“Then you’ll rot away in prison. For the rest of your miserable life.”
With the mountain of charges stacked against me, I didn’t have the luxury of choice. The deal was the only thing keeping me from a life sentence—or worse. Parsons, with his superior ego, thought this plan was foolproof. But he was blind to the obvious. If the Knights discovered me, I would be returning to him in a body bag, not with club secrets to bring them to justice he was so hell-bent on. If there was anyone who deserved justice from them, it was me. Infiltrating Lovelen’s most dangerous criminal empire wasn’t a mission. It was a death wish.
Not that they cared.
The department had backed me so far into a corner I could barely breathe, let alone escape. And now, with the possibility of gathering intel on the city’s most feared gang, they were more than willing to feed me to the coyotes.
I tore my eyes from the gold ring glinting on Nolan’s finger and refocused on my target. Astoria. She gave an exaggerated roll of her emerald eyes before swatting Nolan Bedivere’s hand away from her hair and sweeping past him. But not beforeglancing back and fluttering her long, dark lashes just enough to keep him twisted around her pretty little finger.
I raised my glass of water to my lips, watching from behind the rim as Nolan ran a hand down his face, struggling not to race after her. Every muscle in his back was pulled so tight, his leather jacket strained at the seams as his restraint wore thin.
Then Astoria turned, her voice smooth as velvet and sharp as a blade. “You’d better run back to my brother.”
She licked her pink lips with deliberate ease. “We both know how he gets when you keep him waiting.”
Nolan only lingered in the doorway for a heartbeat longer, watching as Astoria disappeared behind a teal-painted restroom door. Then, with a shove that sent the glass door rattling against the frame, he stepped out into the darkness of the desert night.
I stood from my booth and moved casually through the near-empty diner, weaving between the faded vinyl chairs that stuck out from the chipped tables until I reached the bathroom.
The moment I stepped inside, I could tell this place hadn’t been renovated since the ’80s. Once baby blue, the walls were now dull and peeling. The overhead light buzzed faintly, casting a sickly yellow hue over everything, making the bubblegum pink stall doors look even more awful than they already were.
My gaze caught my reflection in the mirror, and I had to mask the startled look on my face as I looked into the hazel contact lenses staring back at me. It was like looking at a stranger. Another sacrifice to who I was. Another piece of me stripped away in the name of survival. I leaned forward, pretending to fix a smudge in my lipstick just as Astoria emerged from the far stall, eyes glued to her phone, completely unaware she was no longer alone.
She stepped up beside me, slipping the phone into her back pocket and flicking the faucet on. I kept my act up, adjusting my shirt just enough for the silver chain around my neck to slip free.The ace of spades pendant caught the flickering light, glinting in the mirror like the beacon of destruction it once was.
Astoria’s eyes snapped to it.
“Pretty necklace,” she said with a smile. But her tone was a blade wrapped in silk—soft on the surface but razor sharp underneath. A warning. This was the Knights of Lovelen’s territory. And opposing clubs’ symbols weren’t welcome here. Not unless you were family. And mine was dead.
I straightened slowly, matching her stance. She had a few inches on me in her heeled boots, but the height didn’t rattle me like she intended it to.
“Thanks,” I said smoothly. “My grandmother gave it to me when I was little.”
The lie felt like ash in my mouth. I touched the charm, letting my fingers linger on the familiar curve of the spade. “She thought she was being clever.”
Astoria tilted her head, eyes still fixed on the necklace. “Clever?”
“Yeah.” I let out a breathy laugh. “My name’s Acelynn. Every gift she ever gave had this damn thing on it. Some kids learn to bake from their grandparents. Mine taught me how to cheat at poker.”
That earned a genuine laugh from her. Astoria’s soft bubble of amusement echoed off the bathroom tiles.
“You’re funny,” she said through her laughter. “I might have to bribe one of the guys at the bar to sneak you onto the poker night roster just to see if you could clean my brother out. He could use a little humbling every once in a while.”
“Name the time and place.” I shot her a wink, letting the chain fall back against its home on my chest.
Astoria’s gaze sharpened slightly. “You must be new if you don’t know that wearing that out in the open could get you killed in Lovelen.”
There was curiosity in her voice, but not alarm. Maybe she believed my story. Or maybe she was just good at playing along. When you grow up around criminal activity, you learn how to chameleon yourself to be what people want to either take advantage of them or get out of trouble. Either way, her posture had relaxed—and for now, that was a win.
I shrugged before turning toward the door and began to exit the bathroom. “Just moved here. Didn’t realize I had landed in a place where a simple playing card symbol could cause anarchy.”
“Oh,” she said with a smirk as she held the door open with one hand. “You have no idea.”
The click of her boots rang out behind me as we exited into the diner once again. I slid back into my booth. Astoria helped herself to the seat across from mine, no invitation needed. I guess when your family owns the entire town, you don’t need to ask for permission for much of anything.
“So, Acelynn…” She trailed off, fishing for a last name.
“Acelynn Thorton,” I said casually, offering my hand to her.
