Page 35 of Ruthless Riches
“Cool. Where is he?” I asked, looking over her shoulder. No one had followed her over here.
She turned to look at the dancefloor and shrugged. “Over there somewhere,” she said, waving a hand. “I left him when I saw you because I wanted to check on you. Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I’m fine.”
Ruby raised her brows. “Are you sure? I saw you over here with Nate a minute ago, and it looked like you two were arguing.”
I forced a smile. “Oh, no, we weren’t arguing. It was just a stupid joke.”
“Oh. Right.” She looked around. “Where did he go?”
“He had to go outside to make some calls, but he’ll be back soon,” I said. “Anyway, I should let you get back to your date.”
As much as I loved seeing Ruby, I had to get rid of her, because I knew the Butcher would never approach me if I was with someone else. I needed to seem weak and defenseless, and part of that involved being alone and seemingly drunk.
“Are you sure?” Ruby said, looking uncertain. “I can hang out with you until Nate gets back, if you want.”
I forced another bright smile. “No, I’m fine. Go have fun with Todd.”
“Okay. We’re probably going to be here all night, so if you get bored, just come and find me!”
With that, Ruby turned and vanished into the crowd again. Breathing a sigh of relief, I sat down again and ordered another drink. While I waited for it to arrive, I texted Nate. Our fake fight worked. Ruby saw us from across the club, and she could tell we were arguing.
He replied immediately. Yeah, I saw her talking to you. Nice of her to check on you.
“Alexis Livingston?”
A deep voice sounded from my right, and I turned to look at the man next to me. “I thought it was you,” he said with an even, white-toothed smile. “How are you doing?”
I stared up at him, forehead creasing in a confused frown. His voice was familiar, but not his face. “Sorry, do we know each other?” I asked.
“It’s me. Dan.”
I raised my brows, and the man slapped his forehead with the heel of his palm. “Oh, duh,I’m so stupid,” he said. “I forgot that we’ve never actually met in person. We’ve only ever talked on the phone.”
Recognition dawned on me. “Oh! You’re from the Avalon Enquirer.”
He grinned. “Yeah. You used to call me every month to place your ad.”
As I smiled back at him, I wondered why he was over here talking to me. Was it just an innocent, friendly gesture, or was he following me? Could he be the Butcher?
“So, what are you doing here?” I asked in a casual tone.
He gestured toward a corner table. A group of guys were sitting there, surrounded by empty glasses. “I’m here with some friends. Thirtieth birthday celebration,” he said. An embarrassed expression suddenly flashed over his face, and he moved closer. “I saw you over here and thought… well…”
He trailed off, and I arched a brow. “What?”
The look on his face was sheepish now. “I thought I’d come and see if you were interested in doing an interview about the Golden Circle at some point,” he said. “I know you haven’t done any yet, but I figured it was worth a shot to ask, seeing as we know each other. Sort of, anyway.”
My shoulders slumped. Dan wasn’t the Butcher. He just wanted an exclusive piece from me to boost his career.
I gave him a tight smile. “I probably won’t do any interviews,” I said. “But if I change my mind, I promise I’ll call you first.”
Dan nodded. “Great,” he said. “Anyway, I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing. My friends probably want some more drinks.”
We said goodbye, and he headed over to the other side of the bar. My phone buzzed in my purse a few seconds later. It was Nate again. Who was that?
Just a guy I know from the newspaper,I replied. He wants an interview about the Golden Circle.
