Page 44 of Playing With Danger

“Heard a lot about you, Sophie. Good to meet you.”

Fuck. Me.

“You’ve heard about me?” she asked Matt but had turned to look at me.

“Remember I told you I called in a favor to get that tracker? Matt works at TC,” I explained.

“Right.”

Was that disappointment I detected?

“I need to give that back to you, now that I don’t need it,” she continued.

Ethan and Jase had found Ackerman late last night and he was being held on a slew of charges including attempted murder. This after he was out on bail for attempted robbery. It was unlikely he’d be released again.

“Keep it.”

“But—”

“Just for a little while longer, baby. Let’s make sure he stays where he belongs.”

I hadn’t missed it before and I sure as hell wasn’t missing it now when she read whatever it was she needed from me and relented.

“Okay.”

And there it was again—that unnerving feeling in the pit of my stomach when she studied me. The woman saw far too much. The problem was I couldn’t get a grasp on what she saw.

“Chels, need my tab, darlin’,” Jase drawled.

“I’ve told you a thousand times, your money’s no good here,” Matt cut in.

“And I’ve told you a thousand times, my money’s?—”

“No good here,” Chels finished for Jase.

Jase shook his head and slapped a fifty on the bar, which was triple what his tab would’ve been if Matt would have let him pay.

“I’m gonna hit it. Nice meeting you, Sophie, I’m sure I’ll see you around. V, we’ll catch up in the morning.”

Goodbyes were exchanged with Matt and Chels then Jase was gone. Soon after that, Chelsea got back to work, leaving Matt behind.

“Heard about you kicking Ackerman’s ass,” Matt mumbled.

Soph glanced at me to ask, “Does everyone know?”

“Not every day a beautiful five-foot-six woman gets the drop on a man who’s got six inches on her and seventy pounds, and beats the shit out of him. So, yeah, pretty much everyone knows.”

“And approves,” Matt threw in.

Thankfully Matt’s underlying meaning went over Sophie’s head. However, I caught it along with the pointed look he cast me.

“We’re gonna hit a table.”

“Don’t let him bullshit you,” Matt started. “The man can run a table.”

“Eight ball or one pocket?” Sophie tossed out.

Matt blinked then a slow smile spread over his face.

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