Dirty Secrets

by Landish, Lauren

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I had no idea. Do you miss Cindy or Cathy? Either way, you should tell them.”

  He smiles as he sniffles again, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops and looking bashful. “Cindy . . . I miss my little girl. Cathy can rot in hell, for all I care.”

  His words are spat out, coated in unexpected venom that makes me flinch. He sees the cringe and winces apologetically.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to sound so mean. I found out she’s been cheating on me. Lawyer said I should let her keep the house because it’s best for Cindy, but then they get to home like nothing changed, and I’m alone. Ah, fuck, it’s just a little raw right now, and I’m bitter as hell.”

  My eyebrows furrow at his pain, but I find I’m fresh out of encouraging responses and he doesn’t seem to want the platitudes anyway. Mr. Duncan pushes off from the car and stretches his arms up and over his head, taking a long, shuddering breath before blowing it out as if to clear the painful thoughts.

  “Enough of that drama. I really need to move on, I think.”

  Again, it seems like he’s convincing himself more than me, so I shrug non-committedly. “If you’re okay, Mr. Duncan . . .”

  He nods and musters up a small smile. “Hey, I heard about your new classes. Congrats on that!”

  His words are polite, the same ones several other parents have given me in response to the news, thankfully. Though there’s something different about hearing them post-class from a mom with her child swirling around her legs than from a sad dad alone in a parking lot. A wiggle of concern blooms in my belly, though Mr. Duncan has always been nothing but nice to me.

  “Thanks,” I say as I reflexively scan the parking lot, wondering who Dom has following me tonight.

  I don’t feel the weight of Dom’s gaze like I do sometimes, and my gut tells me that he would never let me talk to a man alone in a dark parking lot because he’s way too powerful to let something like that slide. But there’s no one around but me and Mr. Duncan.

  But maybe Mr. Duncan’s just trying to be nice. I mean, he hasn’t said anything that—

  “You should have the class do a recital like the girls do. I’m sure the husbands would love to come see that.”

  He just blew past the line of acceptable conversation, regardless of where we’re standing, but out here, what he said somehow sounds even more skeevy. My nose crinkles in distaste, but he doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.

  “You’re really beautiful, you know that?”

  I step back, gaining space between us, but before I can answer, there’s a clanging noise as a metal bay door slams a few suites down from the dance studio. Both Mr. Duncan and me instinctually look over. Two big and broad silhouettes come into view, and then I can hear the guys’ loud chatter and laughter as they joke around.

  Whew, thank fuck. I was getting a bit nervous that Dom’s guy, or guys in this case, I guess, were sleeping on the job. I don’t think Mr. Duncan would really try anything, but you can never be too sure.

  “Hey, guys, thanks for meeting me,” I say, though I guess I wasn’t really expecting anyone to show their face. Dom’s guys are usually relatively discrete. Relatively being the operative word because how do you miss a big guy in an Italian suit following you down the sidewalk?

  But they seem to read my discomfort and play along. The brunette who looks like he was carved from marble says, “Sure, no problem, baby.”

  His phrase throws me for a second, because at Petals, ‘baby’ is code for ‘help me,’ and it’s ingrained in my head to hear ‘danger’ with the word. He should know that. Unless it’s supposed to be some Jedi reverse mind trick, like he’s telling me that he recognizes that I’m in danger? Convoluted, but as long as they’re here, I’ll take a little weirdness.

  They give Mr. Duncan a careful look. He seems to catch up to the developing situation, realizing that he’s on the losing side of the scale.

  “Well, I guess I’d better get going. I’ll leave you to your . . .” —he gestures at me and then to the two men— “evening. I’ll see you next week when I drop off Cindy. Thanks for listening, Allie.”

  Mustering the most dignity he can, Mr. Duncan steps back and faux-casually goes over to his driver side door, getting inside. With a roar of the engine, he pulls out of the parking lot, gassing it down the street.

