“You want me on nights?” I asked.
“I want you where she is,” Devil said, plain and simple. “Until we know what’s moving around us, you don’t leave her alone unless you have to.”
I nodded thinking there was no place I’d rather be. “Yeah. I got her.”
Devil tilted his head. “Chain.”
“Yeah?”
“You sure you’re looking at this clean? Not letting your situation with her color the facts?”
My teeth pressed together. “It’s not a situation.”
He smirked, barely. “Then this’ll be easy.”
I didn’t rise to it.
Devil straightened. “We wait. We watch. We keep quiet until we’ve got answers.”
“Understood.”
But when I stepped out of the office and saw Lark wipin’ down a table—her eyes still darting to that damn window—my gut twisted again.
Quiet wasn’t gonna last.
Not with ghosts startin’ to walk.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
THE SHIFT DRAGGEDlonger than usual, every soundand movement too loud in my head. I could still feel the heat of the afternoon, Chain’s hand over mine in the car, his voice husky as he told me to ease off the clutch. Every time I looked at him now, I saw that same calm control. It unnerved me how much I wanted to shake it. These thoughts of Chain, helped take my mind off thinking I saw Zach. It was just simply impossible and I needed to forget it.
By the time the last customer stumbled out, I was more than ready to go home.
“Ready?” he asked, his tone unreadable.
“Just need to grab my purse.”
“I’ll be out front,” he said, but there was a flicker of something softer behind the words.
I ducked into the small back room where we kept our things. Ruby was counting tips at the small table; Roxanne leaned beside her, cigarette between her fingers even though she knew damn well smoking inside was against the rules.
“Going somewhere, new girl?” Roxanne asked, voice dripping with sugar and spite.
“Home,” I said simply, reaching for my purse.
“Onhisbike?” She laughed, her eyes spiteful. “Well, that’s a first. Guess congratulations are in order, Chain doesn’t usually give rides unless they come with benefits.”
The words hit like a slap, hot and mean. I froze halfway to the door, fingers tightening around the strap of my bag.
Ruby looked up sharply. “Knock it off, Roxanne.”
Roxanne shrugged, smoke curling from her lips. “I’m just saying, she should know what kind of man she’s climbing on with.”
Ruby’s voice went flat. “She knows exactly who he is. And maybe you should worry less about his passengers and more about why he won’t ask you.”
Roxanne’s smirk slipped. “Bitch,” she muttered, grinding the cigarette out in a glass before stalking toward the door.
Ruby blew out a breath, shaking her head. “Don’t let her get to you. She’s got history with Chain. None of it serious.”
