arms around me. The Centauride was watching me carefully, and Daniel. . . well, Daniel kept squeezing the air out of me.
Katherine emerged from a wall of people surrounding a billiard table. She, too, was paying closer attention to me. That nervous feeling started cinching tight on my stomach. I could count on Daniel and Brent if it came to it, but after my second kidnapping, I caught myself being much more aware of my surroundings. A Centauride tending bar for humans was unexpected and set off warning bells in my head.
Katherine ’s curiosity got the better of her, “Ya know Daniel?”
Her question caught me off-guard. How did Katherine know Daniel? What was he doing here? Why hadn’t he gone back to California when Beau left?
I was exposed . Drake had a knack for knowing exactly what was going on in my head. In the few weeks we’d been together, I’d grown accustomed to our non-verbal conversations. I felt vulnerable because neither Brent nor Daniel could hear my thoughts. How would I tell them I had a bad feeling about this place? If I said it aloud, would we be overheard? My eyes darted between the two men, and they were oblivious to my worry, still sizing each other up.
Katherine was the first to speak, “Daniel, either ya already know Cami or yer a magnet for women.”
The smile on Daniel’s face stretched from one ear to the other, “What? Cami, who? I thought you brought me that stripper you promised me! You know I won fair and square.” Without missing a beat, my hand swatted at his head as he ducked and my hand whizzed past just missing his ear.
Katherine beamed, “Can’t hide anything from ya!” Katherine, Daniel, the Amazon-looking bartender, and I laughed; Brent scowled.
I thought for sure Daniel and Brent had met before, but the way both eyed each other – I wasn’t so sure. Daniel eased up on his grip, but kept one arm wrapped around my waist while he held out his hand to greet Brent. “Name’s Daniel. Which brother are you?”
Brent’s voice was less than welcoming , but he extended his hand and answered, “Brent.” Despite the introduction, his glare at Daniel didn’t diminish.
I was proud of Daniel for ignoring Brent’s reaction . He must have realized Brent was less than thrilled to see him, so in typical Daniel fashion he jumped right into conversation as if they were old pals. “How’s Beau doin’? Haven’t heard from him since he and Lacey boarded a plane bound for South Carolina.”
Brent shook his head, “I don’t know . They didn’t stay long. He packed up his things and both were gone a few hours after they showed up.” Daniel’s question about Beau seemed to calm Brent a little. I guessed that Brent was still not comfortable with a male touching a Centauride who wasn’t betrothed to him, but at least he stopped glaring. His stare fixated on Daniel’s arm still wrapped around me, but he didn’t look like he was ready to tackle him – it was an improvement.
I was baffled as to why Daniel was still here. I was sure he had gone back to California when Beau and Lacey left for South Carolina. Why would Daniel be in this bar? Why tonight? Was he supposed to stay a part of my life, even after I’d turned my back on my human existence? Apprehensively, I asked, “So, you were sick of the beach or what? You didn’t go home?”
“Naw. Wasn’t anything for me there. Pops and I have been on the outs for a while. I got fired when I took my unannounced, extended vacation here to look for you. I didn’t have anyone to go back to, and some card shark took me for everything I had my first night here.”
Daniel shot a teasing look toward Katherine as she oozed pride over her obvious exploits. I cringed when he said he’d been fired. Katherine didn’t comment when he said he’d been here looking for me. I hoped she’d let it go without any questions.
When he said there was
Alphonse Daudet, Frederick Davies