when ultimately she would be out there on her own with no one to rely on but herself. Who did he think he was, trying to take over her life? “Look, I said I’d work for you not bloody marry you. I’m quite capable of looking after myself and I do not need bodyguards.”
Torr considered her for a moment. “And was Justin capable of looking after himself?”
The words brought her up short. If he’d asked her the same question a day ago, she would have answered with an unequivocal yes. She bit her lip and turned away, crossed to the window, and stared down into the dark city streets. Her world had never been a safe one, but now it was crashing down around her.
A hand touched her lightly on the shoulder. She looked up and met Torr’s eyes reflected in the glass.
“Please,” he murmured, and she held his gaze and nodded once. “Good. Now we need to go to this meeting.”
“And look on the bright side,” Cade said. “Never mind the body guarding, they can walk the dog.”
Finn grinned. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen.”
Chapter 9
The meeting was to take place in a nightclub, or so Torr had told her. They’d parked in an alley in an area she recognized, just off Soho. The streets here were milling with people despite it being almost three in the morning. Bella was still recovering from the drive; being shut in an enclosed space, with more testosterone than she had encountered in a lifetime, had sent her blood pressure rocketing.
A line of people queued along the road, but they walked straight past, Cade in the lead, she and Torr behind him, her two ‘bodyguards’ bringing up the rear. Bella felt like royalty.
The bouncer stepped aside without a word and opened the black double doors. “Impressive,” she murmured. Though not entirely unpredictable. There was something strangely menacing about the group. On the street, you learned quickly who to steer clear of, who not to mess with, or you didn’t survive. And Torr and his partners could easily have had ‘don’t mess with me,’ stamped across their foreheads.
“Actually not that impressive,” Torr said. “Cade owns the place.”
“He does?”
Cade turned his head and smiled at her. “Phoebe likes to dance.”
“So you bought her a nightclub. How sweet.”
“Would you like a nightclub?” Torr leaned close and murmured in her ear.
“I don’t dance,” she snapped and stepped through the door, wincing as the noise hit her ears and jolted all the way down her spine. The place pulsated with the deep throb of heavy metal, and a crush of half-naked people gyrated on the dance floor. An unlikely venue for a business meeting, but what did she know?
Once inside, the group closed up around her. Torr rested a hand lightly on the middle of her back and steered her through the crowd to the far side of the room. Another bouncer stood in front of a door, which he opened as they approached.
“Is he here?” Cade asked.
The bouncer nodded. “Inside. Waiting.”
Torr leaned down close. “When we get in there, stay with Finn and Kill, they’ll look after you.”
“I don’t need…” she trailed off. What was the point?
She heaved a sigh of relief as the door closed behind them and the noise was muted. Then she stopped moving, so abruptly that Finn banged into her from behind.
Cold trickled down her spine.
Torr turned to look at her, his brows drawing together. “You feel something?”
She swallowed, forcing herself to search for whatever was turning the air to ice. They were in a large room. On one side was a comfortable seating area with two huge sofas facing each other. On the opposite side was a table with half a dozen chairs around it. A man sat at the table. He looked up but didn’t stand, his gaze wandering over her, in a way that made her feel like she’d been dunked in a bucket of slime.
She wanted to look away, but her gaze remained glued on the figure as his leisurely perusal finally reached her face and their
Torr considered her for a moment. “And was Justin capable of looking after himself?”
The words brought her up short. If he’d asked her the same question a day ago, she would have answered with an unequivocal yes. She bit her lip and turned away, crossed to the window, and stared down into the dark city streets. Her world had never been a safe one, but now it was crashing down around her.
A hand touched her lightly on the shoulder. She looked up and met Torr’s eyes reflected in the glass.
“Please,” he murmured, and she held his gaze and nodded once. “Good. Now we need to go to this meeting.”
“And look on the bright side,” Cade said. “Never mind the body guarding, they can walk the dog.”
Finn grinned. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen.”
Chapter 9
The meeting was to take place in a nightclub, or so Torr had told her. They’d parked in an alley in an area she recognized, just off Soho. The streets here were milling with people despite it being almost three in the morning. Bella was still recovering from the drive; being shut in an enclosed space, with more testosterone than she had encountered in a lifetime, had sent her blood pressure rocketing.
A line of people queued along the road, but they walked straight past, Cade in the lead, she and Torr behind him, her two ‘bodyguards’ bringing up the rear. Bella felt like royalty.
The bouncer stepped aside without a word and opened the black double doors. “Impressive,” she murmured. Though not entirely unpredictable. There was something strangely menacing about the group. On the street, you learned quickly who to steer clear of, who not to mess with, or you didn’t survive. And Torr and his partners could easily have had ‘don’t mess with me,’ stamped across their foreheads.
“Actually not that impressive,” Torr said. “Cade owns the place.”
“He does?”
Cade turned his head and smiled at her. “Phoebe likes to dance.”
“So you bought her a nightclub. How sweet.”
“Would you like a nightclub?” Torr leaned close and murmured in her ear.
“I don’t dance,” she snapped and stepped through the door, wincing as the noise hit her ears and jolted all the way down her spine. The place pulsated with the deep throb of heavy metal, and a crush of half-naked people gyrated on the dance floor. An unlikely venue for a business meeting, but what did she know?
Once inside, the group closed up around her. Torr rested a hand lightly on the middle of her back and steered her through the crowd to the far side of the room. Another bouncer stood in front of a door, which he opened as they approached.
“Is he here?” Cade asked.
The bouncer nodded. “Inside. Waiting.”
Torr leaned down close. “When we get in there, stay with Finn and Kill, they’ll look after you.”
“I don’t need…” she trailed off. What was the point?
She heaved a sigh of relief as the door closed behind them and the noise was muted. Then she stopped moving, so abruptly that Finn banged into her from behind.
Cold trickled down her spine.
Torr turned to look at her, his brows drawing together. “You feel something?”
She swallowed, forcing herself to search for whatever was turning the air to ice. They were in a large room. On one side was a comfortable seating area with two huge sofas facing each other. On the opposite side was a table with half a dozen chairs around it. A man sat at the table. He looked up but didn’t stand, his gaze wandering over her, in a way that made her feel like she’d been dunked in a bucket of slime.
She wanted to look away, but her gaze remained glued on the figure as his leisurely perusal finally reached her face and their
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