Page 16 of One Dark Kiss (Grimm Bargains #2)

SIXTEEN

Rosalie

H ours after watching the casual murder of three men, I scoot myself back in the booth and drink my fourth apple martini.

This was a good idea. I look at my two best friends.

Alana sits to my right and Ella to my left, and both of them seem to be shimmering in the air.

I should probably slow down with the alcohol.

Alana leans forward, her hazel eyes blurry. I can t believe you haven t called the police.

Ella shakes her head, her blonde hair piled up high tonight. In a light-green dress, she looks more sprite-like than ever. You can t, right? I mean, you re his attorney and there s no imminent threat.

I pluck the apple slice from my now empty glass and pop it into my mouth to enjoy the sweetness. I think that s right. Even though I m a witness, I don t think I can say anything. Besides, they were shooting at us first.

There is that. Alana is dressed in her signature aquamarine-colored dress. We re drinking in the VIP lounge of the hottest new nightclub in town, Dark Mirror Lounge. I note multiple security guards at several points. They re all here for Alana.

I m surprised Thorn let you out, I joke. What, are there only ten armed men in here?

Alana snorts delicately and finishes her margarita. Are you kidding me? Those are only the men you can see. She blows a kiss to a security camera in the corner.

My mouth drops open. He hacked into the security system?

She shrugs. Most likely. But that makes it easy for me to go out for a while, you know?

I actually don t know. Thorn seems to be a bit much for me. Although, I m now somewhat of an accomplice to a man just as dangerous. Why are dangerous men so sexy? There s something wrong with the female brain. What is it in us that s drawn to bad boys?

Alana shrugs. I like feeling safe. If anybody so much as flicks my ear, Thorn will cut theirs off. Her eyebrows draw down. Wait. That seems wrong. Right?

Heck if I know. Being safe is definitely an aphrodisiac.

Ella waves for the waiter to bring another round. My guess is that dangerous bad men are good in bed.

That s probably true. The memory of the wild orgasm Alexei forced on me flashes through my brain. My sex clenches. That s it. My body is a moron not listening to my brain. But don t hormones and sexual attraction come from the brain? I m losing my mind.

Alana snorts. Welcome to the club.

Ella smiles as a cute waiter brings over three more drinks for us. I kind of like having security in place. She looks around at the thick mahogany tables and tasteful and somehow flowery decor. I feel like nobody—even my evil stepmother—can get to me here.

Alana reaches for another margarita. Believe me, nobody can get to you here.

Thorn has every exit covered. She sounds happy, so I don t give her too hard of a time.

I can t imagine ever giving up that much of my own freedom, and my thoughts fly unerringly to Alexei.

He does seem to be rather bossy, and I need to set limitations soon.

Although I ll never admit this to anybody, but I slept peacefully for the first time in eons with him in my bed.

Ella kicks me lightly beneath the table with her high-heeled pump. What is that look on your face?

Heat instantly fills my cheeks. I don t know what you re talking about.

Oh, yes you do, Alana says. Come on, dish it. I ve seen Alexei. He s seriously hot. You ve only told us part of the story, right?

While I d told them about the events of the day, I hadn t told them that he s staying with me.

Come on, Ella coaxes. You never could keep a poker face, at least not with the two of us. This is true.

While I can bluff in court plenty, I can t lie to my two best friends. Fine. I give them a full lowdown on how he s staying with me.

Ella s head jerks, and her blue eyes widen. Are you serious? You let him stay the night?

I didn t have much of a choice. I shrug. He doesn t have anywhere to live.

Alana tips back half of her margarita. That s the lamest excuse I ve ever heard.

I cut her a look under my lashes. Oh yeah? I remember you coming up with some pretty lame excuses about Thorn Beathach.

She chuckles, the sound happy. Yeah, that s probably true. Then she sobers. But you re not going to get involved with Alexei, are you? I mean, come on. He s a murderer.

Like Thorn isn t? Ella instantly snaps. We were just talking about sexy bad boys.

Alana s mouth tightens. Neither Thorn nor Alexei are boys. Don t forget that.

I immediately try to squelch any argument. Come on, Alana. We all know that Thorn runs the Irish mob.

I know. Alana looks at Ella. Right now, you re under his protection, which you need.

Ella reaches for her rum and Coke and takes several drinks. I m not entirely sure I am under his protection. His brother wants me dead.

