Page 13 of Snaring Emberly
“I’m not even a day out of prison and you’ve dragged me into your domestic dispute with a cop.”
She flinches, her gaze turning to the side. The sag of her shoulders tells me she feels bad about her rashness, or at least that’s what she wants me to think. After all, she’s the daughter of Frederic Capello, who was a duplicitous snake.
Stepping back, I wait for her next move because there has to be a catch. I can’t believe Emberly Kay has fallen so easily into my lap.
Experience has taught me to look a gift horse in the mouth and slice open its belly to check for Trojan soldiers. At the very least, I need to exercise caution. Abducting her kicking and screaming with her policeman ex-boyfriend nearby is begging for a trip back to prison.
So, I’ll play it cool and let the spawn of my enemy walk into my trap.
“Sorry,” she says with a sigh. “I just grabbed the nearest guy. If I’d known who it was, I wouldn’t have risked your parole.”
I don’t bother explaining to her I was exonerated. Instead, I lean against the wall and fold my arms. “He can’t have you arrested for rejecting his advances.”
She pauses, as though needing time to construct a reasonable lie. “I had a fight with a gallery owner who scammed me out of my paintings.” She glances over her shoulder toward the door. “Look, I’d better go.”
“And run straight into that cop and his reinforcements at the entrance?”
“What?” she asks, her voice shrill.
I flick my head toward the fire exit. “Use the back door. That way, you can avoid an ambush.”
She shuffles on her feet, her gaze darting from me to either side of the hallway. I can see traces of Capello mostly around the nose and cheekbones, and of course, the green eyes. The difference is that Emberly Kay pulls off those features better than Frederic or his psychopathic twin sons ever did.
“Alright.” She steps toward the exit. “Thanks for your help and sorry again for the kiss.”
“Sure.” I stroll after her at a distance, keeping my gaze off her slender waist, curvaceous ass, and long legs.
In a few seconds, Emberly Kay will step out into the alley running along the side of the club, and spot the patrol car containing the two officers on my payroll who texted earlier to give the heads up that a detective had just entered our club.
She won’t know they’re permanently stationed close to the building to make sure we have our own people on site to deal with problems off the record. Anticipation throbs between my ears in time with my excited pulse. I hold my breath as she opens the fire door and pokes her head out into the dark.
As predicted, Emberly doesn’t step out. I’m rewarded with the stiffening of her delicate shoulders before she darts back into the hallway and stares at me with wide eyes.
“Problems?” I ask.
“They’re outside,” she says, her voice breathy with alarm.
“What do you mean?” I close the distance between us and reach for the door.
“Don’t!” She grabs my bicep.
I glare down at her hand until she releases her grip.
“Sorry!” She steps back with her palms raised. “There’s a police car out there. Jim said they’d come to arrest me.”
“Jim?” I ask.
“My ex,” she says. “Is there another exit?”
“Only the front, where I expect Jim will be waiting with some officers.”
“Maybe I can wait them out.”
I laugh. “That strategy never worked for any criminal.”
She gulps, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. “Then I’m screwed.”
Rubbing my chin, I make a show of frowning, giving the impression I’m wrestling with a decision.