I tried to ignore how close his hands were to mine as the weight of his statement settled. He’d not only killed for his own reasons, but because that man had hurt me. He’d said as much before sinking a bullet into the man’s neck.
Did he…care about me?
Henley’s body stiffened behind me, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced at him before following his line of sight. “Do you see him?” I asked. Earlier, Henley had quickly filled me in on his name, but I didn’t know that it was a smart idea to be airing out who we were in search of, no matter how quiet I was talking.
His hands twisted on the bar, his grip tight. “Stay here.”
His arms dropped at the same time I spun around and grabbed his shirt. “Wait.”
“Grace?”
I froze, the hairs on the back of my neck rising.
That voice.
My head turned to face the direction it had come from, a sour feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. “Tyler.” It wasn’t a question, and I didn’t sound excited to see him. Henley would kill him if he knew about my past with him.
Henley’s gaze moved from me to my ex, skepticism mixed with pure judgment filling his eyes.
“What are you doing here?” Tyler asked, focus shifting between me and the man who stood stiff as a board in front of me.
“I’m out with my, uh…boyfriend,” I blurted, and instantly cringed.
Shit.
Tyler looked up and down Henley’s form, judging him right back. “Boyfriend, huh?” With his hands in his pockets and hood pulled up, he said, “Move on quick, do you, Grace?”
I blinked, confused. “Quick? Tyler, it’s been months.”
“He’s your ex,” Henley said blandly, still not giving Tyler the respect of facing him fully.
Tyler dropped his hands from his pockets, shoving his sleeve up to check the time. “Yeah, I’m her ex.”
Wait—the time?
“Since when do you have money for a Rolex?” I questioned, not missing the reflection of the lights off the shiny watch.
He grinned, turning his wrist over as he admired the piece before dropping his arm. “Since I started selling a shitton of real estate. Amazing what a fancy car will get you in terms of clients and trust.”
My forehead creased, putting the pieces together. I shook my head subtly, not sure why I cared so much to know—but also confused how he got to this point when Tyler had been barely out of prison when I met him, unable to get a good job because of the tattoo on his temple. “What fancy car?”
Henley stood there, seemingly disinterested, but I could tell he was keeping an eye on Tyler and every one of his movements. Any small act out of line would likely end terribly for Tyler. Henley was on edge, and Tyler was getting in the way of our plan.
Tyler stuffed his hands back in his pockets, his rapt focus on me making me slightly uncomfortable. Flashes of our past threatened to appear in my mind, but I shoved them away, instead forcing my attention to stay on the subject.
My grip must’ve tightened on Henley’s shirt, because his hand came up to rest on my waist, grounding me.
“Oh, you don’t know yet?” Tyler asked, a cocky smirk on his mouth. I remembered that look from all the times he’d treated me like I was stupid. “That little stash of cash you hid behind your plants in the living room was a big help, if I must say.”
My body went rigid at the same time as Henley’s fingers dug into my skin.
“Youstolefrom me?” I asked, incredulous.
He shrugged, hoodie opening as he gestured wide with his pocketed hands. “You were my girlfriend, Grace. What’s yours was mine, remember?”
I shook my head, hands dropping from Henley’s shirt as I stepped toward Tyler. I tilted my chin up, glaring at him. “That’s for married couples, Tyler. Not what we were.”
He angled his head down, pasting on a fake pout. He patted me on the head, and I could practically feel the heat of Henley’s rage from behind me. “You’ll make it back, sweets. Don’t worry.”
