Page 18 of Dirty Little Secret
Chapter 7
Zandra
Watching Kane through the two-way mirror behind the bar, I couldn’t understand why he was waiting there instead of going back to the guy he’d come in with. I recognized that man as his friend from high school, Rocco. The way he kept looking at the door I’d gone through gave me chills.
Does he know it’s me?
After Kane left the bar, with what I thought looked like a dejected expression, I came out. “Did that guy say anything to you?” I asked Patrick, the bartender.
With a smartass tone, he answered, “Which one, Zee? There’re tons of guys here tonight.”
“The guy with the dark blond hair. Black suit, green eyes.” I sighed quietly, thinking that he looked even better than he had the last time I’d seen him.
“Ah, the beer drinker who asked about the waitress that went to the back. That guy. I see it much more clearly now. Were you the one who went back there, Zee?” He handed change back to some woman, who stuffed it in her bra.
“Yeah, that was me. Did he ask about me or what?” My heart began to pound with the idea that after all this time, he’d recognized me.
It hadn’t crossed my mind at all that Kane and I might meet up. I didn’t know why that was. He and I had both lived in Charleston growing up. I guess I just assumed he’d be on to bigger and better things than our small hometown.
Boy, was that a mistake.
And now he’s found me.
“He did ask about you, as a matter of fact.”
My heart stopped. “Did he know me by name?”
A slight laugh left his mouth. “No.”
“Good,” I sighed with relief. “So, what did he ask?”
“He wanted to know when you were coming back out.” He went to help a customer. “What’ll you have, partner?”
“Jack and Coke.”
I went with Patrick as he started making the drink, so I could hear more. “Did he say why?”
“He said you were the only one who’d made his juices run or some shit like that. He told me he was leaving.” He smiled at me with a wicked grin. “I told him that if you were back there that long, then you were with the boss. Like—with the boss. You know what I’m saying, Zee?”
“He thinks I was back there with Rob?” I was horrified. “God, no!”
He looked confused by my exclamation. “So, you weren’t back there with the boss then?”
“Hell, no!” With long strides, I left Patrick behind and went to see to my customers. With the news that Kane had left, I could finally get back to work. Hiding from him had set me back, and I was sure the tips wouldn’t be nearly what they had been.
Not only had I hidden from him, but I’d also spent a good chunk of time before that watching him from afar. When he put his arm around that drunk girl, my insides had gone hot with jealousy. I hadn’t experienced anything like that before.
Sneaking along through the crowd, I followed them all the way to the exit. I couldn’t believe he would just randomly grab a girl out of the crowd and so easily take her home. She looked like she was all for it, too.
I couldn’t hear what they said because the music was too loud. But I could see that he was taking her outside. Then he snapped his fingers and a cab pulled up.
I couldn’t even breathe as he opened that cab door. When the cab pulled away without him, I understood that he’d simply made sure that the drunk girl would get home safely.
Hell, maybe she was the sister of a friend of his. There had to be some rational explanation. I mean, no one was that damn nice, to make sure a drunken stranger got out of a club and back home safely for no reason at all.
Unless he’s some kind of a saint.
Taylor saw me then and came up to me. “And where the hell have you been?”
