Black Tangled Heart

by Samantha Young

  “Okay, I’ll do it. How do we start this?”

  I shoved my phone back in my pocket. “Wright and Gaines frequent a nightclub in downtown LA on their night off. That’s tomorrow night. You’ll make sure Gaines doesn’t leave the club without your number.”

  “And where will you be?”

  At the club, making sure no one touched her without her permission. “I’ll be there too, making sure you don’t fuck up.”

  If looks could kill, I’d be dead.

  However, the longer we stared at each other, the more the urge grew to kiss the attitude right out of her. “You like this, then?” I blurted out, gesturing around the room. “Miss Art Director.”

  Jane sighed heavily. “It’s not what I intended to do with my life. I like things quieter than this. But I can’t say I hate it.”

  “Why this?”

  Her expression was incredulous. “Why do you think, Jamie?”

  I frowned, not getting it.

  “I needed an ‘in.’ This is Foster Steadman’s world, and I didn’t know how else to infiltrate it. So, I asked Nick to get me a job—he got me a job as a runner for the art department. Things escalated from there.”

  Sweat dampened my palms as I remembered her conversation with Asher in his car. It was true. All this time she had been trying to find a way to bring that bastard down. I didn’t know how to feel about it.

  “I loved her.” Tears glimmered in Jane’s eyes now. “I wanted him to pay.”

  Trying to fight back the emotion she incited, I chuckled. “My bloodthirsty little Doe.”

  She cut me a hard look. “I stopped being your anything a long time ago.” She marched over to the door and threw it open. “Text me the time and place for tomorrow. I have to get back to work.” She stalked off, leaving me alone in her office.

  I stopped being your anything a long time ago.

  She could be callous when she wanted to be.

  Ignoring the ache in my chest, I moved back to her desk and picked up the second photo frame. It was a photo of Jane, Skye … and me.

  My fingers tightened around the frame, a sense of satisfaction moving through me.

  Maybe deep down, Jane Doe still had feelings for me.

  23

  JANE

  Between the chartreuse dress and gold tones in my eyeshadow, my eyes appeared to be light green rather than hazel green. The body-con dress had a simple silhouette—thin straps and a sweetheart neckline, and it hit mid-thigh. It hugged my every curve, and admittedly the vibrancy of the color worked nicely against my tan skin. Asher had convinced me to buy the daring dress when we were on Rodeo one day. It was the most expensive item in my wardrobe, and I’d never worn it because I always thought it was too sexy for any of the events I attended with him.

  Tonight felt like the right night to wear the dress, and I’d paired it with my sexiest gold strappy heels.

  “I could come over and look after you if you’re feeling sick,” Asher offered as I gave myself a final once-over. He was on speakerphone, my phone on my bed.

  Lying to Asher was my least favorite thing in the world. I winced as I grabbed a gold clutch out of my closet. “You know, I think I just want to go to bed early. But thank you.”

  “No problem, babe. If you’d take me up on my offer and move into this too-big-for-me home by the beach, I wouldn’t have to worry about you being on your own when you’re sick.”

  I smiled sadly as I slumped on the bed. “I thought you didn’t need to hide behind me anymore?” Or was it the other way around?

  “I don’t. But I like you close.”

  I laughed. “I thought you wanted me to date?”

  “I do. I do. I just don’t like the idea of you being sick by yourself.”

  If I moved into Asher’s Malibu home, people would definitely assume we were together. However, the commute into LA—I couldn’t do that every day. “The commute would kill me.”

  “Well, I could buy a place in the hills.”

  “And be closer to dear old Dad?” He wasn’t buying a house just so I didn’t have to commute to the studio.

  “Right.”

  “Asher, I like my apartment. I’m fine. I’m going to get an early night and hopefully feel better in the morning.” I could feel my cheeks burning with my lie. “I’m off to bed. Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Guilt joined the kaleidoscope of butterflies in my belly as we hung up. I’d been avoiding my best friend because I didn’t want to lie to his face. Having Jamie in my life was tumultuous, and I knew I couldn’t hide the effect his presence had on me from Asher.

