SWNOVELS Runner: Chapter 19
I pushed through the crowd, heading for the lone table in the back, near the dance floor. I didn’t know where the hell Kade had gone, and I was tired of sitting at the bar by myself. And then I saw someone who usually didn’t visit our club. I guessed it would help pass the time. I sat at the high-top table and met Rylan’s glare.
“This table is taken,” Rylan snapped, his eyes darting around.
I laughed. “This is my club. I can sit wherever the hell I want.”
Rylan didn’t answer, and my gaze trailed down his suit. He stuck out like a sore thumb in here. That was probably why he was hiding in the shadows.
“You keep coming around, and people are actually going to believe you work for us,” I said, shooting him a grin. “Looking for a bigger paycheck?”
“Fuck off. I’m not here for you.”
“Why are you here?”
“You know, this is my city too. I can go wherever I want,” he responded stiffly, his eyes locked on the dance floor.
“You can go wherever you want,” I agreed. “But let’s not pretend like you have more pull in this city than I do.”
“If I agree with you, will you leave me the hell alone?”
I frowned, wondering why he was trying to get rid of me. He usually came into the club once every couple of months, but everything we did in here was legal, so it never bothered us. But tonight, he seemed to be here for a different reason. I followed his gaze to the dance floor, and my stomach flipped when I realized what he was staring at.
“Where the fuck did she come from?” I muttered, watching Mili dancing with another guy.
“She texted me,” Rylan stated. “That she was going to be here tonight.”
I managed to keep my surprise to myself, not taking my eyes off Mili. “If you’re here to see her, why are you just watching her grind on another guy?”
Rylan scowled. “I’m waiting until she’s done dancing.”
“Why…” I trailed off and chuckled. “Oh, I get it. It’s one thing to come to our club. But what would your supporters think of dancing with people who are most likely with the crew? Especially a woman who looks like that. Definitely not the conservative type.”
We both stared at her. She looked fucking stunning in her white minidress. Her hair was down and moving around as she danced. Making up my mind, I jumped from the seat, pushing the rest of my drink toward Rylan.
“Since you won’t dance with her, I will. Have fun watching.”
A muscle in his jaw flexed, but he didn’t say a word as I walked away. I quickly headed onto the dance floor and gripped the guy’s shoulder, spinning him away from Mili. Panic lit up his eyes.
“Get lost,” I said, loud enough for him to hear me.
“Again?” the guy muttered, rushing away before I could ask him what the hell he meant by that.
Mili completely ignored me, and she attempted to walk away before I hooked an arm around her waist and spun her into my chest. Her heels were tall, but she still needed to lift her head to meet my gaze. Her smile promised all kinds of sin as she began dancing with me. Her moves went straight to my dick, and I held her close.
“I thought you left for good,” I said, noticing the bruises on her face had healed in the two weeks she’d been gone. “Where were you?”
“Am I mistaken, or do you sound happy to see me?” She slung her arms around my neck, her hips continuing to sway to the music.
“More like intrigued,” I told her, glancing at Rylan. His annoyance was clear even in the dim room, and I grinned, letting my hands roam over her body until I gripped her ass. I noticed people around us were staring at us—more specifically, her. “Why does everyone seem so interested in you?”
Her eyes widened with fake innocence. “I have no idea. I came out of the bathroom and people were just staring.”
One of the strobe lights flashed on her neck, and I stopped dancing, running my fingers over a mark. A mark that could only be a fucking hickey.
“Who did this?” I growled.
She giggled. “If it means anything, I think you’d like the guy I fucked.”
“I think you’re dancing with me, knowing it’s getting my dick hard, when another guy’s saliva is still on your throat.”
I dropped my arms, not enjoying her games anymore. But she tugged me back, keeping me on the dance floor.
“Are you jealous, Grayson?”
I gritted my teeth. “I told you not to call me that.”
“Mr. Scott,” a young guy rambled as he came up beside me, “there’s an issue—”
“I understand not liking your name,” Mili cut the guy off. “I don’t like mine either. It’s why I only go by my nickname.”
I stared at her, surprised that she was offering up something personal about herself. “What’s your real name?”
“Mr. Scott—”
“Go get the bouncer,” I said gruffly. “He can deal with it. Get the fuck out of here.”
The guy hesitated before scurrying away, and I grabbed Mili’s hips, bringing her close. I wasn’t about to waste a chance for her to spill things about herself.
“I’ll tell you my name if you tell me why you hate yours,” she said, looking curious.
I scoffed. “I know you probably researched all you could about us. Couldn’t find that out, could you?”
She shrugged. “I know you came from a middle-class family. Unlike Kade, you don’t seem to have any family ties to the crew.”
“You think Kade is related to someone in the crew?” I asked, knowing there was no way she knew that Juan was Kade’s uncle.
“I have my guesses.”
“I don’t have a great relationship with my dad,” I said slowly. “He calls me by my full name, and I fucking hate it.”
“Did he beat you?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Kind of a personal question to ask someone.”
“Well, telling you my name is personal. It goes both ways.”
I paused. “Yeah, he did. Before I got old enough to fight back. He hasn’t touched me since I was thirteen when I got involved with the crew.”
“Why didn’t you kill him?” she asked bluntly.
“Things aren’t always that simple.”
“Why?”
I shook my head. “You asked, and I answered. Your turn.”
“I think I changed my mind,” she muttered.
I locked my arms around her, stopping her escape. “I don’t think so, Rebel. You owe me a name.”
