Page 5

I hear Sterling behind me as the man moves forward, “Let us out.”
The door clicks open, courtesy of the badge the guard wears, and I wonder if Sterling and Jensen have something like that. There’s no way they willingly walk in here and wait for someone else to let them out.
Shaking my head, I lift my chin and march from the room. I’m going to find my husband and we’re leaving this place right now -
“Killer, you’re looking good.”
Chapter 2
My back stiffens, and every muscle in my body suddenly locks up at the sound of his voice. I don’t really know how he crossed me since this is theone thingI didn’t want happening today, but Sterling promised I wouldn’t have to speak with him when we agreed to the meeting. Supposedly the FBI just wanted an updated statement to see what I know.
What a load of shit.
“Keep moving,” someone else says, and I don’t turn back. As much as I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of my attention, part of me is curious. Convicted killers don’t do photoshoots. I don’t know what he looks like anymore.
“Joelle,” Alastair continues, his silky smooth voice matching the one from my nightmares. “I know you haven’t forgotten me.”
“Don’t acknowledge him,” Sterling advises me, stepping behind me and between us. “Keep moving along, Constantine.”
“I’ll do whatever the lady asks.”
Lady.That irritates me, maybe because we used to say lady sarcastically in high school when the three of us were all friends. Just me, Vinny, and Alastair. Before all of this.
Against my better judgment, I turn and meet his gaze. Alastair always had a unique look about him, from his dual colored eyes to his pale blonde hair. He’s kept his hair shaggy, letting it reach past his ears in an even messier look than Sterling. I suppose as a patient he doesn’t have many people to dress up for.
He’s tall, taller than my husband by several inches. But it’s those eyes, one green and one hazel, that draw me into a false sense of comfort. He grins, revealing his dimples, and subconsciously I reach up and touch my cheeks.
I have dimple piercings. It’s something I added to my look years ago when we officially moved to Denver. My hair is a strawberry blonde, long and loose down my back almost to my waist. The billowy clothing I wear helps cover the scars but I see the way his eyes sweep over me, possibly looking for signs of his handiwork.
Hopefully my blue eyes convey how cold he makes me inside. Nevermind the rush of something I can’t quite name shooting through me, I refuse to equate anything about Alastair to lust after he tried to kill me.
His chuckle is low as he watches me, his lip hooking up into that half smirk I used to love. “Copying me now? I like the piercings on you.”
“Fuck off, Alastair,” I growl, proud my voice doesn’t wobble as we stare at each other. Sterling remains between us like a precaution, but he doesn’t stop us from interacting either. “Your face was the last one I pictured when I had these piercings done.”
“Ah, but you still picture me?” he asks, a nurse and a guard remaining around him. It’s interesting how they all watch but no one cuts in. “You can pretend you don’t think of me, Joelle, but you’ve spoken your truth. I’d rather be the face in your nightmares than fade into oblivion.”
My mouth pops open at that, but I don’t know what to say. Between hearing him call me Killer and that insane remark, I can’t form a response. Instead I huff and turn away, intent on finding Vinny for real and getting the hell out of here.
His voice rings down the hall, following me even as I try to escape the institution. “See you soon, Killer.”
“This is what they brought us back to Citrus Grove for?”
Vinny cuts me a glare as we leave the penitentiary, his hand low and protective against the small of my back. The dark ink across his skin bounces in the sunlight, and I tug self-consciously at my sleeves again.
The moment he spots the motion, the annoyance in his dark eyes disappears and I immediately regret doing it. He’s attuned to my habits after almost twenty years together, and guaranteeing that the scars are hidden is something I do when I’m nervous or uncomfortable. This isn’t the club we co-own back in Denver. This is the place that birthed my nightmares, and so far it feels like we’re being dragged around on nothing more than a wild hoax.
Someone died, and that’s a tragedy. But how the FBI decided that two losers from Alastair’s past could possibly help out is beyond me. No one cares about his two former high school lovers when he’s the serial psychopath that escaped a Supermax to sit and take up space in a penitentiary.
Vinny’s phone rings, and a string of curses slip free from his lips. I’m only half listening, looking around the outside of the building as he huffs and answers the call. I know tensions are high for everyone, but there’s literally only two people I can think of that he would answer a call from right now.
Which means either something is happening with the club, or the two people we left behind to watch it have absolutely no idea what they are doing and how to manage things so they’re calling us. Our longtime friend Emeric is capable but has a short tolerance for ignorance, and my cousin Serenity…
Well, I threw her into the deep end when it comes to managing a BDSM club. We wanted someone in the family watching the club to help keep our members at ease. We dropped the news that we would be leaving the state for an undetermined amount of time back around the Christmas holiday.
That feels like a lifetime ago, but it’s only been a few days. I miss Colorado, and Florida in February is too warm for my tastes. I long for mountains in the distance and being as far away from Citrus Grove as possible.
“Emeric, you have to work with her, not just lose your temper on her,” Vinny groans, rubbing a hand over his face. I force a smile in his direction before stepping further away. We’re on the outskirts of the building, and I can see guards just inside the mirrored doors. No one is going to casually escape from inside there, but I don’t know if I can handle any drama from the club after that exhausting meeting and the unfortunate moment with Alastair.