Over My Head (4 page)

“Not so obvious,” Astra muttered, inwardly impressed by Jude’s quick thinking.

“Girls.” Slade’s footsteps crunched on the ice. “Did you both lock yourselves out?”

“Yeah,” Jude stammered. “I did…again. Blonde moment. Can you give me a ride home?”

Astra tipped her head in the direction of the light.

“Sure.” Slade’s gaze followed her gesture. “Astra, you shouldn’t lock your keys in your car. Silly girl.” He opened his arms. “Let’s get into my car. It’s nice and warm.”

Instead of climbing in the front, Astra slid into the backseat beside Jude. Slade rounded the trunk and opened the driver’s side door. When he settled in his seat and put the car into gear, Astra allowed herself to breathe a little easier.

“Talk to me.” Slade’s no-nonsense voice cut through her panic attack. He stared at them through the rear view mirror. “Spill it.”

“There’s a light on Astra’s car and I thought it was a bomb and it freaked me out and I was afraid we’d get blown up,” Jude said in a rush.

Slade considered them, one brow arched a little higher than the other.

“She’s right.” Astra threw her arm around Judy. “Jude saw it first.”

“Jude?”

“My stage name is Judy. My name is Jude.” Jude folded her arms and huddled next to Astra.

“Okay. We’ll head to the apartment. Jude, I’m sure the light was something inane. Don’t worry about it, you got me?”

The commanding tone in Slade’s voice vibrated up and down Astra’s spine as they sped through the city. Silly thoughts entered her head. Would he sound so in control if they made love? Would he want to make love with her after the incident in the dressing room?

Why was she worried about making love when her life very well could be at stake? She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Damned overactive and underused libido.

Slade came to a stop in the parking lot. He pulled his phone from his pocket and pressed the buttons. Pings and musical notes sang out with each tap. He glanced up and stared at Jude and Astra in the rear view mirror. “Jude, hon, go on in like nothing happened. I’ll keep an eye on you, but you should be fine. Ross is working security tonight and I see him there in the doorway. He’ll help you out, too.”

She nodded weakly and gathered her bag. “Bye Astra. See you Tuesday night.” Without a backward glance, Jude climbed out of the car, slammed the door then hurried across the lot to where Ross Malsam was standing.

Astra settled into her seat. Jude was safe. Ross kept a close eye on the girls and went above and beyond to protect them.
Perfect.
When she looked towards the front of the car, her breath clogged in her throat. Once again, Slade stared at her through the rear-view mirror.

“I’m going to have the car impounded.” The sentence came out so matter-of-fact. So…cold.

Astra averted her gaze. Maybe if she avoided eye contact, he’d let up.

“Astra, someone wants to hurt you.” Slade turned around in his seat and grabbed her hand. “Something’s up and you won’t talk to me. Let me help you. It’s what I’m trained to do.”

Trained to do?
That sounded so official. She chewed the inside of her cheek and contemplated her next move. He had to know the truth. It was time.

“Do you know how to get to the Capricorn Hotel?”

Chapter Four

Slade stared at Astra. What was going through her head? She wanted to go to a hotel when someone wanted her harmed? Fine. He’d gladly get her out of the line of fire, if only for a couple of nights. By the end of the weekend, he’d make her see he cared about her.

“Can we go? I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.” The tension in her voice cut through his heart like a knife. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“Get into the front seat so we can talk, then.” He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Please?”

Groaning, Astra opened the car door and slammed it shut. For a heartbeat, he thought for sure she’d just stroll into the apartment building without a backward glance. Astra yanked the passenger door open and plopped down in the seat.

“Happy?”

Slade shifted the car into gear and placed his hand over hers. “We’re leaving like you wanted, but you owe me something.”

“Owe you?” She snorted. “I owe you. Wonderful.”

“Hey, I didn’t ask for you to get snotty with me, little girl. I need to know what’s going on so I can sort out the situation and keep your ass safe.” He wrapped both hands around the steering wheel to give her space. “You asked me if I was okay the other day, so it’s my turn. Are you okay?”

Astra folded her arms and turned away from him. “It’s nothing.”

“Who’s giving you trouble?”

“No one…yet.” She gave him a wobbly grin. “Do you want to give me trouble?”

Slade gritted his teeth. He’d get the truth from her or die trying. “You try my patience. If I can, I’ll help you. I’ll help if I can’t, too.”

“That makes no sense.” Astra twisted her ring around her middle finger. He could see her in his peripheral vision. Her brows knotted and the corners of her mouth drew down in a frown. She shook her head and edged further away from him.

Slade sighed. Whatever was wrong with her, she wasn’t about to tell him. He pulled into the parking lot at the Capricorn and cut the power to the headlights. “We’re here.”

Astra fidgeted but didn’t get out of the vehicle.

“What?” Slade put his hand on her chilled thigh. Heat, and not from the car, spiralled through his body. His cock sprang to life behind his zipper.
Well, hell
. He hadn’t managed a damned erection since he’d signed the papers to give Darly the divorce.

“Looks like you’ve got more on your mind than keeping me safe.” She nodded to his crotch. “Is it a registered weapon?”

