That’s when I knew that wasn’t just mindless flirting or school banter. Logan had been playing the long game with me.He had known who I was from the moment he had met me at that little tropical dive bar all the college students went to.
And somehow, it led back to my blood.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
kaius
Vince droppeda folder onto the mountain of paperwork I was buried in. It landed dead center, scattering a few invoices as he fell into the chair across from me before I could tell him to get the hell out. I glared at him, jaw tight. I never went to bed last night, and judging by the dark shadows under his eyes, neither had he.
“That’s everything I could pull on Acelynn Thorton,” he said, jerking his chin to the folder. “It’s not much, just some transcripts and old addresses. Personally, I think someone may have forged them.”
“You think everyone’s documents are forged, you paranoid bastard,” I muttered, flipping the folder open.
He wasn’t entirely wrong. Inside was a high school transcript from a public school in North Carolina with addresses that lined up with a rundown apartment complex she supposedly grew up in. But there was no trace of her on social media. Not even adead account. Which was odd, considering everyone usually had at least one account, even if they hadn’t touched it in years. My eyebrows furrowed. “Maybe she went by something else when she was younger.”
Vince’s growl cut through the air. “Don’t make excuses for her just because you want to fuck her, Kaius. That’s how you get one of us killed or worse, locked up.”
I grunted at his comment, knowing I couldn’t deny the fact that I was more than just intrigued by my little kitten. My attention on her last night had made it evident to everyone in the club, but no one except Nolan or Vince would have the balls to say it to my face. Not one Knight was brave enough to cross me by pursuing her when she was working at the Queen’s Table.
“Keep digging,” I said flatly, slamming the folder shut and sliding it aside. “You must be missing something. She knew who we were. That doesn’t make her a threat, but I want to know what the hell she was running from in North Carolina before it lands on our doorstep.”
“Sure thing, boss,” Vince muttered before standing to go.
His irritation rolled off him in waves, but I didn’t care. He would get over it, just as he always did when someone new was initiated into the Knights. I made sure to cover my bases with every single person around us, even if they were just working behind our bar.
Still, the gnawing feeling in my gut wouldn’t go away. Something about Acelynn Thorton wasn’t adding up. It felt different from my typical paranoia. Before I could drown in suspicions, a knock on my office door pulled me out of my thoughts.
“What?” I snapped, slamming the papers against the desk with an audible thud.
The door cracked open slowly, and Acelynn stepped through. Her dark hair was gathered on the top of her head in a messyponytail. Last night’s mascara was smudged under her eyes like she had been crying not long ago. She was still in the same outfit from last night, but now she had on an oversized flannel wrapped tight around her frame. She looked shaken, but not broken.
“Nolan said you were in here.” Acelynn’s voice was timid. She hovered near the threshold of the room, shifting back and forth between her feet.
I stood, rounding the desk slowly. “What can I do for you, kitten?”
“Remember when I asked for the Knights’ protection earlier?” she asked, voice trembling just enough to set the hairs on the back of my neck on edge. Her terrified gaze refused to meet mine.
I frowned toward her. “Yes, and I thought we would discuss it later today?”
Acelynn swallowed hard. “Yeah, I am going to have to cash that deal in early, Kaius.”
“Explain,” I commanded, expression lasering in on her.
She folded her arms across her chest, pulling the flannel tighter around her front. “Because he found me, and I’m pretty sure he’s snaked his way into a club that would actually take him.”
“You’re saying the guy you are running from tried to patch into the Knights once?” I growled at her, rage beginning to boil over at this. I knew she was hiding something from us, and while this wasn’t the worst thing it could have been, it still wasn’t ideal.
Shaking her head once, she stepped forward. “No.”
Acelynn did not yield to me. Instead, she took another step forward, closing the distance between us until only a breath remained. If my mind wasn’t whirling with a thousand questions, I would have been impressed by her boldness.
“No,” she countered. Her bright hazel eyes looked at me with determination as she said, “Logan wasn’t a Knight when I knew him, but he wanted to be patched into any club he could get into. At one point, he was, which is what I thought got him killed. But apparently, he is back to haunt me from the dead.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
acelynn
Three Knights stoodin my bedroom, each one with a different reaction to the scene they were witnessing. Kaius hadn’t said much since I confessed everything about Logan. His silence was worse than yelling. It felt sharp, heavy, and made my anxiety claw at my chest like a trapped animal.
