Just because he protected Jade, that doesn’t make him some sort of hero. It doesn’t erase that initial unease I had when I saw him the other night, even if it did turn out that Allegra and Jack are both fine. It doesn’t alleviate any of my concern where this handsome stranger is concerned.
I clear my throat—and hopefully, my thoughts—and take a step back, freeing myself from his entrancing gaze and his scent so I can draw in a breath without being overwhelmed by it.
Alex approaches, motioning over his shoulder toward the door. “They’re gone.”
“Good.”
“I told them they’re banned for life.”
I nod, relieved he took care of that situation while I was dealing with this one—the man who still watches me intently with a penetrating gaze and that tiny smirk playing at his lips. “I’ll make sure we pull images of them from the video and show the photos to all the staff.”
Alex nods, then heads to the stage to talk to the other men who were with them, while the rest of the club quickly returns to normal, the excitement finished.
Jade whispers a “thank you” to her savior, then disappears into the back to take a few moments to gather herself together before it’s her turn on stage.
Our girls aren’t used to being manhandled by the patrons. Incidents like this don’t happen frequently at any of The Hawkeye Club locations—if at all. Because we demand better than that; from our security, from our customers, from ourselves.
Just one more failure on my part…
Instead of seeing this coming, I stepped out of the elevator too distracted by my conversation with Savage and Gabe about the potential threat the arrival of Satriano’s man in town might pose.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since the night Allegra and Jack were rushed to the hospital. Haven’t been able to stop seeing all these puzzle pieces I can’t quite fit together even though they appear to be from the same board.
With the opening of the second Hawke Hotel tower happening so soon, I can’t shake this tension and feeling that something bad is just on the horizon. But that isn’t an excuse for letting this happen on my watch.
If this stranger hadn’t jumped in and helped Jade, things could have gotten much further out of control before Alex or I could have intervened.
And I never would have been able to forgive myself.
I might not even be able to now…
The man who stepped up when I failed continues to watch me carefully, as if he’s waiting for me to do or say something more, and there’s plenty to say.
Not only have I had a bad vibe from him since the moment I set eyes on him the other night, but reviewing the video surveillance only frustrated me more. Because he somehow managed to spend hours in the club without his full face ever appearing on screen.
Almost as if he planned it that way…
And even if there’s an innocent explanation and I’m being paranoid where he’s concerned, we can’t have people believing it’s their responsibility to act as security and get involved in incidents at the club—that will only lead to more problems.
And this man is trouble enough.
I approach him again, trying not to squirm at the heat emanating from his blue eyes that only burns hotter when I draw up right in front of him and they rake over me from the top of my head down to my booted feet. “While I appreciate your help, please leave protecting the girls to us.”
The corner of his lips twitches. “You take your job very seriously.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I narrow my eyes on him. “Of course, I do.”
“And just how did a beautiful woman like you, who can put a man my size on the floor so easily, end up working at a place like this?” He spreads his hands wide. “Your talents are wasted here.”
I know it’s meant as both a compliment and sexual innuendo, but it’s the apparent dig at the club that makes my hackles rise. “My family owns the place.”
“Really?”
I nod.
One of his brows rises. “I thought the Hawkes owned it?”
It’s an innocuous question, but there’s something about the way he asks it that makes my fists clench at my sides. Preparing to defend them and myself if necessary. “They do.”
