Page 14 of Ace of Spades

Levi's son is another story entirely.

He's wearing an outfit that looks plucked right off the set of Pirates of the Caribbean. If this guy would’ve been casted as Will Turner, I might have bothered to watch the sequels.

"You'll be fine," the guy says. "Dad knows everyone in town."

My eyes go to the gruff owner just as the cops walk up to greet him at the entrance of the open garage.

I can't hear what they're saying but if their body language is any indication, they do know each other. One of the cops claps Levi on the shoulder playfully. Levi stays stoic.

"See?" The guy says, pulling a box of cigarettes out from inside his coat and offering me one. "So, you're the cousin Julian hasn't stopped yapping about."

I wave off the proffered cigarette.

Julian doesn't reject it. He slips a cigarette behind his ear.

“Since when do you smoke?” I ask Julian.

He ignores the question, opting instead to formally introduce us. "Si, this is Theo Steele. Theo, my cousin, Sienna Riley."

"Hi," we both say to each other.

Theo is very attractive. Like a younger, less hardened version of his father. Except that he has way more tattoos and an eyebrow piercing. It suits him though.

Good looks must run in the family.

"You here visiting?" Theo asks, then puffs out smoke from the side of his mouth to avoid hitting us with it.

"You could say that."

"Sienna is here on business," Julian offers.

I slap him on the chest and he laughs.

"What?" My cousin says with a grin. "What would you call it?"

"Personalbusiness," I say, through clenched teeth.

"Oh, my bad, cuz." Julian then leans over to Theo and whispers, "It's personal business." Like Theo hadn't already heard me say it.

Theo inhales another hit of his cigarette as his eyes work their way down my body then back up to meet my gaze. I swallow at the slow assessment.

"Do you know those guys from outside?" Theo asks me, his chest falling as he exhales the smoke from the side of his mouth.

"I don't. They just came up to me when I was trying to…” I pause. I probably shouldn’t mention that I was trying to avoid his dad. “... get some fresh air."

"Hmm," he says.

"Why?" I give him an icy glare. Julian's head swivels between us like he's watching a tennis match.

"They're trouble," Theo says, without explaining much else.

"Yeah? Well, maybe I am too."

Theo's eyes shift to something behind me and he nods over my shoulder.

"Clearly."

I turn to see the two cops coming up to us. Levi Steele trailing behind them, his dark, piercing eyes trained on me.

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