Page 5 of Love In The Shadows
“Starr,” I replied, coolly offering him my hand. He was trying to ruffle my feathers, but I wouldn’t let him. “Eric Starr.”
He took my hand, shaking it firmly. “Richie?—”
“—Dalton,” I interjected.
Richie’s eyes flashed, and the muscles in his jaw twitched. I’d hit a nerve.
“I assure you, Mr. Dalton, my business and title are all legit.”
He leaned back and signaled the bartender to bring him another round. “Hmm. So what is it that you do?”
“I solve problems.”
The bartender swooped in and delivered another drink with a smile and a generous view down the front of her top. She wasn’t wearing a bra. I tore my eyes from her before the sight of her rock-hard nipples got me twisted up. I was on the cusp. There wasn’t any room for mistakes. Distractions.
One wrong move could prove to be deadly.
CHAPTER THREE
Bennett
“Problems, you say? What kind of problems?” Richie leaned back, his expression neutral, unimpressed.
I set my forearms on the edge of the bar. With my chin, I pointed out Jake, Richie’s main bodyguard, the one he’d come in with. “I know he’s your guy. He’s supposed to be watching your six. But since I got here, he hasn’t looked my way once. He doesn’t even know you’re talking to me. He’s too busy eye-fucking that blonde waitress over there. I could be anyone. He doesn’t know me. I could have a knife, a gun, something to drop in your drink, and all kinds of bad intentions. He wouldn’t know. He doesn’t care.”
Richie followed my gesture, and I watched the muscles in his jaw tighten as he gave his bodyguard a death glare from twenty paces.
“Besides, I’d say even if he was paying attention, a guy like him couldn’t cross that space before I could draw on you and put your lights out.”
Richie jerked back to face me. “Are you threatening me, Mr. Starr?”
I held up my hands. “On the contrary, Mr. Dalton. I’m a businessman. I solve problems.”
He looked at me and scoffed. “You think I got problems?”
I smiled. “We’ve all got problems, and right now, I have a huge problem. Is there someplace we can talk in private?”
He turned back to the bar and threw the last finger of his whiskey back. “Let’s take a walk, Starr.”
A wave of victory flooded through me, setting my senses on red alert. It was like walking a tightrope without a net below. I had no cushion, no escape, and no plan B.
This was it.
I followed his lead, throwing back the rest of my own glass, and then got down from the barstool. “Sure thing, Mr. Dalton.”
He flicked an irritated glance over at his bodyguard—who still wasn’t looking our way—and then turned back to me and offered a tight-lipped smile. “Call me Richie. We’re friends now, am I right?”
“Absolutely. Call me Eric.”
Richie clapped me on the shoulder. “All right, Eric. Let’s take this discussion somewhere a little quieter. I’m feeling a little exposed here.” Richie glanced around and then gave me the once over again, focusing on my watch, “You got time?”
“Sure. Lead the way.” I shook my wrist to cover the watch with my jacket sleeve and then followed as Richie cut a path around the dance floor.
Jake, his hulking shadow, finally snapped to attention, tore his eyes off the silicone-loaded beauty, and fell into step, giving me a healthy dose of side-eye as he caught up to Richie. Richie turned and said something to his man, his tone a low growl that mostly got lost in the music. But Jake understood his boss. He shot me a dark look and then slunk away into the shadows like a scolded dog.
Richie didn’t miss a step. He continued on his path without batting an eye. The music carried throughout the large club, louder than it had been at the bar area, and I didn’t attempt to carry on a conversation. He was taking me deeper into the club. We pushed through another set of doors, and a security guard—at least, I assumed he was security, all black clothes, barrel chest, bald head—waved us through. Inside, Richie slowed his pace and shot me a smile.
“This is my private suite. Reed and Paige hooked me up with my own place because I do a lot of client entertainment here at the club.”