Page 14 of Dead Devil's Playground
Rev's hand suddenly reaches for my hair, fingers twisting into the vibrant teal strands. He tugs just hard enough to make me gasp. "This is new. I like it."He steps back, leaving me breathless and confused. Kai stretches languidly on the couch, watching us with hooded eyes. "Teal suits you. Brings out those killer eyes." His lips quirk into a knowing smirk. "Funny thing, though. Isn't it Hudson's favorite color?"
My head jerks toward him. "What? How would you know that?"
Rev's chuckle is dark velvet. "He mentioned it a few months back when you were obsessing over the color scheme for the Playground. Said teal was always his favorite."
"He never told me that," I say, something odd fluttering in my chest. Hudson had been with me through every planning meeting for the club, offering opinions on security layouts, sight lines, exit strategies—but never once had he mentioned his color preference.
"Of course he didn't," Kai says. "The man's got walls thicker than a bank vault.”
I don’t admit that Hudson chose my hair dye for me. Instead, I roll my eyes dramatically, trying to ignore the warmth creeping up my neck. "What a coincidence," I mutter, though my mind is racing with implications.
Kai's grin widens. "Isn't it just?" His tone is dripping with suggestion, eyes dancing with mischief.
The moment hangs between us, heavy with implication.
I push off the wall, trying to steady my racing heart. "You two are impossible," I groan.
Rev's smirk deepens as he shares a look with Kai. "That's why you love us."
And damn them, they're right.
Chapter 6
Hudson
Ihadtogetout of there. The sight of her—teal strands framing that face, that goddamn face—made something in my chest tighten until I couldn't breathe. Teal. My color. On her. I'd handed her the bag myself, played it casual like it meant nothing. But seeing it now, knowing those vibrant strands were there because of me... Christ.
It shouldn't matter. It can't matter. But the twins saw it. They always see everything. And the way they looked at me, like they knew exactly what was happening inside my head—I needed air before I did something stupid.
The Devil’s Lair is already humming when I hit the ground floor. Staff move like cogs in a machine—bartenders restocking shelves, waitresses adjusting skirts, the DJ testing sound levels so the bass thunders through the floorboards. Camden’s leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, eyes tracking the room with the lazy attention of a wolf who’s already decided nothing here is worth the bite.
He notices me immediately, pushing off the wall and falling into step beside me as I cut across the club. No questions, no hesitation—just that familiar half-smirk that says he’s about to run his mouth.
We step out into the sunlight. The noise of the club muffles behind the heavy doors, traded for the low thrum of the city—traffic, sirens, someone yelling two blocks over. Camden flicks a lighter, the flame catching, and soon the sharp bite of cigarette smoke curls into the air between us.
He takes a drag, exhales slow. “You know, Hud, I’ve been trying not to say it, but I’m struggling here.” His tone is casual, but the words are edged. “Why the fuck are you stuck playing nanny to the girl when the twins are the ones who actually matter?”
My jaw tightens, but I don’t answer. I keep walking, boots landing heavily on the sidewalk as we cut toward the SUV.
Camden doesn’t take the hint. He never does. “Don’t get me wrong, I like her. Funny as hell, good taste in liquor. I even think of her as a friend. But she’s not the boss. Rev and Kai are. They’re the ones who keep this city under control. And here you are, wasting the best talent we’ve got trailing after a woman who doesn’t know how to stay put.”
He takes another long drag, the cherry tip glowing. “It doesn’t make sense. Not when we’ve got enemies lining up around the block waiting to take a shot at us.”
We reach the SUV. I stop, turn to him. The air between us is thick with smoke and something sharper.
“Orders are orders.” My voice is flat steel.
Camden arches a brow, his smirk tugging wider. “That all you’ve got? Orders?” He flicks ash onto the concrete. “Come on, Hud. Off the record. You really think this is smart? That girl is chaos wrapped in pretty skin. One day she’s gonna drag youunder with her, and when she does, don’t expect me to say I told you so.”
I step in close enough that he has to tilt his head back to keep my gaze. “You don’t get to think off the record. You don’t get to question. You follow orders. You keep your mouth shut. And you don’t ever—ever—second-guess where I’m stationed.”
Camden studies me through the smoke, his eyes calculating, that humorless grin tugging at the edge of his mouth. Then he chuckles low and shakes his head, flicking the cigarette to the ground and grinding it out beneath his boot.
“Fine,” he mutters. “Your funeral.”
I don’t respond. I pull open the SUV door and climb in, the leather groaning beneath my weight. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Camden watching me still, his expression unreadable.
The engine rumbles to life under my hands, and for a second, I let myself sit in the growl of it. Camden’s words echo in my skull, but I shut them down with the same ruthless efficiency I use on everything else.
