Page 19 of Queen of Diamonds

7

GLADE

We were almost free of the building.

We’d taken the back way, through the dressing rooms and hallway with cleaning supplies and extra stock. Knight was in front, Kyan just before me, and Zed was at my back, never more than a step away.

We were on the main floor now, and my heart raced uncomfortably, both from the tenseness of the situation and the adrenaline from the kiss. Knight’s lips against mine had been electric. For a flash, we were both one, scents tangling, and my heart was open like I was letting him in.

Of the three, he had always been the pillar. Kyan was a firecracker, Zed hot-headed, but Knight was their grounding, with a sense of honour and loyalty I’d never seen matched. And this man, closed off to so much of the world, had opened up to me.

It’s why I knew he carried more hatred than the others. But for those few seconds, when our lips had touched, it was like everything after my rejection had vanished.

I was the one he’d let in, and we’d found, in each other, a mirror we’d never expected. We were both raised to fit in a box, to become the perfect image our parents wanted to see painted.

I really needed to get my head on straight. We weren’t even close to out of the woods. Tallow had been right, at least. A lot of security had been diverted to Spades, which meant it was easier to spot Ace’s men.

I couldn’t allow myself to consider what might happen if we were all caught.

If I ended up on my knees before Ace with my mates at my side.

Don’t think about it.

My knife was in my hand and tucked beneath the sheer robe, even if Knight had my gun right now. Kyan had also produced a gun, and I had no idea how he’d snuck that in.

If we had two guns between us, the men after me couldn’t have more than that—not if they were inside the club.

Travis would never put the Betas, Omegas, and Alphas working in this club in danger, not for any amount.

“Front doors,” I hissed as Knight tried to take a turn to the back exit. Knight scowled, but tucked his gun out of sight as he took the door toward the main room.

My mind was racing with terror of the consequences of what would happen if we got caught, but I didn’t have time to lose it now.

At the back of the club was an exit with a keypad and security cameras, but I’d seen another thug with a flash of a wrist tattoo loitering at the door that led down to the basement—and my home. The front doors were public—but if there were more people waiting for me, they’d expect me to run to the quieter exit.

The good news was that they still weren’t desperate enough to make a scene.

I was momentarily so relieved for the High Roller. Of all the places to make my home, it was safe. A safer place than I’d ever had.

Even Ace’s thugs weren’t having an easy time staking it out, and I knew for a fact there wasn’t anything they could do to bring hell down on their own heads, more than trying to get down to the Omega’s rooms below.

“Glade?” I could hear the surprise in Roger’s voice as we reached the front door. He was squinting at me, but he knew everyone here well enough to know it was me behind the mask. If we were going the main route out, that included passing the massive doorman who was always looking out for us.

“Oh…” Well, this was awkward. I looked down at the golden sheer gown wrapped around my waist.

“Are you sure you want to leave?” Roger was eyeing Zed, Knight, and Kyan suspiciously.

“It’s not—Tallow kicked me off the clock for the evening.” I nodded to the others meaningfully, hoping that would be all I needed.

“If you take them off-premise, well, it’s not as…” He glanced at them again. “Regulated.”

“I want to go to the Painted Dragon. Feeling Chinese.”

“Like a date?” he asked, surprised.

Wow. Okay, so my Ice Queen reputation was more widespread than I thought.

I swallowed, glancing back at them, knowing I had to get out of this fast, before one of Ace’s guys spotted us. We were exposed. “We, uh… scent matched,” I said, stepping back into Kyan’s arms.

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