Chapter Six
LILY
My mind is still reeling the next day, my eyes heavy from lack of sleep.
I can’t be distracted right now, I’m in the middle of a surgical procedure with Steven. It’s pretty routine, but anytime an animal is in surgery, I need to be on my game. Strange things can happen when animals are put under any type of anesthetic, and at the moment, there’s a large German Shepherd lying on the operating table.
Steven cuts, and I move in, suctioning the blood away, so he has a clear view of what he’s doing.
Suddenly, I remember that I’ve forgotten to put my pajamas in the washing machine. When I’d finally dragged myself to bed last night, I realized there was a small smudge of blood on my top—Kace’s blood—from where I’d removed a fucking bullet from his arm.
I cringe as once again, in my mind, I hear the sound of the pliers meeting the small foreign object. It was like nothing I’d ever heard before or want to again.
“Lily! Suction… dammit!” Steven’s voice orders, shocking me back into reality.
I rush to remove the blood, making his view clear so he can work. “Sorry,” I mutter, not looking up, knowing he’s glaring at me across the operating table.
“Do I need to call in a more capable vet to assist?” he sneers.
Forcing myself to concentrate on the task at hand, I shake my head, despite wanting to slap him silly. I’m great at what I do, I’ve worked hard to get here. But Steven will take any small mistake and turn it into something massive in an attempt to make me look and feel incompetent.
I shrug off the memory of Kace and get back to work, forcing him into the recesses of my mind. Unfortunately, I know he won’t stay there for long, my brain and seemingly my body are completely obsessed with this man, my neighbor, this mystery.
When the surgery is finally over, Steven orders me to stitch up, disappearing without a thank you or a well done. I don’t mind. I’m used to his high-and-mighty bad attitude, and actually prefer to work without him looking over my shoulder, criticizing my every move.
The German Shepherd being our last patient for the day, I scrub up and head out the door with a quick wave to the receptionist.
It’s Friday night, and Molly and I have plans to go out, so I catch an Uber to her work to wait for her to be done.
***
“So how hurt are we talking here?” she asks as she stands to the side of her ballet class, interrogating me about last night, instead of teaching her students.
I don’t want to give her the full details, part of me feeling a sense of loyalty to Kace, and knowing he wouldn’t want whatever’s going on to be exposed.
“Not so bad. A little bit of blood… just needed cleaning up mainly,” I lie, hoping that she won’t call me out on it.
She rolls her eyes dramatically. “So he needed you to put a Band-Aid on his boo boo?” she snorts.
“Something like that,” I mutter, averting my eyes.
“Point your toes,” she suddenly yells, causing me to jump. I realize she’s directing her frustration at a child across the room who’s leaping not so gracefully across the floor. “Point your toes! Point them… point!” she huffs in frustration. “Lord, give me fucking strength,” she growls under her breath before stomping away toward the flailing child.
I chuckle softly as she tries to demonstrate what the little girl should be doing, but when she tries to copy Molly, it looks nothing like it. Throwing her arms in the air, she waves the girl off before turning and heading back toward me, a scowl on her face. It brightens a little when she reaches me, and she folds her arms and pops her hip out to the side, a sly smirk creeping onto her lips. “So… did you fuck him?” Her voice carries in the small ballet studio, and one of the parents who’s watching gasps. Molly turns to them and flashes them a stunning smile.
“No!” I whisper, wondering why I’m even surprised by the question. “I didn’t do anything. Fixed him up, and then he was gone.”
She sighs. “Disappointing.”
Her eyes move to the clock on the wall, her face brightening. “And… we’re done!” she calls out, clapping her hands. “See you next week. Buh-bye now.”
She stands with me by the door, the sight almost comical as she waves to her students as they file out, “Bye… see ya… bye… you’re welcome…” her voice lowers, “… fucking devil spawn.”
I laugh loudly, closing the doors as we head back inside to pack up her things. “You know, one day you’ll have your own, and you’ll feel completely different.”
She snorts, the sound echoing loudly in the now-empty space. “No thanks, I’ll pass. I like my vagina the size it is, thank you very much.” Her eyes harden slightly, and she swallows a lump in her throat.
I’m not sure what that reaction is about, but what she said makes me shake my head and giggle as we head out the back of the building to her car. We make a quick dash to her apartment where we dress and call a cab to take us into the city.
Club Menace is already packed by the time we arrive. Molly makes a show as we bypass the queue waiting to get inside and head straight for the doorman. She swings her hips, her tight, black mini- dress leaving little to the imagination as it hugs her curves and dips low in the front, showing off her obviously braless chest.
My navy blue lace number is not quite as stunning, falling mid-thigh with a full top and cropped sleeves, still sexy, but far more subtle.
Molly shakes hands with the bouncer, and he pulls her in for a hug, his hands resting suspiciously low and close to her ass. Luckily for us, Molly worked here last year, so the staff knows her, and we always get in without having to wait.
The bass of the music vibrates through my body, and my hips automatically begin to move with the beat. I smile as Molly pulls me through the entrance, our heels tapping loudly on the wooden floor. We weave through the patrons, people dancing, drinking, men practically drooling over women as they sway their hips and shake their bodies.
