“Office,” Mystic said, jerkin’ his chin toward the hall.
“Thanks.” I turned to go, but my eyes caught hers again. And this time, I couldn’t make myself look away.
Damn ridiculous, me feelin’ awkward. I was smooth with women. Always had been. But somethin’ about her made the air feel too thick.
“Lark,” I said, my tone lower than I meant. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Lucy grinned like she’d been waitin’ for that exact moment. “Surprise! She’s staying here for a while. Devil’s letting her use one of the upstairs rooms. Told her you ran High Voltage, figured you might have a job open.”
My stomach tightened. “That right?”
Lark nodded, her gaze steady on mine. “I need experience and money to start my life over.”
Her voice was soft, but there was somethin’ under it, steel and hunger and a little bit of fear. Not the kind that makes you shrink back, though. The kind that makes youmove forward.
Lucy elbowed me in the ribs. “Well? Say something useful.”
“Lucy,” Zeynep murmured, though she was smilin’.
I shot Lucy a look, but she only grinned wider. “You ever get tired of bein’ pushy?” I asked, shakin’ my head.
Lark laughed—soft, unguarded—and that sound cut through the noise in my head like a clean blade. Damn, I liked that sound.
“Sure,” I said finally. “Have Lucy bring you by High Voltage and we’ll talk it through.”
“I will,” she said. “And… thank you again. For what you did.”
Didn’t know how to answer that, a rare thing for me. My throat went tight, so I just nodded.
“I need to talk to Devil,” I said, turning toward the hall.
But her gaze trailed after me all the way across the room—hot, focused.
And hell if I didn’t feel it long after the door shut behind me.
***
I DIDN’T BOTHERknocking when I stepped into Devil’s office. We’d been brothers too damn long for formality. The air inside hit heavy, smoke, whiskey, and old ghosts he refused to let go of.
He sat behind the desk, elbows braced, eyes locked on Raina’s picture again, cigarette burnin’ low between his fingers. Same frame. Same spot. I never knew if he was keepin’ her memory alive or just too stubborn to admit she was gone.
I’d tried to understand that kind of love—the kind that guts a man and still leaves him kneelin’ in the ashes—but I’d never had it. Not like him. Not like what he lost.
I dropped a folder on the desk. “Numbers Gatsby said you wanted.”
Devil didn’t look up. He stamped the cigarette out and slid the photo right back where it always sat. Same damn move he’d done every day for five years. Like that frame was the only thing keepin’ him anchored to the earth.
“I see we’ve got a new houseguest,” I said, leanin’ against the doorframe.
“I’m sure Lucy filled you in,” he said, voice calm, clipped. “Girl needed a place. Didn’t seem right to turn her away.”
“And a job at my bar,” I added.
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “No, she skipped that part. Youareshort a waitress though, right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “But you sure she can handle it? Girl’s been locked up her whole damn life.”
Devil leaned back, eyes cuttin’ to mine. “From what I’ve seen, she’s tougher than she looks. And don’t pretend you haven’t noticed.”