  I turn back to my sorta-saviors, a bit wary since they’re not my usual guys. “Thanks! You saved my bacon there. Mr. Duncan’s probably safe, but you never can tell. I thought you weren’t gonna come out for a minute there.” They glance at each other, confusion written on their faces like they’re still not sure what to say, and I try to fill in the quiet. “Sorry, I don’t know if we’ve met yet. I’m Allie, but I guess you already know that. And you two are . . . ?”

  I let the syllable hang, inviting them to answer, but there’s a sudden slapping of shoes on the pavement to my right and I look over to see Logan running toward me. Talk about a welcome surprise.

  The two guys go back on alert, though I think hear one mutter, “What the hell? Another one?”

  I’m shocked as Logan growls as he gets closer, his hands balling into fists.

  “Get back.”

  I’m not sure if he’s talking to me or the guys, but I step back anyway.

  Logan puts himself between the guys and me, looking at the two guys. “Stay behind me.”

  “What’s going on, Logan? How many guys are here tonight? Is something wrong?” I can feel my heart start racing in my chest, worry blooming that maybe something happened at Petals. Maybe something happened to Dominick. It’s the only explanation for why I’d have three guards tonight.

  Logan talks over his shoulder, eyes never leaving the two monsters in front of him. “They’re not with us, Allie.”

  I gasp, realizing just how foolish I’d been. Hell, I’d jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, a big ass bonfire that scared off the hurting dad I know and left me alone with two beasts I don’t. All because I stupidly assumed they were Dominick’s guys. But what else should I have thought when there’s always some huge guy tailing me at Dom’s instruction? This just seemed status quo.

  “Oh, shit,” I whisper, the curse coming out before I can stop it.

  The brunette speaks again, apparently the spokesman for the pair as he tries to make eye contact with me and offers a friendly smile.

  “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here. I’m Max, and this is my buddy, Dalton. We’re opening an MMA gym right over there.”

  I back him up, telling Logan, “I know there’s going to be some kind of gym opening soon. I’ve heard the occasional thumping metal and hip-hop coming from inside, but it didn’t occur to me that they might be random guys. The timing was right, and I mean, look at them! I didn’t care if they were Dom’s guys, or powerlifters, or Crossfitters. Hell, I would’ve been happy if they were buff yoga dudes. Just someone to help me get a little distance.”

  Dalton smirks, and Max points behind him to the door they came out of and turns his attention back to Logan. “We came outside and . . . Allie, right? Seemed nervous with that guy, so we came to see if anything was going on.”

  Logan is still tense as he questions me. “That true? I missed some of it because I was coming down the stairs.”

  I nod, then realize he can’t see me because his eyes haven’t left Max and Dalton.

  “Yeah, I just needed a little assist. I thought they were my guards for the night, and Mr. Duncan left. I don’t even know if he meant anything, but he was weirding me out. No harm, no foul, Logan. Now, what the hell’s going on?”

  He snorts. “You know what’s going on, Allie. You’ve had eyes on you all this time. You obviously know that.”

  His words shock me. Not that I didn’t suspect—okay, I knew—but that he’d come out and say it. But if he’s willing to not play shy with the truth, neither am I. “Okay, I knew that but have been choosing to ignore your lame attempts at ‘reconnaissance’.” I say the word with finger
air-quotes because seriously, how am I supposed to miss Logan in a crowd? “But can we just pretend this never happened? That’s what I want to do. Rewind ten minutes like zzzzzz." I make a whirring sound like my dad’s old cassette tape player. “And maybe poof . . . none of this ever happened. Yeah?” I coat the request with sugary goodness, like it might entice him to agree with me.

  Logan shakes his head. “You know I can’t do that, Allie.”

  I knew that’s what he’d say. Logan is a great guy, precise and intelligent in addition to being a badass in the ring. But he’s not really a shades of grey kind of guy. To him, things are black or white, right or wrong, what he was told to do or not. And I’m sure Dominick has told him to report everything, judging by the way he confessed that Dom’s keeping eyes on me.

  Dalton, the blond with shaggy hair, finally speaks. “I feel like we’re missing something here, but if everything’s good, mind if we head on out? We had a long day and I’m wiped. Laying two thousand square feet of wrestling mat is a pain in the ass.”

