Partners (Fire & Lies - One) Read Online Free Page B

she’d been holding it the entire ride down. If Aiden
noticed, he didn’t let on.
    The car and
driver were already waiting in front of the building as they exited
through the double sliding doors. Aiden lifted his arm signalling
the driver to stay in the car as he placed his hand on the small of
her back and reached out to open the back door. She almost flinched
at his touch and her body reacted immediately, sending glorious
shivers of delight over the surface of her skin.
    “ Enjoy the
rest of your night,” Aiden said, his voice warm, soft, and rumbly.
When he spoke, it felt like his voice physically rolled through
her. “Try not to break anymore rules.”
    “ I promise
nothing,” she smiled, sliding into the back seat, glad to be
outside where she felt a tiny amount of freedom from electronic
eyes. “Will you be here to walk me down every night?”
    “ I wouldn’t
miss it,” he assured her, as he moved to shut the door. “Good
night, Miss Donovan.”
    “ Aiden?”
she called, reaching out to keep the door from closing. Turning her
head, she glanced at the driver who was pretending he wasn’t
listening. But he was paid with her father’s money so Chloe was
mindful of what he’d hear.
    “ What is
it?” Aiden asked, his eyes questioning as he leant down to see her
face.
    With another
glance at the driver, she lowered her voice so that only Aiden
would be able to hear. “I like the way you scare me.”
    Against his
better judgement, a smile pulled at the edge of his lips. “Good
night, sugar,” he murmured, pushing the door closed the rest of the
way and tapping the roof to signal that the driver could leave.
Then he stood there, telling himself he was under control, that it
was all just a flirtation, that it wouldn’t go any further than it
already had. He told himself that, over and over again, as he
watched the girl who was likely to be the end of him, drive away
until he couldn’t see her anymore, and even he didn’t believe
it.
    “ Shit,
Price,” he said to himself as he headed to the basement car park
that held his own car. “What the hell are you doing?”
    And even he
couldn’t answer that question. Because he didn’t know.

Chapter Five

     
     
    PRESENT, 14 days before the job
     
Aiden
     
    I PUSH my way
through the drunken crowd, hot and sweaty while they gyrate against
each other. The rock music crashes all around us, ensuring that
even a yell can’t be heard unless you’re against someone’s ear, so
I don’t bother speaking. I simply push their bodies to the side as
I make my way to the centre where I’m needed.
    Every fucking
time I work here, I’m breaking up fights. We offer live music. We
offer decently priced alcohol. And that mix in the cramped space
that we have, often leads to a few hot and pissed off
party-goers.
    Most clubs
like ours would be shut down by now. But our security is fast and
we aren’t shy about banning troublemakers from the premises. The
wall in the office is full of pictures of them. It doesn’t stop
patrons coming though. Between security and me, the fights are
always over quickly and everyone can get back to having fun.
    “Move,” I
command, yelling next to the ear of some guy who’s blocking my
access to the fight. He doesn’t move, so I grip him by the back of
his shirt and pull him backward and out of my way. In the centre,
there’s a big Islander looking guy, standing over someone he’s
knocked to the floor. His arm pulls back, fist tight as his muscles
coil, ready to unleash their fury on the person who’s on the
receiving end of his wrath. I growl in anger. This is not going to
happen. Not in my club.
    Before he can
follow through, I grab a hold of his elbow, twisting his arm behind
his back as one of my other security members grabs the other person
to assess the damage.
    “She’s a
fucking dirty whore!” the guy hollers over the music, wriggling in
my grip as I escort him to the door through the parting sea of
people. It’s then