Chapter 20

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I stood in the kitchen at five to six. Neither I or Elina had any clue what Damian would consider a date. We agreed I could use heels, just not super tall ones, so I went for the same comfy pair I wore to the natural wedding the previous weekend. They paired well with the new outfit we'd gotten me; a black spaghetti strap top with the deepest neckline I'd ever worn—Elina's encouraging words when I tried it on made me feel so confident I had to get it—and a pair of light, distressed jeans that clung to my legs all the way down to my ankles.

I felt like a million dollars as Damian stepped into the kitchen and looked at me. He had a shirt on, a black one that matched his half-styled-half-messy hair, with the sleeves rolled up. He looked like he'd come out of some crazy fan art of the devil himself, and when his smirk appeared it only confirmed my suspicion.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said, stepping closer to me. "You look gorgeous." His hand went up, his fingers slowly and carefully caressed my ponytail and twirled his hand around the curled ends, tugging lightly on it, making my face tilt up to meet his gaze. "I can like this."

I struggled to not bite my gloss-covered lower lip, but I managed to avoid it. He let go of my hair and held his hand out for me, putting his other arm behind his back—mimicking a gentleman in a tiny bow. Only I knew he was far from it. Still, I took his hand and said, "You look handsome tonight."

He only smiled and tugged me with him when he took a few steps backwards. Then he turned around and led me through the hallway where I knew Elina was peeking at the top of the stairs, and to the front door. "Don't wait up, Mrs. Davis." His voice was cold again as he said it, without even turning towards where Elina was hiding.

"Wasn't planning on it!" she shouted back, not even bothering to pretend she wasn't there.

Outside, Damian's car was waiting. The memory of the last time I was in it made my stomach flutter and my cheeks heat, as if my body anticipated a repeat—but this date couldn't be just us, making out in his car.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he opened the passenger door for me.

"To see if you want to dive into my world or not," he replied.

It was a fair enough answer, so I didn't dig any further. I chose to trust him, whatever he may have planned during the day. My original plan was to go out for a meal, maybe some drinks and talk, to get to know each other, but I had a feeling he wanted to do something different. Something I'd never have considered a date before.

I was already enjoying the evening, but it wasn't the usual excitement and nervousness that I had before a date. No, it was so much more. This was full of real danger. This man was full of real danger. And I was walking willingly into it all.

Recognizing the way we were going, I turned to him, only to see him start to grin. He knew I knew, and he kept going. "To see if you want to dive into my world or not," he'd said, and I was only then starting to realize what he'd meant. This wasn't going to be a romantic evening with bonding over drinks, or touching his legs under the table—and I was starting to regret this decision.

It was already dark out, thanks to the changing seasons, and yet the bar was still empty, with no lights on. The thought crossed my mind that it wasn't a bar at all—it was probably just a way to hide what was really going on down in the basement. Was it legal? It had to be...gunshots could be heard far away, so there had to have been some kind of deal between the Stracs and the law enforcement.

Downstairs it was empty as well, and Damian switched the lights on before going straight for the gun locker. "Pick a booth," he told me as the locker opened, and he started to grab some equipment.

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