Page 38 of Captivated

Yet, Liliana did her very best not to show it other than those small, instinctive reactions. She practically forced herself to stay rooted in place as the man took a step closer to her, but Joe could tell that a part of her was screaming to step the hell back.

“What are you doing here?” Liliana asked the man.

“I came to see the show.”

“I don’t remember inviting you.”

“With a ticket, I don’t need an invitation, Lilibet.”

“Don’t call me that.”

In the back of his mind, Joe was still trying to remember where in the fuck he recognized the guy from. Nothing was coming to the forefront to even give him a damn hint. Sometimes, memories were a bitch like that. Playing Hide and Seek like he had time for that kind of nonsense, when he clearly did not.

“I just thought I should check in,” the man said.

Liliana’s jaw hardened. “Well, don’t.”

The guy didn’t even look fazed, and instead, offered the flowers to her. “Here, I brought them for you. And you were amazing, as I knew you would be.”

She didn’t even look at the flowers. She never reached for them. She only stared at the man with a dead gaze that reflected nothingness—a black, blank slate that gave nothing away.

“Have a good evening,” Liliana told him.

Another dancer saved the day by pulling Liliana away to greet another three-piece, and the man’s overly plastic wife.

The strange, unknown man still didn’t look fazed. He did leave, though. Joe made sure to follow him out …

Just in case.

Then, Joe made a few calls.

“Joe.”

The quiet way Liliana said his name made Joe smile. She opened the door of her Brooklyn studio apartment a little wider, but didn’t move to silently invite him in.

“How did you know where I lived?” she asked.

Joe shrugged. “Someone let me know when I asked.”

“And how did you get into the building?”

“I have my ways.”

Like an extra key to get in … just in case, or so he had been told. He chose not to tell Liliana that, anyway. She was a part of his job, but he didn’t want her thinking that’s all this was for him.

Besides, he had shit to make up for.

“Big night for you, huh?” he asked.

Liliana blinked. “Pardon?”

“You were a feature in a show tonight, weren’t you?”

Liliana laughed a little, and glanced to the side. “Something else someone told you?”

“Something like that.”

“It was a good night. I wouldn’t say big.”