Deadly Dozen: 12 Mysteries/Thrillers (145 page)

I scanned the place for Hannah Williams, but didn’t see her anywhere.

When I looked around, all I could imagine were a hundred ways a girl could get in trouble.

What was wrong with me? This was supposed to be fun, and here I was imagining the worst that could happen.

Put me in a courtroom and I was good. But this ... this was not my natural habitat.

“What can I getcha?” I turned and looked into the darkest eyes I’d ever seen. He was tall, tan, and shirtless.

“Uh ...”

He smiled, and darn it if he didn’t have dimples. “Not sure we have that. How about a— “ He leaned toward me and I turned my ear to him. He cupped my face and whispered, “How about the Lover’s Kiss? Or maybe Ménage à Trois, if you’re feeling naughty.” I felt the heat rise up my neck.

“Get me a gin and tonic,” I said. I couldn’t handle hard liquor very well, and if there was anything I wanted at the moment, it was a clear head.

No, screw that. I needed some trouble. The good kind of trouble.

He turned to go, but I grabbed his arm. “Get me a Lover’s Kiss.” He raised his eyebrows. “Now,” I said.

He smiled and turned to get me my drink.

Mandy and Rick returned from the dance floor, faces flushed. “Got a boyfriend already?” she asked.

“Yeah, but I’ll have to pay his way through college. Ha. No, I don’t think I could go out with a guy who worked at a place like this.”

Mandy rolled her eyes and sipped her appletini. “You don’t have to marry him, Sarah. Just lighten up, have fun, and try to relax a little. Go ask one of those guys who are staring at you to dance.” She tipped back the rest of her drink. A new song came on. “Ooo,” she squealed. “It’s your favorite, Rick.”

“It hasn’t been my favorite for, like, five years,” he protested as she pulled him to the dance floor.

“Okay, okay.” I closed my eyes and sighed. I could do this—have fun, be fun, and relax. I’d bury the darkness deep inside me and play the happy ADA.

“Here you go. Let me know if you like it.” I opened my eyes, and the hottie bartender was there with that amazing smile again.

“Sure thing. Here goes nothing.” I picked up the glass and downed the pink drink. It tasted like cotton candy and was ... really yummy. I could take about two or three more of those.

A deep voice to my left rumbled through the music and sent a shiver down my arms and legs. “Can I buy you another?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

“YOU’RE READING MY MIND—” I stopped short when I saw who it was. “Solomon?”

He smiled and spread his hands. “It’s me.” Adorable. He was dressed nice, in a suit coat and designer jeans. So he had money. Or he went broke buying clothes so he could look like he had money.

“Well, I won’t force you to have a drink.” He shrugged and his eyes took in Mandy and Rick dancing on the floor. “I only offered so I could talk to you.” He waved a hand toward the club. “You know, the game and all.”

“The game? I’m confused.”

He laughed, and the sound made me laugh too.

“The game. This game. Women dressing up to attract guys or to impress other women, guys hitting on women and trying to figure out who’s a witch, who has daddy issues, who’s just out with her girlfriends, and who’s seriously looking for a man. It’s all so confusing, as you said.”

He lifted a finger and the bartender, not smiling now, brought him a drink. How did he do that? I looked him over, trying to figure him out.

“What do you think—good guy, DB, or player?” He looked at me with a hard stare; it was so direct and confident.

“I, uh, I don’t know. I mean, you dress well. Maybe you come from money and expect to get your way just because. Or maybe you live in your mother’s basement and drive a huge truck to compensate for something.”

He threw his head back and bellowed with laughter.

“Who’s your friend?” He pointed to Mandy. “She’s been pretending not to notice me for the last few minutes.” He leaned back and nodded at her.

“That’s Mandy, and her boyfriend, Rick.” When I nodded toward her, she came over. I put a hand on her shoulder and she smiled and acted all shy. “This is my arms dealer, Solomon.”

Solomon looked up in surprise and I laughed. “I mean, he’s my firearms instructor.”

“Hi,” Mandy said. “Good to meet you.” Behind her hand, she mouthed to me, “He’s gorgeous.”

I ignored her, as I was having no trouble noting that myself.

Rick and Solomon shook hands.

“We—ell,” Mandy drawled, taking Rick’s hand, “we want to go explore the lounge upstairs. You have fun.” She winked at me. She had never been the subtlest of my friends.

But this time, I didn’t mind. I wanted to talk to this guy. Not that I was going home with him or anything, but I figured he was more interesting than any other guy in the club and it would keep me from having to dance with a stranger.

I couldn’t stop looking at him. Was it the short, neat facial hair, the dark eyes, or the way he seemed so at ease? It was like this was the African plains and he was a lion, king of the pride, not afraid of anything.

I, on the other hand, was not in my domain.

“What are you thinking?” He tapped his finger to his temple and I smiled.

“Just thinking I might need that drink.”

“Ah ... I see we’ve reached stage two.” He lifted that magic finger again and the same pink drink was placed in front of me. “Shall we sit at a table? It’s a little quieter for conversation between two real people.”

I nodded and he led me to a back table that overlooked the entire club. I sat down and it felt so good to be off those heels. But I made sure I sat with my back to the wall so I could see if Hannah Williams showed up. Still no sign of her.

“There, that’s better. Now I can hear myself think. Tell me, Sarah, what brings you to a place like this?”

“My well-meaning friend,” I said. “Okay, you got me to talk to you, I let you buy me a drink, now answer me this: what’s your other job?”

