“Great!”Sinn clapped his hands together.“If the day ends iny, we have a party.”
She rolled her eyes.“Of course.Listen, I’ve told you everything I know about the other night—”
“Except why you returned it to us,” Saint interrupted.
“I returned it because it wasn’t mine,” Kira snapped, and then slumped back against the vinyl seat.“Seriously, you guys are driving me up a wall.I returned it so you wouldn’t show up here, looking for your property and hurting people.Joe is a good man and doesn’t deserve his place messed up because the Sons are on the warpath.I know you think I have this ulterior motive, but I promise, I don’t.”
Saint tilted his head as he studied her.Even Sinn lost his gleeful look.“You think we’d hurt people?”
“Iknowyou hurt people,” she countered.“Innocent people who’d get in your way.I don’t care how or where your property came from.Please, just forget about me and this diner.”
The brothers were silent for a moment.
“Is Joe your lover?”Saint asked.
Inwardly, she sighed.“No.I have no lover.I don’t want a lover.”
His eyes narrowed as he studied her.“Someone hurt you.”
“Everyone hurts everyone,” she said.“I’ve learned that’s how life works.”
“I don’t think we should put that on a fortune cookie,” Sinn said.
Despite herself, she found that funny, for some reason, and she smiled.
“I think we’re growing on her, Brother,” Sinn murmured, elbowing Saint.
“Maybe,” Saint said.“Question is, do we want to grow on her?”
“Stop making yourself sound like a fungal infection,” she said dryly as she scooted out of the booth.“Now, I have to get back to work.Like I said, I’ve told you everything I know about that night.There’s no need to keep up the pretense of wooing me, or whatever this is you’ve been doing.”She grabbed the tray of rolled silverware.“Goodbye.”
Kira turned her back to them and disappeared into the kitchen.From her vantage point, she watched them leave the booth and head to the door.Sinn glanced back at her with a touch of regret and worry clouding his face, and she almost believed his sincerity.Then, they left the diner, and she really hoped they stayed away this time.
****
Saint sat behind hisdesk, staring at the clock.Ten minutes to midnight, and he knew from digging into her life that Kira would be going home soon.He’d given his word that they’d stay away from her but for some goddamn reason he couldn’t get her out of his head.He kept telling himself she’d answered his question ofwhyshe returned the money, but could a person be that altruistic?His phone rang and Lucifer’s name appeared.He connected the call.
“Lucifer.”
“Saint,” he acknowledged back.“Any progress?”
“None so far.My VP is secretly vetting all our members, looking for a money trail or any disgruntlement on why’d they turn traitor.So far, nothing.”
“Same,” Lucifer said.“It’s like an itch I can’t reach and it’s driving me crazy.I find myself looking at my men and doubting them, and I fucking hate that.”
“I know how you feel.As soon as I discover anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Ditto.”
He hung up, but before he put down his phone, he brought up Kira’s video once more.She was just another sob story of a man dealing her wrong, but it did give an explanation of her fury.Yet ...there was something else in her eyes that first night.If he had to put a name on it, she was terrified, until she got that call.Then she turned into an avenging goddess.The way she beat that asshole into oblivion was mesmerizing.His brother was right.Seeing that video turned him on.There was something about her that made him want to stare at her.
She must not have had someone rescue her like she tried to rescue her coworker.That was why he had parked outside her apartment complex the previous night, and in all honesty, why he planned to go back.To make sure her stalker didn’t return.
What the ever-loving fuck was wrong with him?He wasn’t a knight in shining armor.Or a hero.Or a do-gooder.
“So,” his brother said, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned in the doorway.“Where’d you go last night?”
Fuck.“Just home.”
