Page 1

Chapter 1

ANA

Twelve years ago

The red-and-purple neon sign above me pulsed and buzzed with the name of the club, Davis & Third.

Steeped in notoriety, the gritty street-corner venue was an institution in Nashville’s underground jazz scene.

It made its name by launching generations of young musicians from obscure late-night jam sessions to international stardom.

Pushing past the passersby on the crowded sidewalk, I slipped through the open door and wove down the stairs into the undercroft watering hole.

I glanced around, looking for a spot to chill until my movie started at the cinema next door in an hour.

Inside, the vibe was artsy, lamp-lit, velvet-draped, and intimate.

A wall of exposed industrial brick framed the small stage, where jazz notes drifted from the speakers above.

I leaned against the long marble counter, waiting for the barman to notice me.

The place was packed with patrons, most of them young, restless, and seeking an escape, like me.

‘You’re a stunner,’ the mustachioed bartender said, grinning. ‘What can I get you, beautiful?’

‘Glass of house white, please.’

I slid a folded ten-dollar bill across the bar.

He poured a light-amber vintage, nodded appreciatively, and winked.

I shot him a tight smile, ignoring the glimmer in his eye.

‘Thank you.’

Swiveling around, I stepped back and slammed into a brick-wall chest.

Wine sloshed over the rim of my stemware, splashing my top.

‘Careful.’

A deep voice rumbled above me as a hand steadied my forearm, stilling me.

I glanced up into a chiseled, beautiful face.

My heart jolted as I took him in.

The man was mixed race, with dark, wavy curls falling over his forehead.

He towered over my five-foot-ten frame, a broad, muscled, intense presence that charged the air around me.

But it was his piercing hazel-green-gold eyes that caught my attention as they locked onto mine.

I took a breath and was hit by his scent: an intoxicating cocktail of sandalwood, leather, and musk.

‘You good there?’ he asked in a timbred rumble.

‘Fine,’ I managed. ‘Just dodging friendly fire.’