Page 8 of Protected by the Sinner (The Sinner’s Touch #2)
That Same Night
When more than ten minutes had passed and Amber still hadn’t come back—then Roman showed up—I knew something had happened.
He’s always alert, but he never approaches me inside my clubs because he hates crowds. “She’s gone.”
“What do you mean, gone ?”
“She left. I saw her on the cameras but couldn’t catch her in time. It never crossed my mind that a woman would actually run from you.” Even with his usual stoic expression, I can tell the idea amuses him.
“How long ago?”
“About ten minutes.”
So the moment she said she was going to the restroom, she vanished.
“Let’s go. Show me the cameras.”
As I head to my office inside the club, my mind is racing.
My biggest concern should be that Amber just confirmed my suspicion she didn’t come to me by chance. But right now, it’s not my brain calling the shots. It’s my dick.
I want her. Whatever her reason for infiltrating my territory, I want those long legs wrapped around my waist while I fuck her hard. Now more than ever.
Whoever sent her is going to get my attention next. I don’t leave loose ends.
Roman walks ahead, opens the laptop with the security feed, and steps aside. He’s already queued up the clips where she appears.
I get a glimpse of her hair as she rushes down the stairs and makes her way to the ground floor.
Despite the chaos and the size of my club, it takes her less than three minutes from the main floor to the exit.
She ran like she was being chased.
I close the laptop, trying to piece the puzzle together.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Find her.”
“That’s already in motion. Do you want to be there when I interrogate her?”
Somehow, his question pisses me off. I don’t want anyone touching her but me. “No. This time we’re taking a different approach.”
“I’d appreciate more detail. I don’t like deviating from protocol.”
“Whoever sent her planned it. They knew I had a thing for brunettes—that’s no secret—and they knew exactly how she should act.”
“That doesn’t prove anything. She had a fifty-fifty chance of getting close to you, and just as much chance of getting kicked out.”
“It’s more than that. She’s too smart to be just a pawn. I like to understand my enemies.”
“I can make her talk in under an hour.”
“No. Just find her. I’ll handle the approach myself.”
“This goes against your entire MO, Beau.”
“I’ve survived more than once just by trusting my gut. And it’s telling me this is bigger than some common enemy trying to hit me.”
“Or kill you.”
I shrug. “They’re welcome to try. Now find the girl. No one touches her. I want her thinking I’m just a man who doesn’t take rejection well.”
“Isn’t that what this is?”
“I don’t know. If it ever happens, I’ll let you know.”
Las Vegas
The next day
I had to fly out to the West Coast for business—which wasn’t part of the plan.
Already pissed that everything went off the rails yesterday, the cherry on top is learning I won’t be able to leave Vegas tonight.
My phone rings, and for a second, I think about ignoring it. But it’s Roman, and I want to know if he found Amber.
I still don’t get why she ran so fast. If the plan was to get close to me, why bail before finishing the job?
If she ran out of fear, that makes her as smart as I suspected. Not just anyone could walk away untouched after the approach she pulled.
Lucky for her, I want her. I want to satisfy the violent craving she stirred in me and find out who’s really behind this setup.
Amber is just a piece on the board. I know enough about human nature to tell she’s not from my world.
But what’s driving her?
“Where is she?” I ask.
“In a motel in Richardson. Small town near Dallas. Didn’t go far.”
“Keep eyes on her. Don’t lose sight of her.”
“She’s on the move. Won’t stay in one place long.”
“Manage to find out anything about her finances?”
“If what’s in her bank account is all she has, she doesn’t have much.”
“Which means she can’t move around too often.”
“Exactly. So what do you want me to do? Be smart about this—I could get everything out of her quickly .”
“Not necessary. I’ll be back in Texas first thing tomorrow. Just make sure she doesn’t disappear.”
Dallas
The following day
The driver just pulled up in front of a rundown motel—like so many scattered across this country.
Roman said she doesn’t have many resources, but judging by this place, it’s even worse than I thought.
Somehow, the fact that she’s staying here pisses me off. Amber deserves better.
“I’m going in,” I tell my head of security over the phone.
“I sent a car ahead to check the place. It’s secure.”
I spot the vehicle he’s in, along with two others full of bodyguards.
He never leaves room for mistakes and told me he saw the hostess taking Amber to me that night at the club—but waited to let me decide how to handle it.
I open the car door, remembering what he told me after I landed. She hasn’t left all day and hasn’t ordered any food—which tells me she might be afraid of being discovered in her so-called hideout.
I knock on the door, and surprisingly, she answers right away.
Anticipation floods my body. Hunger and anger all tangled together.
I want to punish her for thinking she could fool me, and at the same time, slam her against the wall and lose myself in her.
Just like the first time I saw her, I’m struck by how beautiful she is.
She’s no longer wearing that provocative outfit from the club, just a simple strappy dress that falls to her knees.
Still perfect.
Amber has a natural elegance. She could be wrapped in rags and still turn heads.
We stare at each other in silence—but unlike what I expected, there’s no fear on her face.
“Amber Martin. Finally found you.”
“Were you looking for me, Beau?” she asks boldly, maybe trying to provoke me by using my first name.
Her fake calm doesn’t fool me. I catch a vein pulsing in her neck.
She’s anxious. And that turns me on.
“I don’t like unfinished business.”
“Maybe from your perspective, I’m unfinished business, but I’m sure you can find someone to take my place.”
“I don’t want a replacement. I want you. Let me in. I have a proposition for you.”