Page 30 of Hell's Claim

Sunny blinked at my babble.

“Take a breath, Callie.”

“Sorry. My mind’s just ticking over constantly. I got to learn to relax,” I muttered.

“You seem nervous. Did I do something?” Sunny murmured, stepping closer to me.

I wanted to back up and escape him. I wanted to yell, ‘You fucked me senseless and did not even remember. The best night of my life meant nothing to you.’ Instead, I said, “I’m fine.”

“Liar. When a woman says she’s okay, she isn’t. Talk to me.”

“Nothing to say. I’ve got to go, lots of shopping to do!” I chirped happily and hoped Sunny didn’t catch the falseness in my voice.

By his narrowed eyes, I’d failed. “See you soon, sweet girl,” Sunny said softly, sending shivers down my spine.

Sunny

It was her. That scent was burned into his nostrils, and she was wearing it again. Fuck, Callie was the mystery woman, and Sunny didn’t remember their night together. There was panic in Callie’s eyes as she looked to escape him.

He stepped back, and Callie literally fled with a half-hearted wave goodbye. Sunny watched her go.

“Run, Callie,” he muttered. “You and I are going to have a reckoning soon.”

Callie

Even that encounter had weakened my knees. Before I’d slept with him, Sunny had attracted me. He might have been fifty-one and me twenty-eight, which left a twenty-three-year age gap, but it didn’t bother me. He was fitter than most men half his age. I knew from exploring his body he still had defined muscles, and he took care of himself. Chance was older than Clio, and Bear older than Thalia. Age was just a number.

Sunny had held my attention because of the quiet way he conducted himself. I knew he was watching his brothers for a traitor. And I hoped he was wrong. But I was drawn to him like a moth to a light. Sunny was irresistible. At least he was to me.

“Hello,” a voice said, and I glanced up and smiled.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked Madisen, who looked fantastic as usual in her nineteen-twenties dress.

“Shopping. I escaped my nutcase cousins for the day,” Madisen snickered, and I laughed.

Madisen had raised some real self-worth issues for me. The daughter of a now-dead mobster, Madisen marched to the tune of her own drums and was incredibly confident. Levi doted on her and her cousins. Madisen ran a nineteen-twenty speakeasy, which was set over a couple of levels.

Her cousin Brandy was in a relationship with Madisen’s other cousin, Camille. Brandy had an office in the building where she operated the family’s charitable donations. Meanwhile, Camille owned a dance studio in the same building as The Midnight Hour. Madisen’s cousin, Camille’s sister Tamsin, owned a nineteen-twenty clothes shop in the same building as well. The four of them were a force to be reckoned with.

“Callie, are you okay? You look a little flustered,” Madisen asked as her gaze flicked to the figure of Sunny walking back to the garage.

“Fine. Perfectly good. Where are you headed now?”

“I was going to get a coffee and a snack. Do you want to join me?”

“That would be wonderful. I planned to hit a steampunk clothing shop that opened recently here. I love their clothing,” I said.

“Yeah, but you don’t go full steampunk,” Madisen murmured as she studied me. “You know, I think Tami had some items you’d like. It’s not your usual style, but come see what she has.”

“Sure, why not?” I replied as she linked her arms with mine. “Let’s head to Clio’s tearoom for a coffee and lunch.”

“Perfect,” Madisen agreed.

???

I winced at the bags piled at my feet. Tami was laughing as she placed three more down.

“How am I going to get them back to the car?” I demanded. The clothes had been amazing in Tami’s shop, so I had spent a small fortune.

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