  Still, I couldn’t avoid my friend forever. It wasn’t fair to him. Especially when he was going through so much upset with his parents’ divorce.

  Determined to be a better friend in the morning, I reluctantly pushed aside thoughts of Asher and tried to focus on the night ahead.

  As if on cue, the doorbell rang. My heels clicked against the hardwood floor as I walked down the hall and into the main living room toward the door. Palms a little clammy, I took in calming breaths to slow my racing heart. The attempt failed miserably.

  Pulling open the door, I found Jamie slouched in the doorway, as if he was bored already. There was no change in his usual uniform of T-shirt, jeans, and boots. Why? Because he didn’t need to dress up for a club. He was sexy, and he knew it.

  Bastard.

  “Ready to go?” I asked, stepping outside and forcing him out of the doorway. I reluctantly gave him my back as I locked my apartment.

  When I turned around, the boredom was suddenly absent from his expression. His eyes were on my shoes. Slowly, they traveled upward. By the time he made it to my face, my skin was hot and I was agitated.

  Jamie stared resentfully at me.

  Flustered, I brushed past him. “You said dress for a nightclub.”

  His cold silence followed me downstairs.

  I’d never been so glad in my life to escape a car.

  When Jamie dropped me off a street over from the club, I practically threw myself out of the Porsche. At first, he wouldn’t even talk to me as we drove into the city. Then he started talking to me like I was an idiot.

  “Don’t make it obvious you’re watching Wright.”

  Well, of course not.

  “Don’t come on strong with Gaines either. Wright might see and get paranoid.”

  Commence eye rolling.

  “This isn’t going to be over in one night. This could take weeks.”

  No, really? I thought I’d just snap my fingers or wave my magic wand and find evidence against Wright in the first ten minutes.

  There was no point responding to any of his “advice,” especially when he said it in that patronizing tone. Jamie was always a little impatient with people he deemed morons. I’d just never been one of them before.

  The line to get into the club was long. Unfortunately, that cliché shallow attitude depicted in movies and television really existed and “pretty people” got to jump the line. Problem was, there were a lot of “pretty people” in LA. However, Asher had taught me a thing or two over the years. It wasn’t just about how you looked, but how you carried yourself. As an introvert, having attitude wasn’t easy for me. However, if I was to be successful at convincing Lincoln Gaines that I wanted to date him, then I needed to find the actor within.

  I sashayed past the line of waiting clubbers, wearing a small smirk as I neared the doormen. Their eyes moved to me, drifting down my body. When they met my gaze, I smiled, showing my dimple.

  “Don’t stop at the door, as if you know you need permission to enter,” Asher’s voice filled my head. “Smile, say hello to the doormen, but keep on walking in as if you know you’re hot enough to be there and not letting you in is not an option.”

  “Hey, guys.” I kept strolling toward the door as if it were my God-given right.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” one of them replied, grinning as I strutted by.

  And right into the clu
b without them stopping me.

  Worked like a charm.

  As soon as I was inside, my smile dropped.

  The world and its shallow preoccupation with looks made me truly sad sometimes. But such was life, and I couldn’t do anything to change it. What I could do was get tonight over with.

  I’d never been to this club, but it was packed. Purple and blue lights gave the place an atmosphere without it being too dark. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, one over a dance floor packed with people. As I moved along the bar, I saw another chandelier suspended above a seating area. Leather, button-back booths edged the walls with tables centered in front of them. And in the middle of the seating area, the same style booths made rectangles—two U-shaped booths facing each other with two small tables, and a gap on either side so you and your friends could enter the cozy space.

  The booths were all occupied.

  Scanning faces as inconspicuously as possible, catching features as overhead lights and wall sconces illuminated them, I couldn’t find Gaines or Wright.

  But I knew the moment Jamie entered the club.