His eyes widened and he smiled, making his whole face light up. “Hmm, Sarah with an H at the end, you’re not a club-goer by nature, are you?”

“What are you trying to do, impress me with your insight into women? You never answered my question.”

He chuckled. “And you’re a firstborn, maybe an only child.”

“Really? That’s easy. I’ve been in the papers and you could have Googled me, for all I know.” I thought about the nil info I’d gotten when I Googled his name. How much did he know about me?

He took another sip from his glass and seemed to lose himself in his own thoughts. What was with this guy? He was smart, I could tell that much, and yet he seemed almost not in to the conversation, as if he didn’t want to be here.

“So, what are
you
doing at a place like this?” I asked. “You don’t seem the type to be in the game either.”

“No, I’m not much of a club guy, not really into the whole dating bump-and-grind thing.” He shifted in his seat and said easily, “I own the place.”

“What?” I laughed. “Come on—that’s the oldest line in the book.”

“I know, and it’s a lie. I just saw you over there being dragged in by your well-meaning friend and I figured you wouldn’t mind a simple rescue. And I wanted some grown-up conversation. And here we are.”

“And here we are,” I echoed. No doubt there was much more to his story than that. He was an expert at dodging questions.

“Tell me something about you,” I said. I sipped from my glass and waited.

He spoke quickly, with a crooked grin. “Favorite color is blue, favorite food barbeque, grew up all over—long story. Only child, military background. I like Dr. Pepper, movies, guns, and you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, then, now that we got that out of the way—”

“Not so fast—your turn. Hit me. We have to do this ... it’s in the manual.” He winked and sat back.

“Okay, fine. Crappy childhood, some good parts, but mostly bad—long story. I love working out, pizza, and Pepsi. I’m a workaholic and I let people get to me, no matter how hard I try. I love watching thrillers and horror, listening to punk and rock, and drinking white wine. One day I would love a
real
life, with a stupid dog and maybe a kid or two.”

He raised his eyebrows. “That’s a part of Sarah Steele not many people hear about.” Then he leaned in. “But you forgot about one thing you like. What about me? You forgot to say that you liked me.” His eyes sparkled and I put on a serious face.

“Still thinking on that one. I mean, I’m a hard sell, so keep working. But,” I whispered, “you’re off to a good start.” I smiled into his eyes as if we were long-lost soul mates and then realized what I was doing. I broke the gaze. He took a long drag on his beer.

My eyes roved over the dance floor again.

“Are you looking for someone?” he asked. He certainly was nosy.

“Aren’t we all?” I said. He looked down, as if he understood that I had dodged the question but liked the answer anyway.

For some reason, meeting Solomon was like meeting an old friend. I don’t know how it can be so hard to connect with most people, yet meet someone and in a matter of one conversation, feel like there’s this underlying bond.

“Hey, there you guys are!” Mandy and Rick came up to the table. “Sorry we were gone so long.”

“No worries, I kept her company,” Solomon said. “She’s been humoring me and pretending to like talking to me.”

“Well, this is my public service for the week,” I said. “No more good deeds for this girl.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly saw a flash of auburn hair. I craned my neck to see around Mandy. Hannah Williams was dancing with a handsome man with Middle-Eastern features. They moved like long-time lovers.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

I SHOT UP, GLANCING at everyone. “Gotta run. See—there’s—gotta dance. I just love this song. Bye!” I ignored their confused expressions and walked onto the dance floor.

It was darker there, and I felt the rhythm against my chest. Dipping and swaying, I raised my arms and danced my way to where Hannah and her partner were. Hannah’s eyes were closed as she nuzzled the side of his neck.

I tapped the man on the shoulder. His mouth fell open in surprise and then pleasure. “Well,
hello.”

“Hi,” I said with a sultry gaze. He was just the type I knew how to get past. “Mind if I borrow your partner for a while? You can watch.”

His eyes lit up and he stepped away. Hannah stumbled at his sudden absence. I grabbed her waist and steadied her, and didn’t let go. She didn’t bat an eyelash; rather, she kept the rhythm as if she hadn’t traded partners.

We danced, and stared deep in each other’s eyes. What secrets was she hiding? What lies had she told me?

Finally, I spoke. “You’re not Daddy’s little girl at all. And you were never betrayed.”

Her face still stayed hidden behind a mask, but I saw a flicker of anger in her eyes.

“I’d swear on my father’s grave that you aren’t Hank Williams’ daughter,” I said, and then whispered in her ear. “Everything you have is a lie.”

The song pulsed louder and I turned my back to her, rocking to the beat. When I turned around, she had stopped dancing.

“You’re quite brash,” she said above the music. She frowned and lowered her chin. Speaking in a low voice so I had to lean in to hear, she said, “You shouldn’t have found that out, Sarah. And you certainly shouldn’t have told me.”

Was that a threat? Anger flooded through me and I gritted my teeth. “All houses built on lies will crumble,” I said. “You’d better be clear of it when it does.”

She shook her head slowly, as if I’d just said the most preposterous thing in the world. “Nothing is going to crumble, Sarah.” She kept saying my name and I didn’t like it. She grabbed my arm and pulled me to her, hard. “You’ll be broken.” And she kissed me on the cheek.

An involuntary shudder rippled through me. I was speechless.

She sauntered away, grabbing her male friend’s hand, and went for the door. I stood in the middle of the happy, dancing crowd. I think I’d just been handed my ass on a plate.

By the time I regained my composure, she was already out the door and had her phone to her ear. I took off after her.