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“Hey!” The guy stands, trying to take his phone back. “That’s mine, give it back, bitch.”

She doesn’t move to hand it back and she doesn’t react to his hissing beyond looking down her slender nose at him. When he goes to swipe the phone from her again my reflexes jump, reaching for his shoulder and squeezing his collarbone enough to halt his movements and for him to wince. Annika takes the opportunity to grab the man’s hand and press his thumb to the screen before he even understands what’s happening. The screen lights up to show it on camera mode.

“Any recording or photography in my club is strictly prohibited,” she speaks with the same steady calm as she had in her office.

The guy in my grip just sneers at her. “Oh, my bad.”

She gives him a calculating once over, something darkening in her glare.

“I’ll take my phone back now,” he grinds out through gritted teeth.

Annika flicks her wrist, passing the phone to Stuart over her shoulder. “Destroy this.”

“You can’t take my fucking phone!” The guy jerks in my hold but I just tighten my grip and keep him at least an arm’s length from Annika. Because she’s my boss. Not because the way he’s looking at her, face red with anger and lips turned down in disgust and definitely ready to attack if Stuart and I weren’t flanking her.

“I think you’ll find I already have,” she says with an air of boredom. “My question is, why are you here?”

“Booze and titties. Why areyouhere?” He doesn’t try to take a step closer, but he cranes his neck until the veins bulge, trying to get in her face. This arsehole is pissing me off. I’m about ready to literally kick him out the door, but my new boss isn’t put off by his aggression. She steps forward so she is only a couple of inches from him, I squeeze him again in warning until his knee buckles slightly in his attempt to escape me.

“You know exactly why I’m here. You know exactly who I am. There are rules in this city,Kukri, and penalties for breaking them. You’re either overly bold, or overly stupid.”

I’m a little confused. She called him Kukri, as intheKukris, another crime syndicate that predominantly operates in the Southeast of the city. I don’t know what the rules are that she’s referring to and I find myself curious.

When the Kukri says nothing more, she continues. “I think we should have a chat in private. Stuart will take you to a waiting room where you will wait untilIam ready to see you.”

Without further prompt, Stuart grabs the man’s upper arm, yanking him towards the back office. It seems like he’s going to fight for a moment but without a care in the world for the other patrons seeing him, Stuart pulls his gun and pokes into the small of the other man’s back.

As they walk away, Annika turns to me, her expression unreadable. “Be ready to leave in fifteen minutes, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with my home too.”

Then she’s gone.

4

ANNIKA

Isit in the back of the car from the club to my home. I always do but today it’s because Javier takes the front passenger seat. I don’t speak. Again, that is nothing new, I’m not much of a chatter. Javier doesn’t make small talk either, looking out of the window as we make the short journey. We pull up to the gate and the guard at the security hut dips to glance in the car, his eyes snagging on Javier for only a moment before he nods at Stuart and opens the cast iron gate to let us through.

It's dark, nearly midnight, but the house still looks impressive, lit up from the outside with warm uplighting from floodlights hidden behind the evergreens framing the columned entry way. I’ve never felt anything for this house, it was my father’s, so it became mine. I have no happy memories or sentimental passion for the property. It’s aesthetically pleasing, I suppose. White façade with black tiled roof and black framed windows, simple topiary of spherical bushes along the width of the house, and rose bushes surround the circular driveway. I’ve never given it much thought before, but now I find myself wondering what impression of me the house gives.

The gravel crunches under the tyres and the mechanical whirring of the garage door seems louder than normal somehow.As soon as we pull to a stop, I’m out of the car and heading to the house through the internal door. Not wanting to wade in whatever is making me feel awkward and uncomfortable anymore. The house is lit lowly, never completely dark, so I make my way to the kitchen and have finished a glass of water before Stuart and Harvey walk in.

“I know it’s late, but you officially work twenty-four hours a day now.” Stuart’s talking as he walks in and helps himself to one of the sickly energy drinks he keeps in my fridge. “I’ll show you around the house and take you home, then rest up as she’ll expect you here early tomorrow.”

“Please, do talk about me as though I’m not here,” I grumble, my back to them as I put my glass by the sink. Turning back to Stuart I say, “You go home. I’ll show Harvey around and send him home in a cab.”

Both men look surprised by my order. I’m slightly startled myself.

I soften my tone slightly as I continue. “Get home to your wife, I am fully capable of doing a tour of my own house.”

Stuart crosses his thick arms over his chest, his lips twitching in amusement. “Where’s the cleaning closet?”

I blink at him.I have a cleaning closet?“Why would Harvey need to know that?”

“When he wants to join Lee and I in throwing a ball around and ends up having to sweep up the remains of a very expensive looking vase before you find out.” His face is straight, and I can’t tell if he’s joking or not. I have no attachment to anything in the communal areas of this house, I probably wouldn’t notice if they had broken something.

“Did that really happen?” I narrow my gaze at him.

“You’ll never know.” He turns and slaps an amused looking Harvey on the shoulder. “I’ll leave ye in the boss’ hands then. Good luck, lad.” Then Stuart is gone.