Only (7 page)

“That would definitely be a violation of club rules.”

Bast watched as this Shawn guy took Wade's phone and typed, probably his number. When Bast looked back at Eli, thinking to distract him, he realized it was too late. The scene had Eli's attention.

Steadying the glass, Eli stood up and straightened his jacket. “I think I'll save us both the worry of being disciplined by Jarrett and skip dinner.”

“Don't let Wade run you off. It's what he wants.”

“He's made that clear.”

Bast usually liked Wade. They'd worked together to watch over Jarrett—a man not really in need of babysitting—when Becca ran back into town and to his side. But this felt like a game targeting Eli, and Bast didn't play games.

Hoping to put a halt to wherever Eli's dark mood might take him, Bast tried reason. “Wade is looking to inflict some pain.”

“I'm done with that.” Elijah pushed off and was gone.

He walked through the crowded room, around the tables to the far side and away from Wade. His laser focus stayed locked on the door. Bast realized Elijah missed Wade watching the exit.

Elijah's big exit left Bast standing alone at the bar. He glanced over at Jarrett, who stared right back as he shook his head, likely at the testosterone display they'd just witnessed. For a second Bast saw the intimidating man others feared. From the black hair to the black suit, Jarrett could best be described as six feet of dark, commanding presence. He radiated confidence and operated with a practiced charm Bast knew Jarrett saw as an annoying business necessity.

Bast also knew he could be anywhere and need anything and Jarrett would drop whatever he was doing, shift all, to make it happen. They'd been friends for years. Through the Becca betrayal and Bast's marriage implosion, they commiserated together. Bast didn't have a brother, or even a sister, but he couldn't imagine the loyalty felt any different than his to Jarrett.

Before Bast could walk over and engage in a play-by-play over Wade's messed-up love life, Bast noticed Kyra slip out of the kitchen. She appeared by his side a few seconds later. Like some other people in the room, she'd watched Elijah stalk toward the far door. With his height and stern expression, he always attracted attention. He also had a look his former CIA boss Natalie described as irresistible to both men and women. Bast thought that went a bit far, but she insisted it was both a benefit and a deterrent for Elijah in his job because he couldn't blend into the crowd the way others could.

Kyra leaned against the bar in the same spot Eli just had abandoned. “Is your friend okay?”

“Not really.” But Bast suddenly had something else on his mind. “How are you feeling?”

She frowned at him. “Fine, why?”

“Not too exposed?” He let his gaze travel over every curve. “What with the skirt right against your—”

“Keep your voice down.”

“Be happy I'm not asking for you to prove you're still naked under that sexy skirt.” Though it was damn tempting to drag her back in the locker room and have her show him.

“Don't try to derail me.” Her voice stayed firm but her cheeks turned pink. “That guy who just walked out works for you, right?”

Bast just assumed she knew Elijah, but . . . “That's Elijah Sterling.”

“Did you fire him or something?'

Bast didn't understand how she couldn't know the identity of the other guy in her brother's recent nasty breakup. The fight between the men wasn't exactly a secret among their small circle of friends. The specifics, maybe, but Wade had stumbled around for weeks after Eli left. Even if he wanted to say his time with Elijah meant nothing, there was no way Wade could sell that. The breakup had him reeling and he still hadn't recovered, as evidenced by the yelling tonight.

The whole mess and Wade's mood in the weeks since had been hard to ignore, or so Bast thought. “You don't know who Eli is?”

“Didn't I establish that when I asked who he was?”

“I thought maybe you'd heard his name before.”

She turned to Bast. “In passing, maybe from Jarrett or Becca, but I'm thinking you believe I should know him. Feel free to fill me in.”

The full force of her attention and knowing what she hid under that skirt made it hard for Bast to concentrate on anything but getting his hands on her again. “He knows Wade.”

“Everyone who comes in here knows Wade. He's the unofficial bouncer.”

Her brother and his messed-up love life qualified as the last thing Bast wanted to discuss with her. How to get her back to his place and what time she got off tomorrow, yes. “Elijah had some words with Wade. They've been fighting.”

“That sounds odd.”

