Chapter 5
Lonnie enjoyed his cupcake on his walk to The Watchtower.
He was planning to run some tactical drills with a few of the guys.
He considered what Melissa had told him about the club.
There weren’t any events he was expected to help with prior to the ball, so he thought he’d see if a few of the guys would want to come out with him.
He arrived at the gym to find several of them already working out. A man he recognized from the last time he was in Cupid City was seated on the floor stretching his legs. Lonnie headed in his direction.
“Clint, it’s great to see you.”
Clint looked up and smiled, bumping fists with him. “Hey, man. I heard you decided to join in on the chaos.”
“I did. It’s good to be back.”
“You’re such a workaholic. Can’t even take a break after your little tour.”
Lonnie raised an eyebrow. “Little tour? I dare you to come with us sometime and see what we deal with.”
Clint gave a low chuckle. “I don’t think I’d be treating the fans as well as you do.”
Lonnie laughed. “Ain’t that the truth. So what are we working on today?”
Clint stood. “First, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. She’s sharp and a lot stronger than you think. Trust me when I say she can handle her own, and she’ll prove it to you if you make any comments about her size.”
Lonnie raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
Clint laughed. “Perhaps I am.”
They walked over to a petite woman standing near a rack of dumbbells. She was tying her hair in a knot on the top of her head.
“Amy, I’d like you to meet Lonnie. He’s going to be helping us out a bit while he’s on break from his boy band,” Clint said.
Lonnie rolled his eyes. “That boy band is the most popular band in the country right now. Plus, they’re good friends of mine.” He shook Amy’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Amy smiled warmly. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard a lot of good things from Cass.”
After meeting a few other people, they went through several situations. This session was primarily for Lonnie to see how the team operated together, and how to respond to situations without bringing too much attention to himself.
Lonnie rubbed a spot on his arm where Amy had kicked him. “I thought we were pulling our hits?”
Amy smirked. “I did.”
Clint snorted. “She’s asserting her dominance.”
That earned him a swift kick to the legs that landed him on his back. Lonnie barked out a laugh, but Clint didn’t look surprised. It was almost as if he expected it.
“No. That would be asserting my dominance,” Amy said. She smiled playfully and then held a hand down for Clint to take and pulled him to his feet.
“Point taken.”
Lonnie picked up his water bottle and took a long drink from it. “Any of you interested in hitting the Red Cupid with me tonight?”
“Clubbing, huh?” Clint asked. “I could be up for that. It’s been a while since I’ve gone out to a club when it wasn’t work-related.”
“Amy?” Lonnie asked.
“Sure. That sounds like fun,” she said.
Lonnie said his goodbyes before heading back to the hotel. He needed a long shower and a good meal before he went out.
Alexis followed Melissa into Red Cupid, wondering what she had gotten herself into.
She was out of practice with hanging out with anyone outside of the shop, and certainly out of practice being in a club.
It took a long time for her to stop watching her back everywhere she went when she first arrived in Cupid City, so going out into a crowded club like this never would have happened.
But now that she was comfortable, this didn’t feel too bad.
Melissa took Alexis’s hand and pulled her toward the bar on the far end. It was crowded, but they moved their way into an open space as soon as someone walked away.
Alexis couldn’t help but look around, hoping to see Lonnie despite her hesitation to ever let someone in again. The bass of the music thundered around the room, making her feel like it was vibrating her chest.
Once they had drinks in their hands, they moved through the club until they found a few of Melissa’s friends standing off to the side.
“Hey!” Melissa shouted over the music.
The girls all hugged, while Alexis stood off to the side watching the exchange.
It reminded her of her friends back home.
God, how she missed them. Being in the program meant she couldn’t contact anyone from her past, not that they’d want to talk to her, anyway.
Vic had alienated her from all her friends and what little family she had.
She hadn’t realized what was happening until she was suddenly alone with no one to turn to.
Her options had been to stay with Vic or go to the police and hope they could protect her.
So many times she wanted to contact them and explain everything.
To apologize for disappearing from their lives when she began seeing Vic, but it would put them in too much danger.
Staying in witness protection meant leaving your past behind.
She hoped someday the threat would be eliminated, but she knew it was unlikely.
As long as Vic lived, she’d have to be in hiding.
