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People moved out of their way as they walked through the crowd on the dance floor, like the parting of the Red Sea.
They were close enough now that I could see the dark stubble on both their faces and make out the gray color of the guy I didn’t know’s eyes.
“Friends of yours?” Shawn’s voice made me jump. I’d honestly forgotten he was still standing next to me.
“Not exactly,” I answered without taking my eyes off the approaching men.
Samuel stopped right in front of me, a little closer than the average person would. I wanted to take a step back, but I refused to let Samuel know I cared that he was in my personal space. His eyes flicked from me to Shawn and then back again.
“You really do have an endless supply of men, don’t you?”
“Jealous?” I asked before I could think better of it.
The bouncer’s eyes widened just the tiniest bit.
“Of your man of the day?” Samuel’s lips curved into a smirk that looked more like a sneer than an expression of amusement. “Not a chance, princess.”
“Did you need something, or did you just come over here to insult me?”
“I wanted to meet the girl I’m told is my most devoted patron.”
I think a part of me had suspected all along that Samuel could be the mysterious boss. Youngblood suited him—it felt like the kind of place he would build. And there was the time he took me to the garden on the rooftop that I hadn’t found a way to access since that night.
“I’d saynice to meet you,” I said, “but pretty much every part of the line would be a lie.”
Samuel’s eyes flashed with something I couldn’t understand. He angled his body to include the bouncer in our conversation. “Thomas, have you had the pleasure of meeting Miss Piper Amato?”
I glanced at Shawn, searching for a reaction to my real, full name. But he wasn’t even looking at me. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure he’d heard Samuel at all. He was busy staring at Thomas. I turned my attention back to Samuel, glaring at him with every bit of coldness I could muster. Because I couldn’t let him see the betrayal I felt.
Youngblood was my sanctuary. This was the place I came to when I wanted to leave my life behind and just be, with a name that meant nothing to anyone.
If Samuel knew that I was his most devoted patron without ever seeing me here before, then he had to know that I went by Adeline here. Gayle or Jules would have told him. He’d deliberately outed me in front of Shawn. I didn’t know why he’d done it, but the betrayal stung… far more than it should have.
“I believe I have,” Thomas said. His tone and expression were both perfectly neutral, not giving any hint to his role in whatever game Samuel was playing.
I didn’t want to let Sam run me out of Youngblood, but I had to face the fact that this place washisturf, his kingdom.
I forced a polite smile for Thomas. It wasn’t necessarily his fault that his boss was an asshole. “It’s nice to see you again.” I hated the way my voice trembled, betraying my cracking emotions.
Shawn’s fingers brushed my elbow. “Adeline.” He didn’t say anything else, but his touch was warm and comforting, as was the fact that he’d chosen to call me Adeline instead of using the name Samuel had used.
“I think I’m ready to get out of here. Do you want ice cream?”
Shawn smiled. “Ice cream sounds perfect.” He rested a hand on my lower back as he steered me away from Samuel and toward the lobby.
Jules narrowed his eyes at us as we passed him at the entrance to the club. “You hurt her, you die.”
“Jules, I’m fine. I have two older brothers, you, and Gayle.” I’d also taken a number of self-defense lessons in my lifetime. I wasn’t exactly helpless. “He’s not the one hurting me,” I added under my breath.
“You don’t actually have to take me for ice cream,” I told Shawn when we were standing out on the sidewalk. “Thanks for having my back in there.”
“I meant what I said. Ice cream sounds perfect. Come on, let’s go drown our feelings in sugar.”
* * *
The smellof ice cream permeated the air. Shawn and I sat in a booth near the counter, reading over the list of flavors.
“What do you want?” Shawn asked, sliding out of the booth. “I’ll go grab them.”
