Page 52 of Vicious in the Dark

“Will do. She’s learning to loveThe Bachelor. I think he’s growing on her.” Rumer flashed me an impish grin before adding, “Seriously though, Maven. Be careful.”

“Promise.” Before she could get too paranoid, I slipped out of the apartment and strolled down the hall. Every step gave me a rush.

I emerged from the building to find Wolfe’s silver Mustang idling at the curb. He got out of the car and came around to open the passenger door for me. “Holy shit, Butterfly. Is it wrong that I’m thinking about what you’d look like in only the boots? Not that I don’t love the whole outfit.”

Draped all in black, Wolfe wore chinos and a shirt with the collar open and the sleeves rolled up. His dark hair looked freshly cut. Short but still long enough to grab a good handful. Son of a bitch it had been a long time since I’d plunged my hands into his hair.

“Only the boots, huh?” I tapped my lip, pretending to consider. “I think that can be arranged.”

I got into the car, feeling like a princess when he closed my door. A crime syndicate princess. That wasn’t good enough for me though. I wanted to be the queen.

“Ace is already there,” Wolfe said when he got into the driver’s seat. “It shouldn’t be hard for him to blend in. He’s been there before. Where’s Maddox?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. He’s been in a real mood since you guys stopped by. That’s the dude he sent to keep an eye on me.” I pointed to a blacked-out SUV in one of the guest parking spaces.

“Probably being a pouty douchebag,” Wolfe mused, putting the car in gear. He stepped on the gas, and the engine growled. “You don’t have to go back there, you know. You can stay with me. Hell, I’ll even put you up in a hotel if you prefer.”

I watched the SUV in the side mirror as it followed us. “I appreciate that, Wolfe, but you don’t have to do that. I may take you up on that offer to stay with you if things get any worse with Maddox. But I don’t want to think about that right now. That’s a problem for Maven Hart to deal with later. As long as I’m wearing this wig, I’m Kandi Kane.”

Wolfe burst into laughter, a smooth, husky sound that almost hurt to hear. It had been too long. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s your fake stripper name? I see you as more of a Busty Monroe or a Sapphire Blaze. Something more sophisticated.”

“Busty Monroe, huh?” I repeated with a giggle. “Well, you can call me whatever you like, Wolfie.”

Being with Wolfe had always been easy. He was far more laid back than his brother, able to take things as they come and approach problems with a clear head. I’d seen him lose his temper. No doubt Wolfe Hale could blow his top when pushed to his limits, but it took a lot more to set him off, whereas Maddox was always simmering. Always ready to blow.

We laughed and talked as we drove through the city to a strip club called The Pussycat Lounge. It sucked that Wolfe couldn’t come in with me. A Hale brother would be immediately recognized in a place like this. Drawing attention wouldn’t help me get close to an Archer man. Ace would be inside though, acting as a patron, staying far away from me, yet close enough to have my back in an emergency.

Wolfe pulled over down the street from the strip club so nobody would see him drop me off. The SUV following us slowed down but didn’t stop. It rolled right by. Weird. Then I saw why. A black BMW rounded the corner behind us and slid to a stop. The driver’s door opened, and Maddox stepped out.

“Fuck me,” I muttered. To Wolfe I said, “I’m sorry to do this to you, but if he tries to follow me inside, stop him.”

“No worries, Butterfly. I’m not going to let him fuck this up. If he doesn’t want to be part of sending a message to Archer, he can at least stay out of our way.” Wolfe unbuckled his seatbelt, ready to get out and confront his brother.

Maddox strode up to the Mustang as I got out and swung the door closed. I braced myself, expecting him to try and stop me from doing this. Hands stuffed in the pockets of his ripped jeans, his gaze traveled over me. To my surprise, he grinned.

“Red, huh?” Maddox nodded appreciatively, his gaze lingering on my legs before darting back to my face. “I like it. Remember that night you wore a blonde wig to get info from one of the Crypt Keepers? Goddamn that was a good night.”

The sound of Wolfe’s door closing was loud as he joined us. “I remember that night. Couldn’t forget if I tried, not that I’ve ever tried. It’s easily one of my favorites.”

Yeah, it was one of my favorites too. It had ended with the two of them binding my wrists and tying me to the hook anchored in the ceiling of Wolfe’s bedroom. They’d taken me one at a time, after a little naughty torture of course. Then they’d taken me together. My face flamed as the memory surfaced.

“Are you here to stop me, Maddox?” I asked, unable to acknowledge that night without begging them both to take me right then and there. “Because I’m doing this whether you like it or not.”

Maddox eyed me with something like devilish intrigue. “Actually, I’m here to back you up. I never said that I wanted to control you, Vixen. I only said that I’d do anything to keep you safe. So here I am.”

On the inside I erupted in giddy glee. The two of them were finally going to work together again. Even if it was only on this one job, I’d take it. I didn’t know if the five of us could ever go back to what we’d once been, but deep down I ached for it.

“Are you sure?” Wolfe regarded his brother with open suspicion. “You’re not going to somehow screw this up, are you?”

“Don’t give me that shit, Wolfe.” Annoyance flashed across Maddox’s face. He turned to me, speaking calmer. “Ruthless is stationed at the back door to the club. I’m going to lurk out here near the front. If anything goes wrong in there, I want to know. Immediately.”

Our eyes locked, and all I saw in his was sincerity. I nodded, motioning to the two of them. “Okay, but that means the two of you have to make a genuine effort to get along. I mean it. Tonight, we’re all a team again.”

I waited for them each to agree. They exchanged a look with each other and nodded. I left them there on the sidewalk, staring after me as I sashayed my way down the block to the club.

I wasn’t sure what was more dangerous. Luring an Archer goon or leaving the Hale brothers alone together.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

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