Page 23 of Fate's Dice

CHAPTER EIGHT

‘LOVELY’ DYING IN DESIGNER

When it's closing time, I begin to empty the register and put the cash into the safe in the back, but I hear the bell chime, alerting us that someone has entered.

I pay it no mind since Amber is up front and can let them know we're closed. I load the cash into the safe and make my way to the lockers, grabbing my purse and jacket before heading back to the front. When I get there however, I stop dead in my tracks.

A man I’ve never seen before stands there ignoring Amber as she tells him we're closed.

He’s as tall as Leo and broad shouldered. He has tattoos all over his neck including an angel at the center. Its wings spread wide with the tips at the corners of his jaw. There’s an A on the left and an F on the other which probably stands forAlonso Familia. Despite the gangbanger look, he's utterly handsome.

Bright blue eyes, smooth face with sharp features and a shaved head. If it weren't for the expensive clothes that fit him perfectly, I would assume this guy was a rough street thug.

Keeping the bar between us, I ask, “Brian?”

He smiles broadly, “So you’ve heard of me, eh?”

Amber stands there, looking at Brian like he’s naked. I pull my purse over my shoulder as I watch her practically drool, but Brian shrugs and throws me a wink.

It's not flirty, or maybe it is, but he seems like the kind of guy that flirts with any female.

I slide my clock-out sheet in the machine and scoot past the bar, "Mm, I don't think so. I'll just walk."

Brian sighs and pinches his nose like it's annoying that I don't want to ride with someone I don't know or trust. I may have been in a fog when Leo demanded me to ride with his friend, but I’m no longer blinded by an orgasm.

"Look, you can walk but I'm going to follow then get my ass kicked by Leo when he finds out. Do me a favor and just ride with me. Besides, you have some crazy admirer out there salivating for a chance to get to you.”

A shiver works its way up my spine while Amber just watches us like we're her new favorite TV show.

“And how do I know you’re not a creepy stalker?” I ask with a hand on my hip. I see the bulge of a gun under his jacket, and I’m not fond of the idea of getting a vehicle with him, but neither am I okay with walking in the dark while some obsessive psycho stalks me.

Brian lifts his hand up and makes a V with his index and middle fingers separated from the other two, like a Star Trek fan, "Scout's honor, I am not your creepy friend. Besides, the camera footage here will have my face stored in the hard drive.”

Amber busts out laughing, and I try to keep a straight face because Brian is dead serious with the hand sign.

"What?" He asks in confusion.

No longer able to hold back my laughter, I speak through the chuckles, "That's the sign ofStar Trek, not the Boy Scouts."

"I know, it's the sign of peace."

This fucking guy. I'm dead. He's so off that I feel bad for him.

"Then why say Scouts—Never mind, let’s go."

I really don't think this guy means me harm. For one, Amber saw his face and knows he's the one taking me home. Plus, he’s right about the cameras.

Unlike the bank, this place has a pretty good security system.

Also, he has a brotherly vibe about him that puts me at ease.

Still though, I grab the handle of my switchblade inside my purse as I sit in the passenger seat.

Brian didn't bother opening my door for me like Leo did, which is fine by me. I think the gesture would look archaic on anyone else anyway.

The thought makes me think of our impromptu heated alleyway scene. Ugh, the fucker is so damn sexy, and I want more of him. Just thinking of the heat of his palm through my jeans makes me wet all over again.

My scalp stings with the memory of how he fisted my hair, and it makes my chest flutter with those damn annoying butterflies. Now he wants to make sure I get home safely, and it feels like the makings of a romance novel.

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