Alana rolls her eyes now. Oh, come on. Justice doesn t want you dead. Maybe excommunicated to a faraway island, but not dead.

Ella laughs. That s fair. I did almost kill his brother, but I didn t know you were going to fall in love with the guy.

Alana smiles. I know. I m not mad about it. I think you were pretty brilliant. And plus, that s a skill we may need someday, she flicks a glance at me, just in case we need to kill Alexei.

I shake my head. He s not charging the crystals. If you infect the amethyst crystals that power the Hologrid Hub servers, you ll end up killing Hendrix, not Alexei.

Hendrix is an ass. Alana reaches for a bowl of miniature pretzels.

She slides a pretzel in her mouth and chews softly so as not to bug me.

Guilt instantly flushes me that my friends can t enjoy a pretzel without trying to be quiet about it.

It s not my fault, but I still feel like an asshole. Alana doesn t seem to mind.

She glances at her aquamarine-and garnet-encrusted watch. I have about a half an hour more, and then I need to go create posts for Aquarius Social. It s almost midnight.

I m not up to my usual state of holding the phone for her while she posts. I m a little wobbly, to be honest. Alana? How do you deal with that? The fact that Thorn runs the Irish mob?

She sobers. I accept all of him. Plus, I trust him to control the organization better than anybody else. I trust him .

Is it possible for me to trust somebody that much? To ignore the danger and crime associated with Alexei? A shadow crosses our table, and I look up to see dark blue eyes and thick blond hair. Hendrix, I murmur. It figures he s at the hottest new club in town.

Hello, Miss Mooncrest, he says, smiling. He has perfect teeth. I ve always admired people who have perfect teeth. Mine are close but no cigar. I was hoping I could have a moment to speak with you.

Alana draws back. She probably does feel weird, considering she was the last person to see his brother alive, and Thorn probably killed the guy. Of course, Cal Sokolov was a complete ass.

No, Ella says for me.

Wait a minute. I m a lawyer on a case. Maybe Hendrix has been drinking. No, that s all right. I scoot from the booth and waver on my four-inch heels.

Hendrix grasps my elbow. Are you all right? He leans down, smelling of dusky cologne. He has to be a good six-foot-two and is well muscled. The rugged planes of his face are rather attractive.

Yes, I m fine. Besides my kitten heels that had been unfortunately destroyed by fire earlier that day, these four-inch Louboutins I snatched at a secondhand store last month are my favorite.

I ll bring her right back to you. Hendrix winks at Ella. She glowers at him. I ve always liked her overprotective side. She looks tiny and defenseless, but she could destroy his life with a couple of keystrokes if she wanted.

Hendrix leads me graciously across the VIP area to a quiet booth where he settles me before sitting across the glass table.

Can I get you a drink? He lifts one finger to signal the waitress.

She hustles up, her bosom swaying, and practically shoves both boobs in his face as she leans over. Can I help you?

Crap. If she gets any closer, she may smother him.

He leans back slightly. The lady would like an apple martini with two apple slices, and I ll take a Balvenie Old Port Wood on the rocks.

I ve never liked scotch, but it seems like such a manly thing to order. I blink several times in an effort to clear my vision. What can I do for you, Hendrix? I only slur his name slightly.

His smile makes him appear even more handsome. While his younger brother had been slick with the good looks, Hendrix is smooth. I like that about a guy.

He taps his fingers on the table. I feel we should discuss Alexei and your representation of him.

What would you like to discuss?

Your safety, Hendrix says calmly. I won t be able to sleep if I fail to at least warn you that he s a very dangerous man.

Well, no kidding. I learned that today firsthand. I appreciate the warning.

He killed David Fairfax. Hendrix leans forward. You need to understand that fact. He actually killed the man in cold blood.

He says that he was set up, I mumble. There s a ring of truth as well as anger in Alexei s eyes every time he talks about the murder.

Hendrix purses his lips as if he s just sucked on a lemon as the waitress deposits our drinks, once again pushing her boobs toward his face.

I don t think the guy looks like he needs to breastfeed at the moment, but what do I know?

She pats his shoulder and then turns, her butt swaying seductively as she walks away on four-inch spiked boots.

I admire that. I ve never mastered the sway in high heels.

Both Hendrix and I watch her go, then he turns back toward me.

He is a killer.

I m well aware that he is a killer, but I don t think he killed David Fairfax. I don t see Alexei being dumb enough to hide the murder weapon in a pond right outside the back door of a mansion, I say. Do you?