“Who’s the girl in the photo?” Kyle asked.
Dante pushed the photo toward him. “Julie Abbott. Have you seen her?”
Kyle rested his fingers against the bottom of the photo and pulled it toward him. He stared at it before pushing it back toward Dante. “No. She’s young.”
“Only sixteen.”
Kyle’s eyes shone with hostility when they returned to Dante. “What do you want with a sixteen-year-old?”
“Her mother hired me to find her.”
“The mother hired you to find her?”
“That’s what I said.”
Kyle’s brow furrowed, but before he could say anything more, Tammy waved frantically at him. “Kyle! I have to go.”
Kyle gave him a suspicious glance before pushing away from the bar and walking toward Tammy. She was biting her bottom lip as she frantically searched her purse.
“Is everything okay?” Kyle asked her.
“Yeah, yeah,” Tammy said distractedly. “My kid’s sick. My ex is flipping out, and I gotta get home.”
Dante was about to lift his drink when he felt another presence at his side, the scent of cherry filled his nose, and he realized the music had stopped. He turned to discover the woman standing nearby and leaning forward to peer at the picture.
When she lifted her head, those beautiful midnight blue eyes met his. “She’s not the same woman who was in the last photo you showed me.”
Dante had replayed the last time they spoke a thousand different times in his mind. It was only a brief exchange, and there had been something panicked in her eyes, but they were also openly curious. He’d detected the increased beat of her heart and watched as her eyes fell to his lips before flitting away.
Now, when she lifted her eyes to his, he saw curiosity mingled with her uncertainty.
“I found her and brought her home. She’s doing good.” Dante couldn’t keep the hint of pride from his voice, but he was proud that she was in rehab and sticking it out this time. On occasion, he would look up those he found in the past; most of them were still doing well.
“That’s good,” the woman murmured, and like before, her eyes fell to his lips before darting toward the bartender as he returned.
“What did you do to her after you found her?” Kyle asked as he set a glass of water in front of the woman.
“Kyle,” the woman said in a low, warning voice.
Kyle barely glanced at her before focusing on Dante again.
“I returned her to her family,” Dante said as he tapped Julie’s picture and focused on the woman. “Have you seen her?”
The woman bit her lip as she studied the picture. “I’m sorry, but no.”
Cassidy tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear as she restrained herself from leaning closer to inhale the tantalizing scent of leather Dante emitted. Her reaction to him wasn’t normal; nothing had been normal since he walked into the bar two weeks ago.
Cassidy had spent every night of the past two weeks dreaming about him, and now he was here again. She’d yearned for his return, but she was torn between running and leaning closer to learn if he felt as good as he smelled. The idea of doing it caused her nipples to harden and her mouth watered.
Before he could sense her reaction to him, she tore her attention away and took a sip of water as she reined in her turbulent emotions. Now was not the time.
“We’re supposed to believe you returned her to her family?” Kyle asked.
“Kyle!” Cassidy hissed. “Don’t you have customers to attend to?”
Kyle glanced down the bar at all the nearly full drinks. “Nope.”
“I’m sure you have coolers to restock.”
“Already done.”
Dante didn’t know what these two were to each other, but it was more than a working relationship. But that was obvious the first time he saw them. Kyle hadn’t liked him talking to her, and neither had the other male with them.
A ball of jealousy knotted in his stomach. Were the two of them a couple? Normally, he’d walk away from that kind of situation; he wouldn’t break up a home, even an unhappy one, but Dante couldn’t walk away from her until he was certain she was taken.
“I don’t care what you believe,” Dante said. “It’s the truth, and I’d like to find this girl so I can bring her home too.”
Cassidy glared at Kyle before turning her attention back to Dante. “Is that what you do? You find missing women?”
“Not just women; I locate missing men too.”
Kyle snorted. “Or he makes them go missing.”
“Kyle!” Cassidy slapped her hand on the bar. “I think it’s time you get back to work.”
“I don’t have any work to do.”
“Find some, or I’m going to dump a bucket of rats on your head while you’re sleeping.”
They live together, Dante realized with a sinking sensation in his stomach.
She was only being polite by talking with him, but they were together. And they had one very screwed-up relationship if threats of rats were involved. Dante finished his drink and set the empty glass on the bar. The burn wasn’t enough to sear away his disappointment.
“You wouldn’t,” Kyle said.
“You know I would,” Cassidy said.
Kyle gave her a disgruntled look before storming away from them. Cassidy rolled her eyes, but her attention returned to Dante when he shifted beside her.
“I’m sorry about my brother.”
Dante buried a rush of joy. “Your brother?”
“Twin. He’s ten minutes older. Please don’t hold him against me.”
He chuckled but didn’t know if it was because of the amused gleam in her eyes or his inexplicable relief. She wasn’t with Kyle. That still didn’t mean she was single; he was sure a lot of men chased after her, but at least he didn’t have to worry about the vamp at the end of the bar.
“He can be a little overprotective,” Cassidy said.
“Do you often threaten
