Chapter 64

Chapter 64
We’re supposed to meet Lily at a small Japanese restaurant situated only blocks from our hotel, but I feel completely awful about lying to Ken about this evening.

“I’ll make up a business monetary meeting with me,” Jhon assured me when we met at the gym this morning. “I’ll say you and Susy are out touring and that Anthony will pick you up after dinner so that Ken can go through his monthly finances with me.”

I nod in satisfaction, but I confess that I’m still not thrilled about it. At all. I’m queasy and nervous in the afternoon, but even then, I allow a deep, secret part of me to enjoy the way Ken watches me from the boxing ring as I wave at him from the gym door and signal to Susy—who stands next to me in all her glory in a mini skirt and spaghetti strap top—while I mouth to Ken, “Going out with Susy.”

He yanks off his sparring headgear to shoot me a smile and a quick nod, his eyes shining like they do when he spots me, and only Susy’s hand on my elbow seems to keep me from leaping up to the ring and kissing each of his devastatingly beautiful dimples.

Upstairs, I dress sensibly and comfortably in a button blouse and formal black slacks.

“I still don’t understand why you don’t want Ken to know about this,” Susy says as Anthony drives us to the restaurant.

“Because Ken’s got some alpha tendencies.”

“Which is sexy, last I checked.”

“Susy, this isn’t a movie. I don’t want him to be unable to concentrate or get in trouble because of me.”

Susy huffs. “You take away all the romance of your relationship, Chelsea.”

I groan, and then bang my forehead on the window in total exasperation. “Susy, I feel bad as it is. Please. People who do what he does for a living are considered lethal weapons. They can’t legally fight out of the ring, do you understand?”

“Yes. Although why a man can’t fight with his fists in the street while others run around legally with guns is beyond me. I really should complain to the senator.”

“All right, ladies, if we leave the letter to Congress until later, here we are.”

Susy glares at Anthony as he opens the back door, and he glares back as she passes. I have no idea what is up with them. Susy is usually sweet to everyone, and Anthony is usually easy breezy. But all righty then.

“Thanks, Anthony, I’ll be right back,” I tell him.

“The hell you will, I’m coming with you.”

“We don’t need you to,” Susy says, shooting him a superior look with the tip of her nose high in the air. “Chelsea and I have done excellently for twenty-four years without your assistance.”

“I’m doing it for Ken, not for you,” Anthony stiffly says.

Thankfully, they stop bickering when we enter the restaurant.

I soak up the quiet atmosphere with one sweep of my gaze, taking in the peeling green painted walls which hold an assortment of framed pictures of raw fish plates, and then my eyes slide along dozens of black wooden tables to notice that all of them are empty except one.

To my astonishment, the only people here, aside from the three of us who stand by the door, are a concerned-looking Japanese man doing nothing but watching us from behind the sushi bar, Lily, who sits stiffly at a small round table at the far corner, three tall, beefy men which I recognize as the same goonies I had the pleasure of bashing their skulls in back in the club, and, of course, the big mean Scorpion who now strides toward us like he’s the goddamned host of the evening.

I don’t know if he plucked some strings among the restaurant managers, or if he vacated the premises by intimidation, or Benjamin Franklins, but then who in their right mind would want to have dinner with dudes like these?

Well. Apparently my sister.

Lily was always the romantic one of us, always wanting to “rescue” some cat, dog, rat, or guy. I never bought the romance stew she seemed so intent in tasting, until I met Ken, of course.

I’ll drink anything that guy feeds me, I won’t deny that.

Now I see Scorpion come forward in his big, bulky muscled body and I feel an instant moment’s regret that Ken doesn’t know I’m here.

A kernel of fear blooms deep inside my center.

Fear not only of these men, but of what Ken would do if he finds out I was ever here with them. This is so new to me, being in a relationship. I just don’t know what he would do for me. But I know that I would do anything for him. Including making sure that he remains oblivious of my meeting with Lily.

I just hope that I won’t regret dragging Jhon and Anthony into this too.

My breathing hitches nervously when Scorpion halts a foot away from us, and his eyes are green and mean. That, coupled with the fish smell coming from the bar, makes me a little nauseous. The black tattoo is all you see on his sickening face. I don’t see why anyone would want that animal on skin. It’s a 3D tattoo and the scorpion appears to be crawling up into his eye.

“Well, if it isn’t the little whore.” He flings the words like stones at me, then glances derisively past my shoulder. “Where’s Reptile? Hiding under your skirt again?”

Impotent anger rages through me, making my throat curl tightly around my words. “He had better things to do.”

He narrowly eyes me, then Susy and Anthony. “Only you,” he says, jabbing a finger in the air in my direction, “can pass.”