“Why are you calling me rebel?” she questioned, looking like she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
I grinned. “You like eighties movies?”
“I’ve never seen one.”
“Then you wouldn’t understand.”
She frowned. “I need a drink.”
“Tell me your name first.”
She huffed out a breath. “Milina.”
“Milina,” I repeated. “What’s your last name?”
She laughed. “I don’t think so, Gray. But even if I did tell you, you’d never find anything out about me. I buried everything years ago.”
“Why don’t you like your name?” I asked.
She tensed, and pain filled her eyes for a brief moment before it was gone. “Because the girl with that name died a long time ago.”
I dropped it, sensing that if I pushed her any more, she was going to leave. Her gaze drifted to the side, and she grinned when she saw Rylan.
“Why are you toying with the mayor?”
She gave me a pointed look. “I’m not toying with him. He’s nice.”
“Then why are you dancing with me instead of talking to him?”
“Good question.”
She slipped out of my hold with ease and rushed to Rylan’s table before I could stop her. I didn’t move from the dance floor, watching Rylan give her a wide smile. I chuckled under my breath. Whatever she was doing wasn’t going to end well for him. Everything she did had an ulterior motive. My gut knotted when I remembered that. There was a reason she’d given up her real name to me. Now I needed to find out why. I crossed the room, settling onto a barstool, and ordered another whiskey. Our regular bartender handed me my drink and lingered longer than necessary.
“Need something?” I asked.
Her eyes darted toward the dance floor and then back to me. “Rumors are flying around here tonight.”
I leaned on the bar counter, her words catching my interest. We paid her extra to keep her ears open. People liked to talk more when they were drinking, and it made it easier to know what was happening in our city.
“What rumors?”
“Everyone is saying Kade has a girl,” she answered nervously.
I nearly fell off my stool. Kade kept the girls he fucked private. He rarely went out with a woman in public, and when he did, he made it clear it was never anything serious.
“Who said that?” I asked quietly.
She pointed out the guy who had been dancing with Mili. I jumped to my feet, hurrying to him before I lost him in the crowd.
“Dancing with you wasn’t enough. Let’s get out of here and do something else.”
Mili was suddenly in front of me, her voice dripping with sex as she ran her hand down my shirt. I laughed in disbelief, realizing how fucking stupid I was. She’d been distracting me. Not answering her, I strode toward the guy, who looked like he was about to run away screaming.
She got a hold of my leather jacket, trying to stop me. “What’s wrong?”
“Why don’t you tell me? I have a feeling this is all connected to you.”
Mischief danced in her eyes, but she stayed silent as I faced the guy.
“I hear you’re talking shit about Kade Jacobs,” I said loudly.
“No, I’m not,” the guy squeaked out. “I fucking swear.”
“Then tell me what happened.”
“I was with a chick, and Kade stormed in, telling me not to ever look at her again,” the guy stuttered out.
I grabbed Mili’s arm, pulling her forward. “This the girl he was with?”
“Yeah. And—”
“This guy doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about,” Mili cut him off. “He’s just mad I didn’t want to sleep with him.”
“We all heard her screaming,” the guy said, trying to prove to me he was telling the truth. “I wasn’t the one she fucked.”
I whirled toward her and saw the guy run off out of the corner of my eye. “Where’s Kade?”
She grinned devilishly. “I have no idea.”
Anger bubbled in my chest, knowing she was lying. “Where is he, Mili? If you did anything—”
I stopped talking, realizing another guy had been trying to tell me something while she was distracting me on the dance floor. I scanned the room, seeing him watching me from a small table.
“I guess one out of two isn’t bad for one night,” she said with a laugh. “You’ll get your payback another time. Bye, Gray.”
I didn’t chase after her as she raced for the exit. She wasn’t going to help me find Kade since she was the reason he was fucking missing.
“What did you need to tell me earlier?” I asked the guy once I got close.
He shifted in his seat. “I tried using the restroom, and someone yelled not to come in and to go get you, Mr. Scott. It sounded important…”
I was already running toward the bathroom before he finished talking. I pushed open the men’s bathroom door and stopped short.
“Shut the fucking door,” Kade hissed, covering his junk.
Stepping forward, I let the door swing shut. I couldn’t have stopped the laugh that exploded out of me even if I tried. He was cuffed to the sink, and I’d never seen him so angry. I grabbed my stomach, doubling over and roaring with laughter.
“Yes, it’s fucking hilarious,” he gritted out, my amusement only pissing him off more. “Can you get me some damn clothes now?”
I wiped tears away, my laughter starting all over again when I realized she had taken his clothes out of the bathroom.
I raised my arms up. “Wait, wait. What was it you told me? Oh yeah. Don’t fuck her. I see you went against your own advice.”
“Gray, go get me some fucking clothes,” he seethed, tugging against the cuff. “And find her. She has my phone and wallet.”
“Maybe I should take a picture to remind you not to repeat your mistakes—”
“I will fucking kill you.”
Still laughing, I turned and went back out the door. There was a line of guys and they all looked at me as I stepped into the hallway.
“Stand in front of the door and don’t let anyone in, got it?” I ordered the guy closest to me. He was in the crew, and he nodded quickly, moving where I told him.
I made my way to our private room upstairs where we kept spare clothes. I sobered up as I climbed the stairs, realizing that if she’d had found me first, I would be right where Kade was. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she would have been able to convince me to take off my clothes. I probably would have fallen for it faster than Kade. I swallowed, remembering her words before she left. She was repaying us for locking her in our study. She got Kade back, but I was still on her shit list.
Fucking great.