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“It’s complicated. I don’t know who to trust.”
“Yet here you are,” Grim says, studying me.
“Here I am…” I chew on my lip, my heart fucking racing. If I’m wrong about Grim this could be it for me. David will kill Lena. Jeb will kill me. Heck, Grim could decide I’m too much of a fucking problem and kill me herself.
“Do you trust me?” she asks, and isn’t that the million dollar question? Trust is easily breakable. I should know. Yet, just like Grim said, here I am. I’m trusting my gut and hoping to fuck I’m not wrong.
“You didn’t have to do what you did—giving me a job here. I know you said that me dancing at your club is good for business, but I also know there are tons of dancers out there who are just as good as I am. I also know that you could easily have agreed to Jeb’s terms and forced me to strip. You didn’t. I figured you had your own personal reasons for hiring me that wasn’t just to do with business. Besides, you did say if I ever needed a friend… I didn’t peg you for a liar.”
“Uh-oh, looks like you’re getting a name for yourself, Grim. Is the clock ticking, my love? Are you getting maternal in your old age? Because, babe, you know I’m up for helping with that.” Beast chuckles and she shoots him a dark look that has him slamming his mouth shut. It doesn’t stop the amusement in his eyes though. There’s no hiding that.
“Fuck off, Beast! I’m not fucking old, I’m twenty-six, you piece of shit, and if I wanted a baby, I sure as fuck would choose a better sperm donor than you,” she snarls.
“Fuck, love, my goddamn heart.” Beast places his huge hand over his heart and feigns heartbreak. Grim growls at him.
“Go on, Pen,” she snaps, focusing back on me.
“Maybe this was a mistake. Forget I said anything. I’ll figure something else out,” I say, moving to stand.
Grim lets out a laboured breath. “Sit the hell down, Pen.” She waits for me to settle back in the seat, then picks up a cigarette and lights it before blowing out a plume of smoke. “I’m a woman of my word, and despite how much this conversation seems to amuse this arsehole here, I meant what I said. Though I can see you still have reservations about me. I can understand that. I don’t trust easy either, but here’s the thing, Pen, youcantrust me.
“I want to. I need to,” I admit.
“I’m going to call Ford and get Asia on the line,” she says suddenly.
“Asia?” I question, my mouth dropping open. “As ingraffitiAsia? You know her?”
“Seems like we both do,” Grim says, dialing a number on the phone and pressing the loudspeaker.
I sit back in my chair, frowning. How does Grim know Asia and, more to the point, why is she ringing her now?
“What’s up?” a deep male voice answers after a couple of rings.
“Hey, Ford, how’s shit going down in the back arse of beyond?” Grim says, her smile a genuine one.
“Oh you know, so-so. The little rugrats are keeping us busy. You good?” he asks, his voice holding a pinch of concern. Grim’s eyes soften, and I detect love there. Wow. I don’t know who this dude is to Grim, but he clearly means something to her.
“Of course I am. Never better. I’m gonna call you back later to chat properly, but right now I need to speak to Asia… girly shit.”
“Girly shit? Is Beast treating you well?” Ford’s voice darkens and Beast laughs.
“You bet I am, you cheeky little shit. You ain’t too far away that I can’t come down there and beat your arse for insinuating that I’m not treating my queen with utmost care.”
“Never doubted it, mate. Just gotta check. You know how it is.”
“Yeah, yeah, shithead,” Beast retorts.
“Okay, enough of the bromance. Can I speak with Asia a sec?” Grim asks.
“Sure thing.”
The line goes quiet for a moment before Asia picks up. “Hey, Grim. What can I do for you?”
I’ve never met Asia in person, even though we grew up in the same borough, but I’ve heard a lot about her over the years and have admired her artwork from afar. It was bullshit when she got sent to a reform school for her graffiti art a couple of years ago. The girl should be adored and admired like Banksy, not put away for her art. Then again, like me, she’s just another street kid viewed as a nuisance rather than seen for her talent. That’s just how it is for us. There were rumours about her links to the King, another criminal who lorded it over the London criminal scene, but then Asia seemed to fall off the face of the earth about a year ago. No one knows for sure what went down, but the King’s death and her disappearance are more than a little coincidental in my opinion. I’m curious as to how Grim knows her though.
“I’ve got someone with me who’s a little unsure whether she can trust me. I figured my friend here would’ve heard of you given you grew up in the same area, and I was right. Wanna back me up?”
Asia laughs, but there’s caution in her voice. I don’t blame her. She obviously disappeared for a reason. I could be anyone. “Who is this someone?”