Slade tipped his head.
God.
At least she knew how to break the tension. “Hon?”

Astra turned quickly. “I have some money. We can get a deluxe suite and you can”—she cupped her hand over his erection—“put that to good use.”

His mouth ran dry. She made him feel like a damned teenager with nothing more than a touch. He needed to get his bearings or the whole op would fall apart. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. “Are you sure? You barely know me.” He sighed again. Great, another woman to climb under his skin and fluster him. “I mean—”

Astra placed her index finger over his mouth. “I’m not propositioning you…well, no. I am, but I’m not doing it right if you’re not interested.” She nodded to the building. “I can afford the hotel room. We’ll get a good night’s sleep if nothing else.”

Good night’s sleep his ass. She wanted more than a decent slumber and he wasn’t about to let her down. “I’m a gentleman, even if I beat the shit out of the drunks at the club. I can’t let you pay for a hotel.”

Astra rolled her eyes, groaned and fiddled with the handle. “I should be happy you’re not like most guys. Promise me you really are a nice guy and didn’t do shit to my car so I’d trust you.”

“Hold on.” Slade stilled her actions. “Lay it out for me. I don’t mess with cars or hurt women. Other than the light, what’s wrong with your car?”

“Not here. Please? We can talk upstairs. I promise.”

“I don’t know that I get what you’re doing, but I’ll take you where you want to go.” If it killed him, he was going to find out what the hell was going on. “Want to play Mrs McMann?”

“Yes.”

“You got it.”

Astra settled into step beside Slade, matching his long strides.
Mrs
? She’d never been a Mrs and belonging to him sounded too good to be true. But why? She deserved a bright spot in her life. God knew she’d spent too much time in the crumbling building Tiny insisted the dancers all live in. Too much time alone and too much damned time knowing things she didn’t need to know.

She grinned as she took in the sight of the gleaming marquis lights. No wonder she loved the Capricorn Hotel. The neon and stucco reminded her of a time long past. A time when men had cherished their women, and women had trusted their men implicitly.

The twenty-minute ride between Carrington Falls and Jarvis might as well have been a ride into a whole new world. The fears, tensions and frustrations in the Sanborn couldn’t breech the walls of the Capricorn. There, she could tell him the contents of her heart.

She’d watched Slade for the past six months. There was something about him that broke the mould. He wasn’t like the other bouncers. He’d smile while kicking a man out of the club. He waited for the girls to leave—to make sure they got home or because he was a control freak, she wasn’t sure. Part of her couldn’t care less.

“Hon?” His large hand engulfed hers as he stopped in the spacious foyer. “Would you like a suite?” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “I’ll get a couple rooms if you’d rather.”

“A couple?” Astra wrapped her hands around Slade’s biceps. “I invited you and I insist you stay with me. I’ve got the most to lose here.”

“Hon…”

Now was her chance. If she didn’t tell him about the mistakes in her life, she might not have a chance to make them right. A song in her head played the words—‘
trust in your faith’
.

Well, faith, don’t fail me now.
“Can I trust you?”

Slade cocked his head and a serious look crossed his eyes. “Absolutely.”

No hesitation, but finality. That she could work with. Maybe she’d found one of the good guys after all.

“We need to talk.”

Chapter Five

Slade followed Astra into the luxury building. Something felt off about their being at a hotel. For all he knew, she could do something drastic to him upstairs. He doubted it, though. The fear in her eyes didn’t kick his cop senses into overdrive. No, the oddity was the frankness in her voice and the tremble in her hands.

She’d acted so calm and collected at the counter. Like she knew what she wanted. The contradiction wasn’t lost on him. The sway of her ass called to him like a siren’s song as she sashayed to the elevator. He should walk away. Should get into his car and drive back to the Sanborn. He should, except the longing and desperation in her face arrested him. Call him a sucker for a woman in distress.

When the elevator doors closed, Astra levelled her shoulders. “You work for Tiny, right?”

“Like you.”

“That’s what I want to know.”

The bell for their floor pinged, interrupting the conversation. “That,” she said, shaking her head, “is the fastest elevator I’ve ever been in.”

“Yeah.” Slade followed, hot on her heels. The speed of the elevator was the last thing on his mind. The last time he’d been to the Capricorn had been the night he’d married Darley. Few things had changed in the ten years since. Same cream-coloured wallpaper and crimson-checked carpets. Even the gilt on the doors looked as if it had hardly aged.

Astra stopped in front of a door. “Have you been into his office? I don’t mean the chintzy panelled one, I mean, his office?”

Slade stared too long for his own comfort. Another office? Hell, he only knew about the one. Maybe he should’ve made time with Astra earlier. Would’ve helped the investigation.

“Then you don’t know about…now we really need to talk.” Her hands trembled as she opened the door.

Fear? Hesitation? Slade palmed his gun in his coat pocket. Better to be safe than sorry. Astra dropped her bag on the massive bed and turned. Her hair fluttered about her shoulders. Had it been a different situation, he’d have yanked her into his arms for a thorough fucking.