Page 9

I started past him, but he caught my arm lightly.

“Listen, there’s something else.”

I looked down at his hand, and he released me.

Smart man.

“What?”

“The new owner is coming in tonight.”

I shrugged. “Should I put on more clothes or fewer?”

“Vesper…”

The warning in his voice made me look at him more closely.

Gavin glanced toward the VIP floor before lowering his voice. “Someone important has been asking about you.”

“Men ask about me every night. It’s the business model.”

“Not like this. They asked for Alessia Caruso specifically.”

I swallowed hard. No one at Nocturne used my real name except Gavin, payroll, and the two women I trusted in the dressing room. Even my paperwork had been submitted through a small company I controlled because I had learned long ago that legal names were dangerous in the wrong hands.

“Who asked for me?”

“I wasn’t told who exactly.”

“Then tell them they’re out of luck.”

Gavin’s mouth flattened. “You may want to reconsider.”

“I usually don’t.”

“The Morozovs didn’t buy this place so their employees could ignore them.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “Which Morozov is asking for me then?”

“I don’t know.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“I expect you to believe I know enough not to ask questions when the answer could make my evening significantly more difficult.”

Fair enough. Irritating, though, but still fair.

Behind him, one of the security guards stepped through the corridor door and glanced toward Gavin. The movement was subtle, but I noticed the tension in his shoulders anyway.

“The men at the far table,” I said. “They’ve been following me.”

Gavin’s expression tensed with concern instantly. “How long?”

“Twice this week. Maybe longer.”

“And you’re just now telling me this?”

“I was confirming the pattern.”