Page 90 of Nails
Nails just shrugged his shoulders and gave her that look that said,I told you.
Joker grinned.“Oh, we’re just making sure you feel welcome.”
That set off a round of laughter.Riley shook her head and took a sip of coffee, deciding it was better to let them burn through the jokes now rather than keep feeding them material.
But the truth was, she didn’t mind as much as she pretended.Underneath all the noise and smart remarks, it felt like being part of something solid, like a family.
Duke had a small smile as he looked up from his plate.“Jokes aside, how’s the shoulder this morning?”
She rotated it experimentally.“A little stiff, but better than I thought.”
He tipped his head toward her face.“And your cheek—” He stopped mid-sentence, frowning slightly.“Huh.I figured you’d be bruised a hell of a lot worse.”
“Guess I’m tougher than I look,” she said with a shrug, but the truth was she was relieved, too.It meant she could walk around without looking like she’d gone three rounds in an alley fight.
Bear set his coffee down and straightened.“On a more serious note, we found footage of the guy we believe attacked you.He was caught on camera exchanging money with someone.”
Riley’s stomach tightened.She set her coffee mug down carefully.“Seriously?”
Playboy opened his laptop.“I pulled up the CCTVs from around the club last night.Got into a couple of nearby traffic cams, too.About half an hour before opening, I spotted who I think is your guy in the parking lot across the street.”
He tapped a key, and a video feed popped up on his screen.“Watch this.”
The team gathered around, Riley leaning closer to see.Grainy footage showed the man pacing, then a car pulled up.He walked to the driver’s side window, and a figure stepped out.
“They exchange money,” Playboy narrated.“Couldn’t get audio, but the handoff was clear.The problem is that the other person kept their hood up the whole time and turned away from every camera angle.Never once showed their face.”
Riley’s mind raced.That wasn’t random.Whoever it was knew where the cameras were.Knew how to avoid them.
“Run it back a few seconds,” she said, eyes fixed on the screen.
Playboy obliged, slowing the footage.She studied the gait, the casual way the hooded figure kept their head down.There were no obvious identifiers, no visible jewelry, no standout clothing, just deliberate anonymity.
“That’s him,” she said, pointing to the first man.“Definitely the guy who grabbed me.”
Nails nodded beside her.“Yeah.No doubt.”
“But the other one…” Riley shook her head.“They’re good.They knew exactly how to stay hidden.”
The room fell into a thoughtful silence.
“First the drugging, now this?Feels like you’re being singled out,” Bear said.
Her fingers curled around her coffee mug.She didn’t want to admit how much that thought rattled her, but it did.
Playboy shut the laptop.“We’ll keep digging.But whoever’s behind it is careful.”
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed on the counter.She glanced down and cringed when she saw the name next to the text message notification.
Adam:Hi, love.Can you come to the club in an hour?I’d like to speak with you about last night.
She exhaled slowly, every muscle tightening.
Nails, catching the shift in her posture, frowned.“What is it?”
“Adam.He asked if I could meet him at the club in an hour to talk about last night.He says that he has information.”
That got the room’s attention immediately.
