“I trust you, Noah.”
So then why is my gut twisting, bunching, wrenching…like I’m making a terrible mistake?
Twenty-Seven
ACE
I’m still staring at the door that my girl just walked out.
A thousand questions chase each other through my head. But two of them stand out above the rest. Why did she come here with Noah? And why the hell did she leave with him?
Counts nudges me. When I glance at him, he grins. “That was her? The woman changing you into someone different from the guy I used to know?”
A frown creases my forehead. I told Counts about Naima, because I couldn’t get her out of my head and I didn’t know why. “Yeah, that’s her. And that guy was her ex.”
Counts whistles. “Not like you to just let them walk back outta here.”
Damn. No, it’s not like me. Not at all.
“I was just about to step in when he pulled her back out. What the hell?”
I pull out my phone to shoot her a text.
WHERE ARE YOU?
Yeah. I feel like this situation merits all caps.
Counts scans the room, his eyes bouncing over tables, couches, and security. “Everything’s going smooth tonight, man. No sign of your mark?”
Shaking my head, I stare at my phone, willing her to text me back. I can’t think about the shark right now, because my mind is filled with thoughts of Naima and Noah.
I wanted her away from all of this tonight. I didn’t tell her why because I didn’t want her to worry. Dammit! She was supposed to stay with Carson, but she gave him the slip.
Why? Why would she do that?
Daniel rushes up to us, his face lined with anxiety. I glance at him, back down to my phone, and at him again.
“What?” Trying to forget about my phone, I focus on Daniel.
“Why’d you let him go?”
I stare at Daniel, bewildered. “What are you talking about?” My attention shifts; I glance around the room with a growing sense of excitement. “The shark is here?”
When I look back at Daniel, he’s staring at me like he’s the one who’s confused. “I thought you knew. The way you were staring at him, I thought you knew it was him.”
Daniel glances at the door, and then back at me. His eyes are wide with regret and fear. “Son of a bitch! You just let him walk back out the door!”
Dread grabs hold of me, sinking so deep into my bones that my arms and legs go limp. I grab onto the counter, my phone clattering onto the tile. Squeezing my eyes shut, I will what I’m thinking not to be true.
No.
No.
No
Counts intercedes, placing a hand on my shoulder in an effort to calm me. “Wait a minute. Are you saying the guy with the dark-haired girl…the one in the striped shirt? That’s the guy you saw with your brother that day?”
I open my eyes as the rest of the noise in the room fades away. All I can focus on is Daniel and his response to Counts’ question.
Daniel nods, his growing sense of panic painfully clear.
“Yes!”
My stomach rolls and I grab my phone before I sprint for the door.
Turning back around, I yell at Daniel. “Cops are outside. Go! Tell them!”
And then I’m running for my Harley. My phone is clutched in my hand, because now I need to hear from Naima more than I need to breathe.
I just let her leave with the mystery loan shark.
And possibly, a killer.
Twenty-Eight
NAIMA
Noah and I exit the parking garage into the lobby of a hotel. It’s not one of the luxury brands that dot the main uptown streets, but a mid-level boutique hotel that’s a little off the beaten path. The name of the establishment is scrawled in shining silver letters across the exposed brick wall of the lobby, and Noah pulls out a room key.
Suddenly, my hands break out into a cold sweat.
Noah brought me to a hotel? What does he think we’re doing here?
My phone buzzes in the back pocket of my skirt, and I point toward the ladies’ room.
“Gonna run to the bathroom real quick. Be right back.” I don’t give him a chance to answer, just rush into the bathroom and lean against the door.
I can’t figure Noah out tonight. He wanted to go to the Ring, but he didn’t gamble once we were there. Now he’s brought me to a hotel? Is he going to try to talk me into spending the night with him?
Maybe I never should have left The Corner. The only reason I snuck away from Carson was because I thought I’d be with Ace. Making sure he was okay, and finding out why he was holding games at the Ring when he was supposed to be ending this nightmare.
I stare around me at the bronze-accented bathroom. What am I doing? My stomach clenches into a tight fist of anxiety.
Now, because of my nerves, I really do need the bathroom, so I use it quickly in one of the stalls before pulling my phone out and checking the screen. A text from Ace has me holding my breath.
WHERE ARE YOU?
I reply with the name of the hotel Noah’s brought me to and put my phone back in my pocket. I need to get out of this bathroom and explain a few things to Noah before this gets out of hand.
“Noah.” My tone is cautious as I walk up to him where he’s waiting against the wall beside the elevator. “I’m not sure why you’d bring me to a hotel. Whatever you think is happening between us—”
Noah’s icy blue eyes go wide, and he holds up two hands as he steps toward me. “It’s not what you’re thinking, Ny, I swear. I’m only showing you how I’ve been making money, and then we’ll go. I promise.”
Tilting my head to the