  The skin at my nape prickled despite the heat, and I turned my head ever so slightly to watch him. He zoned in on me too, our gazes connecting and causing a warm shiver to tickle down my spine. He drew his eyes from me before striding through the crowded dance floor and disappearing among the bodies.

  But I knew he’d be watching. For some stupid reason, I was less nervous knowing Jamie was there, keeping an eye on the situation.

  Turning away, I searched the club, my eyes passing over the bar and veering back again, when I caught sight of a familiar profile.

  Lincoln Gaines.

  He stood at the bar chatting with the bartender.

  Taking a deep breath, I sauntered over and squeezed into a space between the cop on my left and a woman on my right.

  “A soda water and lime!” I yelled to be heard over the music.

  A frown puckered the brow of the bartender who had been speaking to Gaines as she worked. She looked at me and I tipped my head to give her a sweet smile. Her frown melted and she grinned flirtatiously. “Sure thing, girl! Just let me finish up with this!”

  “Hey.”

  I glanced to my left and found Lincoln Gaines staring down at me in interest. He had glittering dark eyes and gorgeous brown skin with warm, bronze undertones.

  I cocked my head and gave him a flirty smile. “Hey.”

  He grinned, a sexy flash of perfect white teeth. “You waiting on someone?”

  “I was here with a friend. She bailed.”

  “Lincoln.” He held out his hand.

  My palm was tiny in his, and I felt a flutter of attraction. “Jane.”

  Jamie and I had decided I’d use my birth name, since Margot Higgins was in the tabloids for dating Asher Steadman.

  The cop’s hand tightened around mine as his warm eyes focused on my face. “Nice to meet you, Jane.”

  “You too.”

  “Soda water and lime,” the bartender interrupted us.

  “Let me get this.” Lincoln handed her some cash.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Not drinking tonight?”

  “Not much of a drinker,” I answered honestly.

  “Me neither.”

  Curious, I leaned closer to him. “So, why are you in a nightclub?”

  “Why are you?”

  “I promised my friend I’d hang out with her.”

  “And she bailed on you, anyway.”

  “Yeah. But my night is looking up.”

  He chuckled, a deep, rich sound. “That’s why I’m in a nightclub.”

  I raised a questioning eyebrow.

  “On the off chance that a beautiful woman will flirt with me.”

  “Very smooth,” I teased.

  He flashed those pearly whites again. “So, why did your friend bail?”

  It was disconcerting how easy it was to lie and play a role. The underlying fear of conning a cop—a good one, from what Jamie had gathered—buzzed low within me. However, it was strangely exciting to take charge of a situation that had controlled me and Jamie for seven years.

  Moreover, I wasn’t a perfect person. I was an angry person. Angry at several people. One of them was Jamie, and there was a spiteful voice inside me that liked to think it might bother him to see me flirt with this sexy cop. It was petty. It wasn’t who I was. And that pissed me off too.

  Lincoln relayed what I already knew: he was a police officer. I told him I was a freelance artist. Sticking to some truth seemed smart so I wouldn’t trip myself up over details I’d concocted. Not too long later, fresh drinks in hand, Lincoln directed us over to the seating area. The chandelier above flickered over the occupants of one of the booths, and something ugly lurched in my gut at the sight of Ethan Wright.

  As tall as Lincoln, Ethan sprawled on a leather booth, his arms along the back, two women sitting on either side of him. One was talking with the guy on her other side, while the other had her lips almost on Ethan’s ear as she spoke to him.

  Wright wasn’t traditionally attractive. But he worked out and was muscular. Even if I didn’t already hate the piece of scum, he wouldn’t do anything for me.

  Lincoln gestured to the empty booth opposite his partner. Ethan’s eyes came to me as I slid in. He ogled, not caring how obvious he was. Attempting not to shudder, I relaxed against the booth and turned to Lincoln as he squeezed in beside me.

  Jamie thought Ethan would be paranoid that someone “as beautiful” as me would be interested in him. It hadn’t escaped me that his words were incongruous to some insults he’d dealt since coming back into my life. What also didn’t escape me was that Wright was arrogant. He would have no difficulty believing I was interested in him.

