Page 93 of Nails

Erik tilted his head.“She’s still pissed about the suspension, blames Riley for it.Guess she figured this was payback.”

Adam leaned back again, letting out a slow breath.Payback was one thing.Endangering someone under his roof—someone he had a stake in was another.

“You’ve got it bad for her,” Erik said, the faintest trace of amusement in his tone.

Adam didn’t deny it, but he didn’t confirm it either.He simply gave him a level look.

“Careful,” Erik said.“Some of the girls already have their eye on you.Like Anya did, and look what happened when she felt threatened by Riley.You make it obvious you’ve got a favorite, it’s only gonna make her a bigger target.”

Adam didn’t respond, though the truth of it sat uncomfortably in the back of his mind.

As if reading his thoughts, Erik added, “Speaking of targets.Chen and Ronan are coming tomorrow night.”

Adam’s mouth tightened.He hadn’t forgotten.He just wasn’t looking forward to it.Chen was all business and no conscience, the kind of man who could look at a woman and see nothing but profit margins.

“What are you going to do with Riley when Chen’s here?”Erik asked.“We both know as soon as he lays eyes on her, he’s going to see dollar signs.Big ones.”

Adam’s gaze slid toward the floor for a moment before he met Erik’s eyes again.“She’s taking Anya’s spot in my VIP suite.”

Erik’s brows went up.“That’s throwing her right into the fire.”

“Yeah,” Adam said.“But it’s fire I’ll be standing in, too.At least if she’s in my suite, I can keep an eye on her.Chen won’t make a move without going through me first.”

“That’s assuming he even asks,” Erik said dryly.

Adam didn’t answer.The truth was, he wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to play it when Chen inevitably took an interest.But he’d deal with that when the time came.

The desk phone buzzed, and Adam pressed the button.

“Boss,” one of the bouncers’ voices crackled through, “Riley just got here.”

Adam sat back, a faint smile tugging at his mouth despite everything.“Send her up.”

The hum of bass from the main floor thrummed through the walls as Riley stepped inside the club.She was surprised to see others there early in the day.But she guessed that the dancers did have to practice.

Cole, one of the bouncers, fell into step beside her without a word.

Her thoughts were anything but silent.

Nails’ face flashed in her mind.The frustration in his eyes, the way his voice had edged toward command instead of conversation.Yeah, he had pissed her off.She didn’t appreciate being told she couldn’t do something when it was literally her job to do it.But even as her jaw tightened, remembering it, another part of her knew why he had said it.He was worried.She couldn’t fault him for that.Still, he needed to understand that she had a dangerous job, just like him.If he couldn’t, they would keep running into walls like this, making a relationship impossible.

She forced herself to push the thought aside.She had a meeting with Adam to focus on now.Her head was filled with questions.Was he angry about last night?Did he blame her?Was he going to fire her?She hoped that wasn’t the case.If she got fired, then the entire operation would unravel.

Cole stayed silent as they crossed the club, weaving past staff setting up the bars and tables.When they entered through the staff door, Riley wondered where he was taking her.Until they reached the door in the back that led upstairs, and he knocked twice, then the door opened, revealing Erik standing there.

“Come with me,” he said, stepping back to let her in.“Adam’s waiting in his office.”

Riley felt a jolt of excitement.She was going upstairs.As soon as they stepped onto the staircase, she felt an immediate shift in the atmosphere.It was quieter, cooler, and the lighting shifted from bright to a warmer, gold-toned glow.The décor mirrored the main floor’s style, sleek lines, black marble, deep crimson accents, but with a more expensive splash.

“How are you holding up?”Erik asked as they started up the stairs, his gaze flicking briefly to her cheek.

“I’m fine,” she said, keeping her tone even.

“Doesn’t look too bad,” he said.“Could’ve been worse.”

She didn’t answer, and he didn’t push it.

At the top, they stepped into a long hallway.Plush carpeting muffled their footsteps.Midway down, a door markedSurveillance Roomcaught her eye.She kept her face neutral, but her pulse quickened.She barely had time to register it before they passed a set of frosted double glass doors.She wondered what was behind them, but Erik didn’t slow down.