Page 47 of Power of Shadow

“We don’t know each other, Ryker, and you think I’m going to hand her over to you?” He laughs out loud again. “There’s no way I’d do that.”

“I’m asking nicely for now, but know that I’ll do whatever it takes to talk to her face to face.”

He frowns, and the muscle in his jaw twitches. He’s losing patience. “And who the fuck are you to say things like that to me?”

For better effect, I wait a moment before replying in a low voice filled with warning, “You know very well who I am. Who I really am. And you know what I’m capable of.”

“Get the fuck out of my club!” His anger is obvious. He stands up and points to the exit.

“Don’t be stupid, Alex. We can help each other, but you don’t want to cross me,” I threaten.

“Are you out of your mind? Look around, man. You’re in my club! You’re with two friends, and I have nearly fifty people behind me. You have the balls to threaten me?!”

Keeping my gaze fixed on him, I also rise from my chair at a slow pace.

“I have the balls to suggest this to you, and I have the balls to follow through on what I say.”

In that moment, despite the noise, a woman’s voice reaches my ears. “Don’t care, Sly. I have to see him!”

Turning around, I see a ghost.

It’s her.

The woman I first saw at my club, and then a second time when she was talking to Eli in Owen’s club when she took him for a ride like a kid with a lollipop, is rushing toward us.

With each step, her curly ponytail swings back and forth. A few strands of hair that have escaped frame her beautiful face. She’s breathtaking.

She’s wearing a white top and tight jeans that accentuate her curves. For a moment, I regret that I’m not behind her and can’t see it from that angle. As soon as she passes me, like I’m not even there, my wish comes true.

My eyes goes to her round and exciting ass. My mouth waters, thinking about what it would be like to feel it in my hands.

That’s when a shiver goes down my spine. The same strange connection I felt with Shadow. That magnetic something.

I hold my breath, speechless. A few blinks later, I’m overcome with a strange sense of guilt.

No, it’s impossible. I’m out of my mind.

Disgusted, I shake my head. I’m so intent on getting my hands on Shadow that I want her to be some random woman. I can’t think of any other logical explanation for what’s happening.

Meanwhile, she stands in front of Alex, puts her hands on her hips, and looks at him with a menacing stare. Out of habit, she turns the silver ring on her thumb. “Fuck. Alex, I’ve called you a million times. Why aren’t you answering? Something terrible has happened—”

“Stop, Ash.” Alex looks at her pointedly and then shifts his gaze to me. But there’s something else in his eyes. A longing he can’t hide from me. “I’m in the middle of a meeting.”

The woman gasps, a sudden realization dawning on her face Turning toward me, she looks me up and down. She carefully examines my hands and neck, where my tattoos are visible. Then, our eyes meet. Hers are green and mesmerizing.

Similar... to my mother’s eyes.

Only more intense.

“Ryker Elliot,” I say, offering her my hand.

She extends her hand with caution, as though scared I might cause her pain. “Ash,” she says in a hushed voice.

Before our hands meet, Eli has to screw everything up. “The Little Thief has a name after all.”

Her reaction is immediate. She turns toward him, and recognition flashes across her face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ash raises her pretty head in defiance.