Before we make it to the bar, something catches my eye, and I almost trip, pulling on Molly’s hand. She stops, turning to me with an eyebrow raised. I point, and her eyes widen in surprise.
Kace is standing with another man at the bottom of a staircase. The sign next to him reads VIP and the lettering across his shirt reads security.
“What the hell?” I murmur. My feet seem to have a mind of their own as they float toward him. It’s as though he has some kind of magnetic pull on my body. One I can’t control.
I feel Molly following behind me, but my eyes are fixed firmly on Kace. I see the second he notices me, his face one of shock and confusion.
His lips move as he rushes out words to the other security guy beside him before he’s heading for me, meeting me halfway. “What are you doing here?” he asks, his voice tense.
I ignore his sharp tone. “Night out with Molly. How’s your arm?”
His eyes flick to his upper arm where just last night I’d been inside his skin, digging around for a bullet. They come back to me, darker than before. “It’s fine, but you should leave.”
I narrow my eyes. “What?”
“Go home, Lily,” he orders his voice curt and short.
I straighten my back, not liking the tone in his voice or his abruptness. “No. I’ve had a stressful week…” I say, raising my eyebrows, indicating that it was partly his fault. “I’m going to drink and dance and have some fun.”
His hand shoots out, his fingers wrapping around my forearm. “Lily—”
“Unless you have an explanation for me, I’m gonna walk away right now…” I pause waiting for him to say something, but his harsh glare back tells me all I need to know.
I wrench my arm from his grip, taking a step backward. “Have a good night,” I snap, turning on my heel and strutting toward the bar without looking back. I’m tense and agitated. I saved his ass last night, rescuing him from a trip to the hospital. And here he is thinking he can suddenly order me around.
Nope.
Hoisting myself onto a bar stool, I gesture to the bartender just as Molly drops in beside me with a wide grin.
“You told him.” She laughs.
Part of me is disappointed. I’d conjured up in my mind all these different scenarios I expected Kace to be—asshole was not on the list.
“I just want to have some fun,” I tell her, shaking the bad vibes from my shoulders and trying to forget about him.
Harder done than said when all I can feel is his gaze burning holes in my back. I shudder, trying to shake off the need I feel inside to turn around and meet his eyes.
“Hey, ladies…” the bartender greets with a cute smile. He’s young, blond hair that hangs long around his face reminding me of a surfer. He’s a welcome distraction.
“Cosmos. Two, please,” I order with a smile.
“Sure.” He goes about creating our drinks while Molly leans forward on the bar.
“You’re new here,” she observes, her eyes admiring him. “When’s your break? I know the best places out the back to fuck.” Her blunt comment catches him off guard, and he almost drops the bottle of cranberry juice. I’m not exactly sure what his reply will be. Molly can be brash and unashamed when it comes to picking up guys, it’s really a gamble about which way they’ll take her.
After composing himself, the bartender smirks. “Sorry, honey, I’m gay.”
Molly screws up her nose and sits back on her stool with a sigh. “Damn! My gaydar must be off tonight. Sorry.”
He laughs, finishing up our drinks and slides them across the bar. “No problem, gorgeous.”
Molly turns to me as she sips at her glass. “See what I mean? It’s always the hot ones.”
I giggle, gulping back two large mouthfuls of the potent liquid which tingles my throat as it slides down.
“Woah, kid…” Molly gasps, “… slow down. Or I’m going to be dragging you home by your legs at ten because you’re too drunk.”
I swallow. “Sorry. Seeing him there just took me off guard. And the way he spoke…” I shake my head, “… I’m just kinda disappointed.”
“‘Cause he might be just like all the others?” Molly asks, understanding in her eyes.
“Yeah,” I reply, finally risking a look over my shoulder at the man in question. His eyes are still on me, his arms folded across his chest, his muscles straining against the black collared shirt he’s wearing. His hair’s spiked up in its usual style, and even from this distance, I can see the bright blue of his smoldering eyes.
“Hey, girls,” a deep voice comes from down the bar, drawing my attention.
Molly spins on her chair, and we both look to where two young guys grin at us from a few stools down. They’re cute, one with black hair and a day’s growth shading his jawline, taking away the babyface look he has going on. The other has light brown hair, cut very short against his head. He has an amazing square jawline and prominent chin that gives him a slightly rugged and bad-boy look, even though his face is clean-shaven.
“I’m Phil,” shaven guy offers, before pointing to the black-haired guy. “This is Karl. Would you like to dance?”
Molly looks over her shoulder at me, raising her eyebrow.
I shrug in answer. Why not?
She throws me an encouraging smile before turning back and pointing to baby-faced Karl. “You’ll do. Come on.”
We both down the rest of our drinks before climbing off the stools.
Karl wraps his arm around Molly’s waist and guides her toward the dance floor.
Phil pushes away from the bar and steps to me with his hand outstretched. My body buzzes as though I’ve been shocked.
My eyes drift back across the room. Kace’s forehead is creased in anger, and his hand is turning white from the grip he has on the banister of the staircase. For a second, I think he may launch himself across the room and steal me away, but he doesn’t. He just continues to glare. But not at me, his eyes are all for Phil, who waits patiently at my side.
I swallow tightly, shaking my head in disappointment before turning to Phil and forcing a sweet smile on my lips. I take his hand. “Let’s go.”