Page 95 of The Denver Alpha

I fight back a cringe at his vulgarity. This man is truly vile- I don’t know how Cole stomached dealing with him back when they were trying to negotiate business.

Cole.

That’s who I’m doing this for. And that’s precisely why I bite my tongue against all of the choice words I have for Gavin Holley as he picks up his fresh drink, smirking at me over the rim before downing half of it in a single gulp.

“So what is it, then?” Gavin asks after he swallows down the liquor.

I trace a finger along the rim of my own glass. “I’m here about Jokers.”

“Bauer’s club?” he questions, feigning ignorance. A patronizing smile slides across his lips. “Last I heard, it was closed for renovations.” Gavin finishes the rest of his drink, slamming his glass down on the table before folding his arms behind his head and leaning back against the leather booth. “Are you seeking employment in the meantime? I’m sure I could get the owner of this place to give you a shot, if you make it worth my while.”

His arrogance grates on my nerves with every breath, but I know I can’t let him get to me. I have to play this perfectly, and right now, he’s too intrigued to even notice the way his phone has stopped vibrating, the screen going dark. He thinks he’s as clever as a fox, but he’s unknowingly caught in my trap.

I roll my eyes, pushing my whiskey glass aside. “Let’s cut the shit, Gavin,” I say, folding my hands on the table and leveling him with a glare. “We both know you trashed the place.”

The corner of his mouth lifts. “That’s a bold accusation.” Gavin picks up his drink again, glancing down into the glass as he swirls the amber liquor inside. “Got any proof?”

“Why would I need to prove something I already know?”

His eyes flicker up to meet mine, that cocky smirk returning to his lips.

I grit my teeth. “Did I not make myself clear when I said to leave us alone?”

Gavin leans back with a sigh. “You already know how to make that happen,” he says with the dismissive wave of a hand. “It’s simple. As soon as I get what I want, things will get a whole lot easier for your boyfriend. Until then…” he trails off with a shrug. “His string of bad luck will likely continue.”

My phone pings with an incoming message and I pick it up from the table, blowing out a shallow breath when I see the text on the screen.

Cole:It’s done. Meet me out front.

I roll my neck on my shoulders, picking up the glass of whiskey and downing it. I flash Gavin a smug smile as I set the tumbler back down and slide out of the booth.

“You’ll back off if you know what’s good for you,” I say, smoothing the front of my dress as I stand. “Consider this your last warning, Mr. Holley.”

His eyes flicker with amusement, that slimy smirk still playing on his lips. “Thought you weren’t a messenger?”

“I’m not.” My grin widens. “I’m a distraction.”

As if on cue, two men suddenly rush into the VIP area, eyes wide and wild. “Why aren’t you answering your phone?!” one of them shouts to Gavin.

His arrogant expression falls, immediately replaced by blind rage as he jolts to his feet. “What did you do?!” he demands, pointing all of that rage in my direction.

I toss him a wink as I turn on a heel, angling to get the hell out of here before shit hits the fan.

It was risky to set up this meeting, but in every scenario Cole and I came up with, it was the only thing that made sense. Gavin might’ve agreed to meet Cole instead, but he would’ve been on guard the whole time, looking over his shoulder. Nervously checking his phone, which would’ve prevented us from stealing all the data on it via the malware that Cole’s head of IT installed on my own phone before coming here. Without that, not only would we miss out on obtaining incriminating evidence on Gavin, but also the opportunity to fry his phone so he couldn’t be reached when there was a break-in at his new warehouse; the one that Cole’s IT guy was able to do some digging to discover. Gavin’s lackeys wouldn’t risk a call to law enforcement given the contents of that warehouse, but had he known, Gavin could’ve called his cop buddies to intervene before we lit it up.

Burn, baby, burn.

Fire took away Cole’s hope once. Now, it would give it back.

Gavin never should’ve underestimated me, letting his guard down to his own detriment. I’m grinning from ear to ear as I stride away, the taste of sweet victory mingling with the whiskey on my tongue.

“Don’t let her leave!” Gavin bellows after me, and I pick up my pace, breaking into a jog as I slip past the bewildered looking bouncer at the VIP entrance.

The main floor of the club is more crowded than when I entered, a sea of bodies obstructing my path to the front door. I glance over my shoulder as I start to shove my way through, spotting Gavin and his men sprinting from the VIP area, hot on my heels.

Shit.

This was not part of the plan, but I’m good at thinking on my feet. Which is what I kept telling Cole over and over when I was trying to get him to agree to this idea in the first place. When I first brought it up, he outright refused, not willing to allow me to put myself in harm’s way to settle his vendetta. It took quite a bit of convincing before he finally came around, reluctantly agreeing to trust my judgment as his mate and future Luna. The fact that I’m physically stronger than Gavin went a long way in talking Cole into it, too- because even if he did try to harm me in some way, he wouldn’t be able to overpower me.

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