Looking at her hair and the way it fell over her full breasts had Bast struggling to keep up with the conversation. “I'm not sure how else to say it.”

“You're being weirdly cryptic.”

“I missed whatever happened between them tonight. You'll have to ask Wade for details.” Because Bast was ready to move on to a new topic. Preferably one that involved getting her out of that bra.

“I don't get it. . . .unless, are you saying—”

“Why is Elijah pacing my sidewalk out front and mumbling to himself?” Jarrett cut in with his voice booming from behind Kyra.

Bast had no idea how long his friend stood there. Kyra had him walking around dazed like some lovesick little boy.

Bast decided not to share that fact. “Eli had a rough night.”

“Ah, I see.” Jarrett's gaze went to Wade then back to Kyra again. “You should get to work before we have a backup and the members start complaining. I've had enough of that this week.”

“Because of me?” Kyra asked.

Jarrett shook his head. “Of course not.”

“Then I'll keep that streak alive and go.”

“Wait.” Lost in watching her, Bast almost forgot one of his supposed reasons for heading over here so early tonight. He turned her hand over and dropped the keychain in them. “These are yours.”

“Uh, right.” Kyra didn't give either male eye contact.

Bast thought her subterfuge needed work. He turned to explain to Jarrett. “She dropped her keys.”

Jarrett's eyes narrowed. “Where?”

“By the door,” Kyra said as the haze around her seemed to clear.

“Be more careful, Kyra. I don't exactly trust some of the guys in my club.”

“Just some?” Becca slid her hand through Jarrett's arm when she joined the group and leveled her stare at Kyra. “And your shift has started.”

With the bosses on the floor, the staff seemed to pick up speed. Bast noticed the scurrying, including Kyra. She left the group without a word and headed for a table in the middle of the room. Her smile in place, Kyra rounded the diners Bast knew to be commercial developers. Three focused on a file in front of them. One zeroed in on Kyra.

Jarrett put a hand on top of Becca's. “I love when you get bossy.”

Bast had to pull his attention away from Kyra, and it took more control than he expected. “Okay you two. Let's keep that stuff for the upper floors.”

“I find it hard to believe anything we do could shock you.” Becca's head dropped to the side and her hair fell off her shoulder and across her chest. “But I'm willing to try.”

“You'll scare him.” Jarrett laughed, something he did more often now that Becca had come back and their relationship shifted to fast-forward.

Becca snorted. “I doubt that.”

The light mood appealed to Bast and he tried to stay involved in the conversation. Tried and failed. The young developer shifted his hand and it would have landed on Kyra's ass if she hadn't done an impressive pivot and shuffle around the table. It looked natural and not like a defensive move, but Bast knew better.

Jarrett cleared his throat. “Are you staring?”

Fighting off a flinch, Bast turned back to his friends. His gaze clashed with his best friend's. Jarrett looked amused. Becca wore a “you blew it” expression.

Bast ignored both. “At what?”

Shifting, Jarrett leaned against the bar and looked in Kyra's direction. “Well, if I had to define it, I'd say at a woman who is far too young for you.”

No way Bast could argue with that point. But he could preserve his privacy. If whatever he had with Kyra lasted more than a night or two, the time would come to tell Jarrett. Not today.

Keeping his cool, Bast called on his considerable skills at staying unruffled under pressure. “I'm just standing here.”

“Uh-huh.” Becca's voice managed to go flat and drip with sarcasm at the same time.

When in doubt, go with a half-truth. That had never been Bast's mantra, but he adopted it for this situation. “I thought the guy over there was making a move on Kyra. Last thing you all need tonight is Wade going ballistic.”

Becca's smile was of the so-sweet-a-person-could-get-sick variety. “It's nice of you to want to protect her, but that's my job. That guy lifts a hand and I'll shoot it off.”

The lawyer side of Bast rose up. “You mean theoretically.”

“No, I don't.”

“Which is why she's in charge of the staff and working with Wade on security.” Jarrett leaned over and placed a kiss on Becca's forehead. When he turned to Bast again, the stupid grin still hadn't faded. “Speaking of Wade, want to give me a hint about the fight. I only caught the end.”

