos that is my life at the moment.

While still holding me close, his eyes find mine. “I have to bring a team in to investigate,” he tells me quietly. “I will catch whoever is doing this.”

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