“These are my friends, Katie and Shannon,” Melissa said.
Alexis waved. It was hard to talk over the music, so they all moved to the dance floor, taking their drinks with them. Different men approached them, dancing right along as if they had come together. It brought Alexis a lot of old memories of dancing with all her college friends.
Melissa nudged Alexis and tipped her head to gesture to someone. Alexis turned around and spotted Lonnie. He had already seen her and was walking through the crowd, joining them on the dance floor. Two other people joined him—a man and a woman who Alexis thought looked vaguely familiar.
They danced as one large group, and at one point, Lonnie dipped his head down and spoke next to her ear so she could hear him. “You look beautiful.”
Alexis blushed. She wore a strapless, tight black dress that stopped mid-thigh.
When Melissa showed it to her, Alexis hesitated at first. But she didn’t have much of anything she could wear to a club and not stick out like a sore thumb.
She had relented and put it on. She had to admit it looked good on her, accentuating her slender frame of a small chest, but a plump butt that most men liked to comment on.
“Thank you.”
They danced to another song before Lonnie leaned close again. “Need another drink?”
She nodded, and he led her off the dance floor toward the bar. She could spot her friends still dancing and smiled. They pulled out a phone and took a picture of them all together, and Alexis was thankful she didn’t have to avoid their cameras.
“What are you drinking?” Lonnie asked.
“Vodka cranberry.”
Lonnie leaned across the counter and gave the bartender their orders.
Then he smiled down at her, but his head immediately whipped up at the commotion behind her.
She turned around just in time to see a man falling toward her.
Lonnie pulled her out of the way and then jumped into the fight, pulling the men apart.
Lonnie’s two friends joined in, keeping a larger fight from breaking out.
The club security ran over and escorted the men out.
Alexis watched wide-eyed at the exchange.
Seeing Lonnie and his friends in action was wild.
They knew how to deflect and defend themselves. It was impressive, to say the least.
Once Lonnie joined her again, he leaned across the bar and paid for their drinks before taking them and handing one to her. Then they walked toward the outdoor patio.
The cool night air felt good on her skin after being in the hot club. She still couldn’t believe everything that had just happened and looked at Lonnie, who casually sipped his drink as if it was a normal night out, not even out of breath.
“So how’s your night going?” he asked.
She blinked. “You just broke up that fight and are acting like it’s no big deal.”
He shrugged. “It isn’t a big deal. It’s what I do for a living. Mostly, anyway. Normally, I’m just trying to keep people from going after the people I’m protecting.”
“What kind of work do you do?”
Lonnie leaned forward, resting his arms on the railing as they stared out into the park across the street. “I work in security. I’m usually a bodyguard for a band, but I’m in Cupid City working with Cass temporarily.”
“A band I would know?”
Lonnie looked at her, and the smile on his face made her knees go weak. “Possibly.”
She smiled shyly and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. What were they talking about? She couldn’t remember.
“So where are you from?” she asked.
“Austin, Texas. How about you?”
“Ca—” she stopped herself. She almost said California, but that was where she grew up. She couldn’t say that. It was no longer part of her witness protection profile. Alexis cleared her throat. “Alabama.”
He studied her for a moment before nodding as if accepting her answer. She shifted uncomfortably and took a sip of her drink. This was exactly why she stayed home. She had forgotten how to socialize like a normal person and nearly blew her cover with one question.
“So which cupcake is your favorite?” he asked, turning his smile to her once again.
She relaxed slightly and smiled back. “I’d have to say the confetti cake.”
He frowned. “I don’t think I’ve seen that in the case.”
“You haven’t. Around Valentine’s Day, I only stock the ones people are likely to buy for the holiday. Those are my most requested.”
“I think you should keep your favorite in stock year-round. People who hate Valentine’s Day might want something neutral.”
She nodded. “That’s a good point. It’s definitely something to consider.”
“If you change your mind, I’ll be the first person there to try it. I’m sure it’ll be my favorite, too.”
She smiled and shivered.
He stood up straight. “We should get inside. It’s too cold for us to be out here anyway.”
Lonnie put his hand at the small of her back, and a bolt of electricity passed through her. It had been too long, far too long since she’d felt the touch of a man.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t allow it to go beyond that.