They'd circled around to a topic Bast could handle without waiting for Becca to launch into a verbal strike. The fact that Kyra left the table with the handsy guy and now talked with a member old enough to be her grandfather also helped Bast concentrate. “I brought Elijah. He talked to Wade. They fought rather than doing what they both clearly want to do.”

“Punch?” Jarrett sounded as if he liked the idea.

As far as Bast was concerned, Jarrett was off by several body parts. “That's not even close to what I was thinking.”

Jarrett nodded. “Ah, yes. That.”

“I agree with Bast,” Becca said. “I wish those two would just go upstairs and get all naked and nasty and be done with this skulking.”

Jarrett's eyebrow lifted. “Wow.”

She scoffed. “Oh please. I can't be the only one who believes those two are volcanic together in bed.”

Bast suspected Elijah wanted to get back to that time. But this Shawn guy sat over there working it hard. From this vantage point it looked like Wade tried to move away and the blond said something to bring him back.

“Could be Wade moved on,” Bast pointed out.

Jarrett's gaze followed Bast's. “So, that's what caused this.”

Shifting, Becca moved into the line of sight, bringing both men's attention back to her and breaking their view of Wade's flirting. “I don't buy it. Wade is into Elijah. Wades hates it, but he is.”

“That doesn't mean he can't screw someone else.” Bast knew that trick from experience. He saw the frustration in Wade's eyes. Saw and recognized it.

“This conversation has probably taken a turn into not-our-business territory.” Jarrett leaned across the bar and grabbed a small bottle of seltzer water and a glass.

“True, but life would be easier for all of us if Wade and Elijah stopped circling each other like mad dogs in heat.”

Jarrett glanced over his shoulder at Becca before standing upright again. “That's a lovely image.”

“I don't believe in mincing words.” Becca looked at Bast as she said it. “What was Kyra's take on all this?”

The woman sure knew how to go in for the kill. In Bast's view, the CIA messed up in trying to eliminate Becca. With her in weapon mode, no one would be safe.

But Bast didn't blink. “Kyra didn't seem to know about Wade and Elijah.”

Becca started with a low whistle and ended with, “So many secrets.”

Nice try, but Bast still refused to blink. “That's how we all make our money.”

“Join us for dinner.” Jarrett poured his drink, using a head nod toward the owner's table to do the rest of the work for him.

Becca waved him off. “Actually, you two go ahead. I like when you have boy time.”

“Let me do a check-in with Wade first and get his sorry ass back to the bar.” After a quick follow-up kiss, Jarett took off in Wade's direction.

Bast waited until Jarrett stepped out of hearing range. “You didn't tell him about me and Kyra.”

“So you two are a thing now?”

“I didn't say that.” He was sorry he said anything.

“That was fast. You fought it off for, what, all of two seconds.”

“You know what I meant.”

Becca shrugged. “This is your mess. You clean it up.”

“I'm happy we understand each other.”

“Do we?”

Clearly she didn't plan to let this go. Not a surprise. Bast didn't think he'd be that lucky. “Maybe not.”

Becca twisted the lid back and forth on the bottle Jarrett left on the bar. “Since you trapped Kyra in the locker room a half hour ago, I'm guessing you made up your mind to chase her.”

A man didn't have any damn privacy these days. “Is there anywhere you don't have cameras in this place?”

The screech of metal against glass from the bottle filled the air. “I'm not telling.”

Becca could twist things and threaten him and scowl all she wanted. Respecting her didn't mean she got a say in his personal decisions. “We're still not talking about my sex life.”

She returned the empty bottle to the bar, letting it click as the glass tapped against the wood. Every move seemed exaggerated, as if perfectly calculated to take longer than necessary and draw all the attention back to her.

Bast knew that was a really bad sign.

Her hand wrapped around the edge of the bar. “I'll give you forty-eight hours to come clean to Jarrett.”

Yeah, she could throw out whatever timeline she wanted. Bast planned to ignore that, too. “It's no more his business than it is yours.”

Becca leaned in and whispered against Bast's cheek. “Then chase Kyra on someone else's property.”