Page 59 of The Fire We Make

She nodded.

Ace looked over at her but she kept facing the window, refusing to meet his eyes. He grinned.

No need to be embarrassed my rose, he thought.

The glimpse of her thorns was subtle but enough to make him have to adjust himself in his pants after she left and ache for another peek. Something about her violence felt familiar and he wanted to see more of it.

Ace instructed Ray to take them to Sapphire and for the duration of the ride, they sat in silence. The wheels were turning in Ace’s head as he tried to think of what he was missing. It seemed every time he put out a fire, another one popped up and he couldn’t shake the fact that it was all happening in the span of a few weeks.

He’d yoked Marco up for saying it but truthfully, this shit shouldn’t be happening. Marco shouldn’t have happened and the raid and Blue’s subsequent arrest sure shouldn’t.

Ace knew Harris was behind this but what he didn’t know was how he had enough sway to make the people on King payroll do their jobs poorly. The only thing that made sense was that DA Young, a new player, was in on it. He made a mental note to have Remy pull a file on him.

He’d been trying to handle things like Senior but it seemed only Menace would suffice.

Ace helped Joy out of the car when they pulled up to the Sapphire Lounge. He ushered her inside with a hand on the small of her back. At mid-day, it was quiet. The soft music, blue accents and warm, low lighting were reminiscent of an old jazz club and exactly what he needed to calm his irritation.

They were immediately greeted by a hostess. “Good afternoon Mr. King. Would you like to dine on the main level or in your private suite?” She asked, her gaze flicking briefly to Joy.

“Main level is fine.”

She guided them through the dim restaurant to a booth in a corner, tucked away from the other patrons.

Ace and Joy nearly collided as they both tried to slide into the same side of the booth.

“I like to face the door,” Joy spoke first.

“So do I,” Ace retorted, not moving.

“Well…” Joy said, not moving from her spot either. She looked down at the booth and there was no way they would both fit on one side. They both had long, thick limbs stacked with muscle.

“You got ops or something, Rose?”

“Do you?”

“You know I could physically move you,” Ace said with a smirk.

“You could try, but I wouldn’t suggest it if you like your fingers.”

Smirk still in place and not looking away from Joy, Ace spoke to the waitress who still stood there looking on with confusion.

“Could you get us a booth with the entrance visible from both sides?”

The waitress looked around for a moment then led them to a booth that fit the description.

“Better?” Ace asked as they both slid into their respective sides of the booth. A slight turn of their heads to the left ensured the entrance was visible to both diners.

“Much,” Joy smirked.

“Your usual to drink Mr. King?” their hostess asked.

Ace nodded.

Joy perused the menu, looking over the food options and in barely a minute, Ace’s scotch and Joy’s water with lemon were being set on the table.

“Scotch at 12:30 in the afternoon?” Joy asked, without looking up from the menu.”

“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” Ace grunted. The waitress returned and they placed their order before being left alone again.