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“Is two guys too much for you, Kat?” West laughed, thinking I had reached my limit.
I grinned. “Not at all. But I want you. Not him. Eli is more than welcome to stay and watch.”
Eli gripped my arm and lifted me from the bench. My back slammed into the wall before he captured my wrists in one of his hands above my head. His other hand slipped under my shirt, grasping my bare hip. Rage gleamed in his eyes, and he kept his jaw clenched, as if trying to stay in control.
“You said that to piss me off,” he finally forced out in a low voice. “The only reason you let West touch you was to get between him and me. And you’re still trying to do it.”
“No. I just want absolutely nothing to do with you. But West?” I looked past Eli and shot West a devious smirk. “He can touch me whenever he wants.”
Poor West tried so hard to look as angry as his best friend, but the heat in his eyes was unmistakable as he stared back at me. Although, for Eli’s sake, I had a feeling that he would actually try to stay away from me. Which also worked to my benefit. I couldn’t get shit done when they were breathing down my neck.
“How’d you get your arms free?” Eli changed the subject, his lingering anger mixing with suspicion.
“West did a crap job of tying me up.” My lie sounded true to my ears, but my heart pounded as Eli glared at me. When I’d first started working with James, he’d signed me up for classes to help me out in situations in case I got caught while compiling the evidence he needed. Self-defense. Gun and knife training. Learning how to get out of certain restraints.
James knew how dangerous the families were and wanted me to be prepared. And that was still when the plan was to get information from Everly, far away from Braidwood. Now that I was back, I wished I’d had time to take more classes. I’d learned a lot, but doubted it was enough.
“Bullshit,” West argued, looking annoyed. “I know how to tie a fucking knot.”
“Obviously not.” I shrugged, wishing their suspicion would drop. I wanted them to think I wasn’t a threat. If they knew I could fight back, it would only put them more on edge. I didn’t need that. I’d been careful ever since coming home, acting like I was weak. Like right now, I knew three ways I could break Eli’s hold. But I didn’t. Because he wasn’t about to hurt me, and I didn’t need to show my cards. Not yet. But I was nearly reaching my breaking point. I was getting fucking tired of them thinking they could put their hands on me whenever they wanted.
Eli’s phone went off, and he took his hand from my hip to look at it. His usual frown appeared on his face as he put it back in his pocket. I caught a glance at his watch, and I guessed it had something to do with the business stuff that was happening in a little over an hour. He focused back on me, his grip not leaving my wrists.
“Stop trying to get between us.” His words were dripping with threat. “Because whatever you do, it’s not going to work.”
I flashed him a smile. “Sure, Eli. I’ll stop. As long as you two leave me the fuck alone.”
He shook his head, not amused. West grabbed his backpack from his locker as Eli released me. I sidestepped around him and hoisted my duffel bag over my shoulder.
“See you tomorrow, Kat,” West told me, making it obvious they had no plans to leave me alone.
I ignored him and strode out of the locker room. My step was light from how that encounter had ended. I’d kept the upper hand, and it had ended on my terms, not theirs. A small twinge of fear hit me, knowing whatever they planned next might not end up as good for me.
I was hoping that whatever I found out tonight would give me something that I could give to James. I glanced at my phone, speeding up as I left the gym. I had to go home and get ready in time to make it to the Blue Lounge on time.
I couldn’t wait to see the guys’ faces when I showed up.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
I pulledthe door open to the Blue Lounge, and it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. The place was just beginning to fill up for the night, and I stopped at the bar for a drink since I’d gotten here a bit early. Once a glass of whiskey was in my hand, I turned around, wondering how often they used this place for business meetings.
The Blue Lounge was a burlesque club, a very high-end one. The price to get in was steep enough to keep the random college kids out, and it catered to the wealthy families in town. The floor had a few different levels so that the stage could be seen easily from any place in the club. Tables were farther away from the stage, near the bar. Closer to the front were luxurious sofas and chairs with small tables near them. All the furniture was a rich shade of blue, and the dark lighting kept most of the room in the shadows.
I focused my attention on the door, curiously waiting to see if Kat was going to walk in. Her anger at not being invited made me positive she would show up. Ever since she was forced to come back to Braidwood, she’d been quiet. Keeping her head down and blending in by acting like just another college student. Although that was slowly slipping away as we gave her more attention. My little show at the bar started it, but the stunt Eli pulled at practice earlier promised more people would be wondering who the purple-haired girl was. And why the founding families were so interested in her.
Glancing at my watch, I sighed and then straightened my tie. The entire time I’d lived in Detroit, I hadn’t needed to worry about dressing up. Nobody cared. I fucking missed that. Status and wealth meant everything here, and I had to play the part if I wanted to have the families take me seriously. Grabbing my drink, I slid off the bar stool and made my way to the door near the side of the stage.
A security guard raised his hand, stopping me. “Sorry, kid. Employees only.”
I grinned, letting my gaze drift down to his oversized gut before meeting his hard stare. “Since I just got back to town, and this is my first time in here, I’ll be nice. But the next time you try to tell me where I can’t go, we’re going to have a problem.”
“Excuse me?” The guy gave me another once-over as he frowned.
“River Ward.” Even in the dim lighting, I could see him swallowing hard as I said my name. “I don’t want to have to explain that I was late because you wouldn’t let me in. That wouldn’t look good for you, would it?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Ward,” the guy sputtered out, quickly opening the door for me. “I didn’t recognize you.”
Stepping past him, I paused for a moment. “If a girl with a feisty attitude and purple hair comes through here, let her in. Understand?”
