Page 84 of Love Me Darkly

“Careful,” Riley murmured, edging closer while the end of his cigarette glowed in the darkness. “I pulled you out of that jail cell in Texas, sealed your record, and gave you a new identity. But just as fast, I can put you back there.”

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Melody fought down panic at the thought of going back to jail. After all she’d been through, going back there wasn’t an option.

Sighing, she folded her arms over her chest. “He’s no one … just some tourist who comes to the club to flirt with me. He tips well when I’m nice, so I let him think I want him. I’m good at it.”

“Yes,” Riley grunted. “I’d imagine you are.”

Her jaw clenched at the dig, but she remained silent. Riley knew he held power over her, and loved to remind her of her past. He knew that she would never fight back … not when he literally held her life in his hands.

“I’m telling you, the guy is a fed. He shows up in town, and all of a sudden, the entire New Orleans branch of the circuit is wiped out? That’s no coincidence.”

“Look, if he’s a fed, I wasn’t aware. I barely know the guy, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell him anything.”

“Good. See that you keep it that way. You report only to me. I didn’t work as long and as hard as I did to take down Korenic just to have the feds come in and snatch him out from under me.”

“What difference does it make who gets the job done?” she asked with a huff of annoyance. “You’re a detective, you should want justice no matter what.”

Riley flicked his cigarette to the ground and put it out with his foot. “Because this is personal. Don’t worry about the why—you just get me those dates and times. You play along for a while more, and you never have to see me again.”

Without waiting for her to respond, he slinked out of the alley and disappeared around the corner, leaving her alone.