Page 72 of Arran's Obsession
Her eyes welled. “He was my baby, and I miss him all the time.”
One by one, others gave up their own stories, their pockets of sorrow, and just like with the makeover, the shared grief bolstered me. I’d missed having friends so much.
A music change had a gaggle of dancers rushing to the stage exit, and Lara tugged my arm.
“Want to go back and show the boss what he’s got? Or we could go dancing in Divide? Or even upstairs to the fun floor. I remember you were interested last time we met, and you’ll need to know your way to meet Dixie tomorrow.”
“All of the above, but I really want Arran to see me like this.”
“Yeah, you do.”
She snickered, and I peered again at myself, seeking out my flaws. There was something wrong with me because I needed Arran’s approval for how I looked. I wanted him to want me.
He was only faking for the sake of his reputation. I got that. And the smart version of me had a plan to use the knowledge I had about the missing child to get him to help me find my dad.
The not-smart version of me wanted him to drop the act and kiss me again.
And worse? For him to mean it.
Chapter 23
Arran
With her arms folded and spiked nails out, Alisha stared me down across the office, her anger undented even though we’d gone over each of her gripes in detail.
The fights between clubgoers in Divide wasn’t unusual, and the perpetrators had been banned.
The cops who came here for me led to Detective Dickhead tracking me down. They often scoped the club, making the police chief appear like he was monitoring us for the good of the public. No big deal.
The only concern I shared was for the drug dealer spotted on Divide’s floor. Then again, those guys were easy to pick out. Nearly always alone, wearing jackets despite the sweltering heat of packed bodies, and standing in plain sight of the crowd. Theguy was undoubtedly one of the Four Milers, and I needed to handle them for multiple reasons.
Just another day in the office.
Yet my old friend paced the floor as if motorised. “The problem is, Arran, you’re not taking me seriously. You weren’t here for any of it, and with Convict out, you left me no backup. You don’t seem to care.”
“Shade was here for the most part. Manny has your back.”
“Shade has his own priorities, and it wasn’t the same without you here. I didn’t feel safe. On top of that, you allowed me to tell my staff that you were mine.”
I raised my hands. “And?”
“I look like a fool!”
“I don’t care about gossip,” I snapped. “Gen and I revealed our relationship today. Tell them you were covering for me as a kindness to protect my privacy. Or make something else up. What does it matter?”
“It’s my reputation.”
“Still don’t understand the issue or why you’re stressing.” I glanced at Shade who leaned on the brick wall by the window.
He twisted his lips, but worry crinkled his brow. Alisha was the steadier one amongst us. She managed the strip club and the floor above with no sweat. Tackling suppliers, settling drama among the workers, all within her remit and never a problem.
I was trying to be understanding, but she was giving me nothing. “Is something else going on?”
“Don’t blame this shit on me. You’re the one who ran off after a woman.”
“I didn’t just run off. I took my woman away for a week.”
She made a noise of disgust. “Explain to me what happened with Convict. Why did he disappear on the same night?”