Page 51 of Steal My Breath Away

Before I could say anything, Chad lifted a dismissive hand. “I’m not judging you. But I’m not surprised. You guys have a history. I just want to make sure you can still do what you need to do if you’re that close. I was dating this girl on the women’s wrestling team. Arms like pythons. Powerful thighs. She could bench one eighty without breaking a sweat. Everyone said she was just using me for my looks and squeaky-clean image, but I didn’t see it. I was too close. It was only when her parole officer called me to ask where she’d been the night a grocery store clerk got stabbed that I clued in. It was heartbreaking. I’ll never find another woman with thighs like that. The things she could do…”

I snorted a laugh. Chad always knew what to say to lighten my mood. “I appreciate the advice, but I’m more interested in what you and Theo found out about Haley’s attacker or the people who erased the camera footage.”

“Theo’s still working on the cameras,” he said. “But I’ve been looking at the recent trend of protesting at public officials’ homes,and I think this isn’t about the bills Senator Chapman is spearheading. Those people want media attention. They want videos of their protests to go viral. Because the footage of Haley’s attack was erased, I think this has to do with the senator’s reelection campaign. I suspect someone—either one of the senator’s opponents or someone within her own party—doesn’t want her to win and is trying to intimidate her into stepping down, without drawing the kind of press attention that would happen with an outright attack.”

I tucked that information away to process later. Politics was big business and that meant the people behind the kidnapping attempt might be well funded, giving them access to the kind of resources that made them a serious threat. “Do you think they would actually harm Haley or her family, or is this just a scare tactic?”

“It depends on how badly they want the senator replaced, but I think it’s good that you’re around.”

“Haley is safe with me,” I assured him. “I won’t let our personal relationship interfere with my work.”

“I’ll see what else I can find out.” Chad tossed his empty bottle in the nearby recycling bin. “Making contacts, working my connections. It’s what I do best.”

“You’re not just a pretty face.”

Chad clapped my shoulder as he left. “Tell that to my ex.”

CHAPTER 24Haley

“Bars are bad,” Ace grumbled. “Very unsafe. I wish you’d reconsider.” He pulled open the door to Shakers Bar and stood aside for me to enter.

“It’s been a long time since I got together with my girls.” I paused out of habit for him to do a quick security check. “I wasn’t about to turn down a fun night out.”

“You could have had fun in the kitchen or the living room. I could have brought chairs up to your bedroom—”

“And what? We all sit in a circle and knit?” I breathed in the familiar scents of beer and fried food and my pulse kicked up a notch. I’d missed going out drinking with my friends, and the only reason Ace had agreed to our night out was because the bar had an alcove near the back entrance that was easy for him to protect. The air hummed with the buzz of conversations and clinking glasses, the raucous atmosphere creating the perfect soundtrack for a night out.

“There’s nothing wrong with knitting,” he said, bristling. “My grandmother used to knit. I still have the sweater she made for me the second Christmas I was in Riverstone.”

I looked over my shoulder and laughed. “The one with the squished snowmen and the reindeer with three legs?”

“It was made out of love.”

“And you wore it out of love.” I patted his arm. “That’s when I knew you were the real deal.”

“Is that why you laughed so much you got a stomachache, and kept hiding around corners to take pictures of me to send toPaige?” His hand found my back and he guided me past a particularly raucous table.

“I took pictures because you looked so sexy in your three-legged-reindeer sweater. You should wear it next time we’re in bed. Who knows what it might do to me?”

Ace froze, his hand tightening on my back. “Don’t say things that are going to make me have to take you home.”

“Since you’ve been such a good bodyguard and let me come out, I might just imagine you’re wearing it tonight and see where that takes us.”

I heard a soft growl of approval, and my mouth went dry. I’d never been with someone who shared my love of sexual adventure. Ace was willing to try anything and everything. The only way we hadn’t had sex was missionary style on his bed.

We found Paige with Skye, Isla, and Aditi in a booth at the back of the bar. They’d also grabbed a small table nearby so Ace would keep watch but still give us some privacy.

“Dante’s finally getting ready to go on the road,” Skye said after we’d had our first round of drinks and some snacks. “He still feels terrible about breaking up the band. I told him I’d tell you that when I saw you tonight.”

I felt a familiar ache in my chest. I still missed the band. I loved the vibe and the freedom of knowing that if I made a mistake there were four other musicians who would carry me. I could draw on their emotional energy and feel the lyrics in a way I never could when I was playing alone.

“Are you kidding me?” I adored Skye and didn’t want her to feel bad about Dante following his dreams. “I would kill to have that kind of opportunity. I hope he remembers us when he hits the big time.”

“He’s still trying to find a producer to come out and hear you,” she said. “He hasn’t given up.”

“Actually, Ace called in a favor and an executive from Atlantic Records came to see me at Bin 46.” I told them about the meetingand how I’d been writing new songs, trying to draw out the emotion Stefan thought I’d somehow repressed.

“That’s very boyfriend of your bodyguard.” Skye shared a look with Paige. “It’s one of the reasons we wanted to get together tonight. We think what you’ve got going on together isn’t a good idea.”

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