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If this is a waste, then I’m going to be pissed. It happens. Too often it happens, but I really thought—
The knot at once shifts direction and heads south. Right to my dick and lower because the car pulling up in the empty space beside mine is one I don’t recognize by sight. I do know the license plate. Just as I know the redheaded woman behind the wheel who looks as though she’s about to wave and then thinks better of it at the last moment.
Aria Darklyn.
And I’m the idiot who didn’t put the very obvious pieces together in time.
FOURTEEN
aria
“This is a bad idea,this is a bad idea,” I mutter on repeat through the entire drive to the Galleria, checking to make sure there is no one following me. They better not be. I even left my phone at home to make sure there was nothing on me to be traced.
Probably should have met at a different spot, though, but I knew Devan would already be spooked when I came clean. Correction, whenDarklingcame clean.
No sense in freaking him out entirely by choosing a location he’s unfamiliar with. At least he knows the Galleria. It’s kind of a neutral space.
I nibble my bottom lip, squinting against the glare as I flip the blinker unnecessarily and turn into the space beside Devan’s car. Not the same one he’d driven from the station the other day, either. His personal vehicle with scratches and scrapes down the side, and one of his mirrors hanging at a strange angle.
Once again, he doesn’t look happy to see me. He looks fucking pissed. I lift my hand, intending to wave, but tuck it back on my lap at the last minute. No need to antagonize the man too much right off the bat. I need his help.
If…I’m seriously going to go through with this.
How can I not?
The look on Devan’s face makes me jump.
The engine ticks, cooling, as the two of us stare at each other. Separated by an ocean of anger and betrayal and two panes of glass. It doesn’t look like he’s about to make the first move, either. Which means it’s all up to me.
Shit, this is much harder than I thought. And it took me a good bit of time going back and forth to even decide to contact Devan about it in the first place.
But I need him.
I need the kind of help that only a cop can give me, and since cops are basically the devil…
With one last glance out at him, I groan and hoist myself from my seat, my movement forcing him into motion as well. Our car doors slam at the same time, but he is a dark cloud, glowering and foreboding. After a deep breath, I turn to face him, glancing up higher and higher until I meet his eyes.
Damn, even furious, he’s hot.
Deep in my abdomen, things go tight, loose, tight again. My breasts tingle, and I drag my coat tighter across the area to hide it.
“What the fuck is this, Aria?” he begins in a growl.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Are you surprised? I’m honestly shocked you didn’t put it together sooner.”
Okay, so humor is probably not the best way to go about this. My stomach swirls, and my heart sinks a little bit the longer we stand there, the rain finally abated from yesterday, and the sunlight thin and cold. Devan hasn’t budged.
At last, he swipes a hand across his hair, scrubbing it down the side of his face. “Tell me why.”
“Ain't nothing but a heartache?” I fill in, swallowing my laughter when his glare turns up a notch. This is no mere scowl. This is a work of art. “Sorry. Um.” My throat feels scratchy, and I clear it, coughing a little. Looking up at the sound of his footsteps. “Wow, you’re really close to me all of a sudden,” I say defensively.
He slams a hand on the hood of my car, caging me. “Start talking, Aria, because I’m out of patience, and I’m done with your bullshit. There won’t be any more banter at this point.”
I pout. “I thought you enjoyed our back and forth. Sorry!”Somuch harder than I thought. “I do have information for you, actually.” My core muscles tighten as I suck in a breath because the man is way too close for comfort.
“And they’re things you've been absolutely unwilling to share with me up until this point. What’s changed? Something must have happened for you to have a complete change of heart, and I’d like to hear about it. Otherwise, I won’t even consider this meeting. I’ll get back in my car, and I’ll fucking leave.”
Yeah, right. We both know he’s not going anywhere. I inhale sharply, watching his expression. All hard steel and unrelenting stubbornness.
