Wicked Sinner (Dangerous Love 2)

When he drew closer, he found Remy sitting in his office. She looked as pretty as ever, wearing a flowered pattern dress with short brown boots. Asher noted the onion braid in her hand and knew the meaning of that braid. He’d seen her use that braid a few times back in high school. She felt like she needed protection. “Remy,” he called as he approached.

She jerked, her gaze connecting with his. And holding. Her eyes were wild with worry.

In two long strides, he was there, reaching for her until she was standing. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” She tucked the braid back into her purse and gave a forced smile. “I changed my mind about dinner.”

At that, he arched an eyebrow. “You want to have dinner with me?”

“Yeah.” She averted her gaze and shrugged slightly. “Sounds nice, right?”

“Sounds incredible,” he said, watching her carefully. “You know I want to spend time with you, but I want to know why the change of heart. You turned down dinner with me earlier.”

“It’s just food, Asher, no big deal,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Are you in or are you out?”

He couldn’t help himself, he grinned like a fool. “You know I’m definitely in.” Desperate to get the color back in her ashen face, he closed the distance and tucked his finger under her chin, staring into eyes that desperately tried to avoid him. “Remy, I know you,” he said gently. “I see that something has happened that’s made you very upset. Talk to me.”

“It’s nothing.” She finally looked at him, fingering her necklace. “I…I just want to spend time with you. I changed my mind, all right? Is that a crime?”

“Not, it’s not a crime,” he retorted, not letting her cop out. “But it’s also not something you do.” She listened to her cards and her dreams and never acted spontaneously. Never. Not once in her life. He pointed at her purse. “You made an onion braid, which you only use for protection.”

She blinked. Twice. “I can’t believe you remember that.” Then she lifted her chin and firmed her voice. “Well, I went to the market and got bored.” When he continued to stare at her not believing a word she said, she shrugged. “Maybe it’s time for a new me.”

“No, it isn’t.” He held his ground. “I happen to like the old you. The one who leaves fate to decide her path.”

She held his stare for a long moment before something changed in her expression. Something that pulled him in sharply. Fear glistened in her gaze. “Remy,” he murmured, and closed the distance, not caring of the consequences, only knowing he needed to get closer. “Did something go wrong at that store?”

She swallowed deeply, shaking her head. “Someone came by the shop after you left.” Asher’s back straightened at the tremble in her voice. “I’m sure it’s nothing, and I don’t want to cause a fuss—”

Fear was a very real thing. So were instincts. Asher never overlooked either. “Do you know the person?” he asked.

“No.” She rubbed her hands down the front of her dress. “And he didn’t give a name.”

“Did he talk to you?”

She nodded.

“What did he want?”

She hesitated. Then she said tightly, “I think to scare me.”

Asher inhaled and exhaled sharply, feeling his muscles quiver beneath his flesh. “A friend of Damon?” he guessed.

“I think so, he came by asking for him,” she said with a small shrug. “I’m sure he’s gone—”

“We still need to check him out.” Asher helped her back into the client chair before shutting his door. He got looks from his fellow cops and Hank, the chief of police. Both Boone and Kinsley shared their father’s blue eyes. He was slightly shorter than Boone, but definitely held a strong presence and an air of authority, and also thought of Remy as a daughter. Most of his fellow cops knew about Asher and Remy’s past. Many of them would ask him questions later, no doubt, as would Hank.

Asher moved behind his desk and told her, “A month ago or so, Boone installed cameras across the street to extend to Peyton’s store for security.” Kinsley’s bar had cameras on both the front and back doors. Some would call them paranoid. He called them smart.

He logged into his computer and then into the security cameras that he helped Boone install. He played through the video from the time he left the store, and he saw the big guy in the fancy suit. He turned the screen. “This him?”

She squinted at the monitor. “Yeah, that’s him.”

Asher’s jaw clenched as he turned the screen back to face him and then fast-forwarded until the guy came back out of the shop and got into a black sports car. He wrote down the plate number on a sticky note, “You don’t need to worry about this guy. I’ll handle it.” He sidled back up to her and offered his hand. “Come on, we’ve got something to do.”

Remy’s eyes widened at his outreached hand. “What’s that?”

“You asked me to dinner,” he reminded her with a grin.