  Flirting with Lincoln was easy.

  Having to flirt with the dirtbag who helped put Jamie in prison would have been impossible. I was glad Jamie had chosen Gaines as the less obvious investigative option.

  “This is my partner, Ethan!” Lincoln called over the music.

  Ethan smirked. “Nice piece!” He gave Lincoln a look of approval before turning his attention to the girl at his side.

  Nice piece?

  A shock of surprise moved through me as I felt Lincoln’s warm breath on my ear. “Sorry, he can be kind of a dick.”

  My eyebrows rose as I pulled back to look at him.

  He shrugged and bent his head to my ear again. “The guy’s my partner. He’s got my back.” His tone was of the “what can you do?” variety.

  I could think of several things he could do. For a start, call his friend out for being repulsive.

  On the one hand, Lincoln’s reaction suggested he wasn’t a man who talked about women that way. On the other hand, he wasn’t a guy who stood up against his friend for talking about women that way. It was a mark against him in my book.

  I had a feeling Lincoln wouldn’t be so forgiving when he found out Wright was a dirty bastard, using his position of power to screw people over.

  However, I smiled like I understood, and we tried to engage in conversation in the loud club. Now and then, I’d shoot looks across the table at Ethan, keeping a surreptitious eye on him.

  Not once did I see Jamie.

  But I could feel him.

  He was watching us. I knew that. He would watch the fact that Ethan kept checking his phone, that he tensed and looked at it about an hour after I’d sat down in the booth with Lincoln. When he nudged the girl and guy next to him and asked them to let him out, Lincoln turned to him. “You off?”

  “Yeah!” Ethan flashed a cocky smile. “Favorite pussy just texted!”

  Ugh. Could he be any more disgusting?

  Lincoln shook his head, apparently not impressed. Well, say something to him about it, I wanted to snap at him. He didn’t. He just waved in a “whatever, man” gesture and turned back to me. My phone vibrated in my purse.

  “I need to use the restroom. I’ll b
e right back.”

  He nodded and got up to let me out, but touched my lower back as I shifted past him. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Guilt pricked me as I made my way to the restroom. Despite his inability to call out Ethan on his gross rhetoric, Lincoln appeared to be a nice guy. He hadn’t moved to kiss or touch me inappropriately. In fact, so far, it seemed he was treating this like a first date. I could be wrong, but my instincts told me Gaines was a nice guy.

  I did not like screwing around with nice people.

  In the privacy of the restroom hallway, I pulled out my cell.

  Following Wright. Will come back if he’s leaving city. Don’t make a move without me.

  I huffed at Jamie’s text and returned to Lincoln.

  Instead of sliding into the booth, he asked if I wanted to dance.

  We headed to the dance floor.

  At first, we danced close but separately. Other than Asher, I’d never danced with a guy. Jamie and I hadn’t been the clubbing types. But Lincoln could move, and he made it easy. Soon, however, he was gently pulling me against him, his big hands on my hips. Keeping up the flirt, I put my arms around his neck, which drew us closer, and the dancing turned a little more sensual. Concentrating on the movement of our hips, it was easier for me to keep up the ruse, if I didn’t look into Lincoln’s eyes. I hated the lie. And it was difficult to stop myself from tensing up.

  Especially when I felt a prickle over my skin.

  While the feel of Lincoln’s hard body against mine did nothing but incite guilt, sensing Jamie’s eyes on us made my breath hitch.

  I didn’t understand how I knew he was there, watching. I just did.

  My heart raced, sweat dampened my skin, and my body relaxed as the thought of him watching me melted my insides.

  It was Jamie I was dancing with in my imagination, his hips rolling gently against mine, his hands gripping tight to my hips, and his hot breath on my cheek as he bent his head toward me.

  But he tensed suddenly.

  “Hey, your phone is vibrating.” Lincoln’s deep rumble caused goose bumps behind my ear.