Vanetti studied Stone for a long moment before turning back to me and nodding. “Good. I’m glad you’re making progress. If it won’t be a problem, I need Stone to pay a visit to the club. After that, you’re free to go back to your investigation.”
Stone raised a brow, his expression clearing a little. “You have a delivery for me?”
“Yes. It shouldn’t take long.” Vanetti glanced at me. “Could you excuse us for a moment?”
“Oh, sure.” I slipped out of the room, leaving the door ajar to wait in the hall. Behind me, I heard chairs shifting before a beep sounded from the safe.
“Here you go. Wes knows you’re coming,” Vanetti said.
A moment later, Stone strode out the door, walking passed me as if I wasn’t there. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was trying to ditch me. Peeking back inside, I sent a quickwave to Mr. Vanetti. “Uh… see ya.”
I followed Stone back to the elevators, but kept my mouth shut. He may want to ditch me, but I wasn’t going to let him, no matter what his reasons were. After all, it was his life I was trying to save, and I’d do my job. If he ended up dead, it wouldn’t be my fault. And, as long as I didn’t kill him, I’d still get paid, right?
Chapter 6
Stone
We waited for the elevator to arrive, and, more than anything, I wanted to tell Serenity to stay here, but Vanetti wouldn’t let me do that. Still, having her dogging my every step was getting on my nerves. I’d told her she was a distraction, and that was putting it mildly.
Having her so close was messing with me. Since her visions didn’t seem to help much, I’d latched onto that as an excuse to stop working together. It had hurt her feelings, but I didn’t know what else to do.
Taking her to the shop hadn’t been the best idea. The way the guys had looked her over had set my teeth on edge, and I’d wanted to punch each of them in the face.
Then there was the bike. What was I thinking? Having her body molded against mine filled me with pleasure. It brought her close enough that I could still smell her scent,which seemed even more intoxicating than the first time we’d met. Was it possible that her psychic ability included seduction? If I didn’t know better, I’d think she’d put a spell on me.
We stepped into the elevator, and I was relieved that she didn’t try to talk to me, even though her eyes held anger and enough hurt that I felt like a first-class jerk. That irritated me, so I huffed out a breath and filled her in. “If you don’t know, Vanetti owns The Comet Club. I take care of security for him, so I’m there a lot. This errand shouldn’t take long, so we’ll be back soon.”
“Oh… sure.” Her gaze narrowed. “Hey… maybe your stalker is linked to the club? We didn’t include that possibility. What do you think?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea. I wouldn’t think so, but I guess it’s possible.”
“That’s good enough for me.” Her eyes glinted with determination, and she licked her lips. Warmth spread over me. Damn! I did not need this right now.
The doors opened and we stepped through the garage to my bike. She grabbed her helmet like she was ready to beat it up, and I tried not to smile. She held it over her head and pushed down, but struggled to get it on. I couldn’t help smirking. “Need some help?”
“No. I’ve got this.” She finally popped it on and reached for the straps. With her lips pursed, she felt for the snaps and managed to get them clasped together, for a change.
I had to admit I liked helping her, so it disappointed me a little. But, at the same time, I liked seeing her learn so quickly, almost like she really wanted to ride the bike with me.
She also looked insanely sexy in her black pants and ankle boots. The only thing missing was a black leather jacket. Instead, she wore a dark blazer that made her looklike a cop. I’d have to tell her to wear something else before our meeting tonight, or she’d scare the boys off. But maybe that wasn’t a bad thing, since I didn’t really want her around them.
She waited while I settled onto the leather seat. Riding the bike calmed me in a way that nothing else could. On the Triumph, I was in control, and the familiarity comforted me.
Serenity stepped onto the peg and grabbed my shoulders for balance while she slung her leg over the seat. She was getting better at it, and I appreciated how quickly she was stepping into my world, even after our argument. Yes, I was still kind of upset, but that didn’t stop me from savoring the moment she put her arms around me. I was in so much trouble.
I needed to shift my focus, so I kicked the stand up, pulled in the clutch and pressed the starter. The bike rumbled to life, and I gave it a few satisfying revs before taking off. Coming to the exit, I sped up the hill just enough to feel her arms tighten around my stomach. It was pure torture… but oh, so sweet.
The ride to The Comet Club went by much too quickly. I pulled around to the back and parked in front of the rear entrance. It was too early for most of the workers, which suited me just fine. But if Serenity was right, which I wasn’t going to admit, then we might need to come back at some point.
After we took off our helmets, I opened my mouth to tell her to wait out here, but, at her raised brows, I changed my mind. We stepped to the door and I pulled it open. After ushering her inside, I led the way to Wes’s office.
His door was shut, so I knocked before pushing itopen. “Hey, Wes.”
“Stone.” He nodded my way, then his brows rose as he glanced behind me.
“This is Serenity. Vanetti hired her. She’s… helping us out for a few days.”
Wes jumped to his feet and held out a hand. “Hey, Serenity. I’m Wes. Nice to meet you.”