Page 67 of Diamonds

I shift my gaze.“Yeah.”

“And Chet takes the IDs of everyone who comes in.”

“What does that have to do with…” I rub the headache springing up on my forehead.“Fuck.Our addresses.”

“Exactly.”She mirrors my movement, as if she’s got a raging headache now as well.“Chet somehow knew what drinks we had ordered that second night we were there.The night I left my credit card behind.If he knows that, I’m sure memorizing our addresses is not an issue for him.”

I inhale.“So you’re saying it’s actually safer to go to the club.”

“If we don’t want Rouge to suspect that we’re on to her, I think it’s our only option.”

Fuck.Fuck.

Alissa might be right.

God damn it.

What have I gotten us into?

We don’thaveto go back.But Alissa has a point.It would rouse suspicion if we didn’t return.I’ve been going to Aces every weekend for the past several years.Even after that weird night with Rouge, I kept going.I convinced myself that what I experienced with her was just the result of a bad drug trip.

Now I’m not so sure.

Wecouldjust flee the country.Change our names.Leave this all behind.Forget Chicago.Forget Aces Underground.Forget my shop.Forget Alissa’s career.Forget Rouge Montrose.

But no.

Alissa is going to audition for the CSO next week.And I love my shop more than anything.

Well, more than anything besides Alissa.

Because as stubborn and obstinate as she’s being, I’ve fallen even more in love with this woman.Shit.If she wants to keep going to the club, I’m going to keep taking her to the club.

“Fine,” I finally say.“We’ll go Saturday.It’s Valentine’s Day.One of the biggest days of the year at Aces.Everyone brings a date.The place will be stuffed, and it’ll keep Rouge busy.We can go, have a drink, and maybe look around.See if we can find anything that my dad’s message might be hinting at.”

“The club is open Friday night as well,” Alissa says.“Why not go then?”

“Because I want to do something else tomorrow,” I say.“I want to pay a couple of visits to some people around town.Starting with my dear mother.”

* * *

I didn’t staythe night with Alissa last night.We’ve been apart the last few nights and nothing bad has happened, so we figured we were safe.

Maybe Rouge really has no idea what we’re up to.

I knew that if I slept over, we’d end up making love until morning.And what we really needed after another late night at the morgue was a good night’s sleep.We need our wits about us the next couple of days.

Don’t get me wrong.I wanted to fuck her.Mad Maddox was purring against my heart as I walked her to the door.My cock was aching for release, begging to be let out of its cage and ravish Alissa until sunrise.

I’m not opening the shop today, and Alissa said she’d call in sick to the hospital.

She meets me outside my shop, holding two travel mugs in her mittened hands.“I brought you some coffee.I had to guess.Do you take yours black?”

I grab a mug.“Black as a moonless night.”

She smirks.“Poetic.”

I shrug.“Comes with owning a haberdashery, I guess.”