Page 13 of Devil’s Candy

“All right,” I answer, knowing I won’t buy anything.

We pass the day pleasantly enough. But I’m relieved when it’s time to board the plane. I want to be alone with my thoughts.

As the plane takes off, I watch Promise and Angel talk quietly, the intimacy that wraps around the two of them enough to actually make me jealous.

I twirl a piece of my orange hair around my finger.

Maybe it’s time to change the color and my vibe. I’m always going to be me. But maybe I could go with a dark brown and red ombre. Something that doesn’t stand out quite so much.

But I don’t get to finish my thought when Promise approaches. I get why Angel likes her. Not only is she the sweetest ever, but she looks like a Barbie doll or a princess.

“Are you all right?” she asks, nipping at her lip.

I sigh, reaching for her hand. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” Not that I don’t appreciate her concern.

“I am worried. Yesterday was…”

“I drowned my sorrows in alcohol and bad choices. I’ve got a whole system of coping with my shitty taste. I just rinse and repeat.”

“Bad choices?” She cocks her head closer.

“You know how I told you I have terrible taste in men?” I don’t know why I’m confessing, but I just need someone to know what happened. It’s starting to feel like I imagined the whole thing.

“Yeah.”

“Well, I picked up the worst one yet.” Or the best. Still not sure.

“What made him the worst?” Her eyes are wide. “And how did you manage to pick up a guy at the reception with like ten people?”

I let out a snort, shaking my head. “He was at the bar right outside the reception room.” I drop my voice to a low whisper. “Best sex of my life.”

Her eyes go wide. “Really?”

I pick at one of my nails as I try to put my thoughts into words. “Really. He was older and he was just…magnetic. Which definitely means he’s bad news. He left right after, barely said a word before he was gone.”

“Ugh,” she murmurs sympathetically. Which I appreciate.

“On the plus side…” I settle back in my seat again. “I realized that if the sex was that good with some random guy, Vinnie was never the one for me.”

“I see,” Angel says into the phone, his voice grim. “Send me the pic.” And then he hangs up. But he’s caught both Promise’s and my attention as we both turn to him.

“Everything all right?” Promise asks.

Angel frowns. “That was Jake Kincaid, head of security for the casino. He just wanted to tell me that they’ve lost Sver again. They did capture him on camera, however, and they’re forwarding me a picture so that we’ll know what he looks like.”

The name Sver hits me square in the chest. What are the odds…

“But we’re going back to New York. Why should we be concerned about Sver?” Promise asks, sounding equally worried.

Angel scrubs a hand down his face. “He worked for a Russian Bratva family before he went rogue. He’s highly dangerous. And since he was seen just outside our wedding reception, Jake is worried he knows who we are.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. My heart is hammering in my chest as I try to breathe. Right outside the reception? Highly dangerous? Offered to kill my ex-boyfriend? My hand comes to my throat as the blood drains from my face.

“He wants us to be prepared just in case Sver surfaces in New York.” Angel’s phone dings. He opens it, looks at it, and hands it to Knox. “Show Promise when you’re done.”

What are they looking at? But I can’t ask, my tongue frozen in my mouth.

Finally, Promise hands me the phone.