  I’ve never laid wrestling mat, but I can imagine. “Yes, let’s all do that. I’m ready to go home.”

  Max seems to be the more curious of my new neighbors, and he gives me another friendly but careful smile. “Before we go . . . Allie, are you okay with this guy?”

  “Definitely safe with Logan. Only one guy I’d be safer with, and let’s just say, it’s probably good for all of us that he’s not here.” Just to be sure I’m correct that Dom’s not lurking nearby, I give a pointed look around the parking lot.

  Logan sighs and his head tilts back. I imagine he’s saying a prayer of thanks that Dominick isn’t here too. Ignoring him for a moment, I step around him and offer my hand to Max and Dalton.

  “By the way, welcome to the neighborhood. Like I said, I’m Allie. I teach at Encore Studios.”

  I point over to the side, where our lit-up sign blazes brightly. They glance over and then back. “Yeah, we were going to go over soon, swap hellos and do a sound check so our music doesn’t screw with your lessons and stuff . . .” Dalton says before his voice trails off and he looks back at Logan. “Not to make an already weird situation weirder, but aren’t you Logan Hendricks? I follow your career, man.”

  Logan almost imperceptively nods, but Dalton catches it and gets excited. “Holy shit! You’re like one of the best one-eighty-five guys around. What the hell are you doing out here?”

  Logan’s answer is deadpan sarcastic, but I can see the way his lips twitch in a small smirk. “Obviously, moonlighting.”

  Both Max and Dalton chuckle and then glance at me. I realize that my hand’s still hanging out, and they both shake, their eyes naturally drifting down my body and back up. I’m used to it and almost don’t give it a second thought, knowing that I’m fully covered in both dancewear and a top layer of sweats.

  But Logan doesn’t let it go so easily. “Careful. She’s Dominick Angeline’s.”

  Judging by the guys’ reactions, that means something to them. I’m actually surprised, and it fills in a few blanks that Logan and I need to discuss. Having Dominick stake a claim on me is sexy as hell, but it’s not actually him doing it, and I wonder what exactly Dominick has told Logan.

  Max tilts his head slightly, and I can see his mind working as he quirks one brow, poking at Logan. “Angeline’s what? His sister? Girlfriend? Cousin from a second marriage?”

  Logan’s grin is a feral baring of his teeth. “She is simply his.”

  And isn’t that the absolute truth. But judging by what’s happened and what Logan has said here tonight, Dom and I need to have a serious talk.

  Dalton’s humor breaks the tension as he laughs and says, “Okay, motion to move back to my action plan of leaving and going the fuck home. Seconded?” He doesn’t wait for anyone to speak, continuing on. “Motion approved. We’re out. But hey, man, anytime you’re around, stop by. I’d love to pick your brain on your counters against a southpaw. You really picked that last guy apart with those.”

  Max and Dalton back up a few steps before hopping onto two gleaming motorcycles, starting them up to a huge bass rumble that echoes through the lot for a moment before lowering to a leonine purr. With two-fingered waves, they pull out. Logan turns to me, and I intercept him before he can pull a fade.

  “Okay, you have about ten seconds to fill me in on what’s going on before you find a ballet slipper shoved up your nose.”

  There’s no way I can back up my threat, but Logan respects me, and he sighs, nodding.

  “Fine. What do you already know?”

  I shrug, surprised that he’s willing to give me any information at all. “All of it. But I want to hear it from you, Stalker McStalkerson.”

  He laughs hollowly, shaking his head and muttering, “You have no idea.” But then he looks at me. “How come you never said anything? Never called me out or asked Dominick outright?”

  I bug my eyes out. “Seriously? Have you met him? I’m not scared of him, not one bit, but he’s intimidating enough that I’m not really going to waltz into his office and start demanding answers, especially when there for a while, I really needed the security. Not because I was in danger, exactly, but the whole shooting thing was scary as fuck for someone like me, Logan. You guys’ being around made me feel safer, and then I guess I just kind of got used to it. Maybe liked it a bit.” I point a finger at him threateningly. “But if you tell him that, I’ll tell him you play games on your phone when you’re supposed to be on duty.”

  He sputters, “I do not!” But then he stops at my evil grin. “You’d do that, wouldn’t you?” At my nod, he hooks a thumb over at a black sedan in the far corner of the parking lot. “All right, but not here. Your place?”

  “I guess it’s a given that you know where it is,” I reply, annoyed. “You following me like usual?” I can’t help but get in the dig. “And we talk there. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  At home, Logan walks me to my door, a new routine, apparently.

  As I unlock the door, I stand aside, motioning him in. I’m not scared of Logan. In fact, he makes me feel safe, and it’s probably easier for him to guard me from here than it is downstairs, or wherever it is he hides out.

  I’m surprised, though, when he doesn’t take a single step inside but instead crosses his arms, shaking his head once.

  “He’s coming to talk to you himself.”

  I can’t decipher his tone, but he looks at me like this is bad news. Honestly, though, I don’t care. Dom might be The Boss of East Robinsville, but he and I need to get some shit straight between us. Still, realizing that Dominick Angeline’s coming to my apartment makes my heart flutter in my chest like a hummingbird after a Red Bull.

  Dominick is coming here? Shit, I need to change and pick up a bit. I don’t want him to think I’m a smelly mess, though that’s probably more true than false on most days.

  Chapter 6

  Dominick

  “Say that again, slowly.”

  Logan’s voice is filtering through the cabin of my car as he tells me again what happened after Allie left her classes tonight.

  “And the MMA guys? Are they a problem?”

  There’s a beat of silence as Logan considers what I’m asking. “They’re legit fighters, both heavyweights. No reputation for anything other than hard work and being tough sons of bitches. If anything, I’d say they might be good backup on-site if they agree to some terms.”

  I let that idea roll around in my head, nodding to myself. It would make keeping an eye on Allie easier now that my duck blind has apparently been discovered. I’m not upset with Logan about it. He did his job exactly as I requested, and I wouldn’t have wanted him to lie. At least, not to her.

  “I’ll take that under advisement. I’ll need full workups on them both . . . families, allegiances, strengths, and weaknesses.”

  “On it. You’ll have it by tomorrow,” Logan says, and knowing him, I’ll probably have their grade-school report cards in there as well. He
’s that sort of thorough.

  “And the rest? What exactly did she say?”

  I listen as Logan explains that he had to break cover, and that Allie knew she’d been under observation, which was a surprise to me. I don’t like surprises. Not at all. She says she knows all of it, which I seriously doubt, so I’ll have to tease a bit at her to test the edges of her knowledge. I don’t want to share too much, too soon.

  I knew there’d come a time to reap what I’ve sown, even though I’ll admit I’m a man who likes to control what goes on in my life. But I have crossed a line with Allie, and I need to deal with that.

  I pull into my reserved spot and head upstairs. As I push the button for the third floor, my heart flutters a little as I realize I’m going to see her, to be in her space again, not by stealth and sneaking but by invitation.

  It’s an intriguing idea since this will be the first time she willingly lets me into her apartment. I’ve been here, of course, the first time when I took her home after the shooting, still shivering in my arms, and then again to carefully install the cameras.

  But this will be a first of sorts.

  Logan is in the hallway, giving me a respectful nod before pulling a fade and standing by the elevator door where he can keep his eye on the entire hallway without any issues.

  At my knock, the door breezes open and she stands before me in a pair of short shorts and a strappy tank top that grazes her body. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she dressed for me, but I know this is her usual nighttime attire. I understand. After a day of dance tights, she must want to be as comfortable as possible.

  I step inside and turn as she closes the door.

  “Allison,” I greet her, my voice deep and intense. Until I saw her, I hadn’t fully processed that tonight could have played out much differently. Forget the questions I’m going to have to answer, the explanations, and possibly her recriminations. The thought of something happening to her makes my blood run cold in my veins.

  Her eyes drop for a moment, the picture of submission before she remembers herself and lifts her chocolate gaze to mine. There’s fire in her eyes, an inferno I want to burn me, but also one that I want to tame and bring under my control . . . and she knows it, even if I’ve unknowingly stoked those particular embers tonight.