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MAY CONTAIN ERRORS AND TYPOS

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Prologue

 

Detective Sofia Selinofoto was not having a good day.

When she came in for her shift this morning in New York’s Midtown precinct, the first piece of news she got was that the suspect she’d been keeping tabs on skipped town. Then at around lunch time, the DNA results from a murder case she had been working on for six weeks had come back inconclusive. Finally, at around mid-afternoon, the lawyer of the witness in a robbery case called her and said his client had changed his mind about testifying. Months of work down the fucking drain.

They said that bad luck often came in threes, and she really was hoping that fate was done screwing her over because she’d already reached her quota.

It didn’t need repeating that she was not having a good day. But, by the look on her captain’s face as he approached her, it wasn’t going to get better.

“Selinofoto.” Steve Bushnell’s voice was low and gravely, containing all the brusqueness one would expect from a police captain. A former Marine, Bushnell had a reputation as a hard-ass, but he also ran a tight ship.

“Sir,” she greeted, putting away a folder into her file cabinet.

“Are you headed home?”

The clock on her desk said it was already 9 p.m. “Yes sir.” She studied the look on his face, noting the flash of irritation in his clear blue eyes. Not at her, she could tell, but by what he was about to ask her. She liked the captain and that he didn’t tolerate bullshit or the other shit people around her had put her through after the incident. “What can I do for you, Captain?”

“There’s been a disturbance in Midtown at some club. I need you to go check it out.”

“I’m almost ready to clock out.” Then, glancing around her, she realized there were no other detectives around her. She could have sworn that Rodriguez and James were right behind her just minutes ago. Their shift went until midnight, while hers should have been done three hours ago. Of course. Someone at dispatch probably warned them about the call and they conveniently disappeared. Assholes. But, she was used to it, after all these months.

“I really do hate to put you out, but I’m out of options.”

She let out a long, inner sigh. If she wasn’t loyal to this man who had protected her and made sure she was still doing what she loved, she would have told him tough shit and to find someone else. “A disturbance at a club, huh?”

“Yeah. Probably just some kids who couldn’t take their liquor.” Anyone under 40 was a “kid” to Bushnell. “Just take some statements and check it out.” He handed her a slip of paper.

Reading it, she let out a loud, “Hmmm.” She placed the paper in her pocket and then picked up her jacket. “All right, I’ll head there. Want me to come back and file the report right away?”

“Do it tomorrow. Head home right after.”

“Will do.” She inclined her head at him and then grabbed her bag. The address the captain had given her wasn’t too far and it only took her ten minutes to drive to the place. There was already one black and white parked outside. She pulled up next to it and exited the door, then checked to make sure she was at the right place.

The sign outside the sleek black door said “Blood Moon”. A strange sensation ran down the line of her back. There was something about this place … had it always been there? She’d been working in Midtown for years, since she got out of the academy. Two years as a beat cop and then five as a detective. She must have driven down this streets at least once a week, yet she never noticed the club nor recall if she’d ever even seen it until tonight. Maybe it was new or they had renamed it, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what stood here before.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she strolled up to the front door. There was no line of people waiting to get in, yet two burly bouncers guarded it, blocking her way. When she came closer, one of them took a step toward her.

“Easy there boys.” She flashed her detective’s badge. The two men looked at each other, looking unsure. She flashed them a freezing look, not really in the mood to tolerate any chauvinistic bullshit right now. The one man backed away and even gestured to open the door for him, but she beat him to it, pushing the heavy onyx barrier with both hands and then stepped inside the club.

Most people underestimated her of her size and the fact that she was a woman. In fact, during her first day at the academy,  a group of recruits thought they could intimidate her because she had a petite stature, as well as a vagina. When she knocked their ringleader on his ass during self-defense drills, they quickly learned that Sofia Selinofoto was not someone you messed around with.

The inside of the club was much larger than it looked like from the outside. It seemed like a typical club, with a large dance floor in the middle, two bars, a DJ booth and stage, plus several VIP booths scattered around. All the lights were on and it was practically empty, but she could tell that this place was probably packed all the time. Glancing around, she saw the two uniformed officers in the corner, talking to a third man.

“Excuse me.” The uniformed officer turned around. “Well, hello, Detective.” His voice was pure disdain.

Great. Just who she needed. Gabriel Martinez. “Officer.” She gave him a nod, keeping her face as neutral as she could. There was no way she was going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her annoyed. “I’m Detective Sofia Selinofoto.” She held up a badge. “And you are?”

“Zac Vrost.” The handsome, blond man offered her a hand. “I’m one of the partners here.”

She eyed his hand, her gaze going up his arm and then crashing into eyes blue eyes. There was something about them that she just couldn’t place, but her gut was telling her something about Zac Vrost wasn’t as it seemed. “So, can you tell me what happened?”

He dropped his hand smoothly, unperturbed by her brusqueness. “I’ve already given my statement to the officer.”

She flashed him the same as she gave the bouncers. “Then you can give it to me again.”

Zac Vrost didn’t seem the least bit intimidated and his own gaze intensified. He seemed to have a quick inner battle with himself, then began to speak. “Fine. I was inside The Lounge when—shit!”

“Shit?” Was this guy kidding?

Panic flashed for a split-second on Vrost’s face. “That’s not, I mean—excuse me.”

When he sidestepped her like she wasn’t even there, her blood began to boil. Seriously? She could take this shit from fellow police officers, but she was not going let a civilian get away with disrespecting her like that. She marched after him, her mind already filled with the things she wanted to say to him, when she suddenly stopped.

Zac Vrost’s back was turned to her, his arm supporting someone who seemed to have trouble staying on his feet. A half-naked someone, dressed only in dark slacks.

“Zac,” the man grumbled. “I—”

Sofia froze, feeling her heart thud against her ribcage like a jackhammer. A searing gaze bore into her, making her breath catch. Heat waves seemed to emanate from those strange eyes. Beautiful eyes, actually—one green and one blue—so dilated that the pupils were mere pinpoints. The force of his stare made her stagger back. “Who are—”

“Mr. Vrost.” She broke the gaze, snapping out of the trance those eerie eyes cast on her. “What’s going on?” There was a door behind him, and from the quick peek she got, it looked like a whole other room. Was there a secret club inside this club? What was going on in there? And why was that man half naked? It took all her strength, but she avoided looking down at his muscled chest.

Vrost mumbled something and then kicked his foot forward to shut the door. “Nothing, Detective,” he said as he swung around to face her. “Just a private party.”

“You’re still having a party in there? After what happened?” she asked.

“Well, business is business. You know how cutthroat rent is in Manhattan. I can’t afford to shut down.”

True. It wasn’t like it was a serious incident, probably just a couple of guys shoving each other. But something about this whole thing wasn’t right. Unable to help herself, her gaze slid back to the half-naked man. Vrost had propped him up, facing away from her. Oh dear Lord, the man was sexy from behind too. That sinewy back was bunching with muscles, and all that tanned golden skin begged for a licking. Get a fucking grip, Selinofoto.  “What’s wrong with him?”

“Just a little too much to drink. It’s his, er, bachelor party,” he said. “You know how it is. Last days of freedom.”

For some reason, her chest tightened and her stomach fell. She told herself it wasn’t because of the knowledge that he was taken. Still, it was like having a bucket of ice poured all over her. “Well, then, why don’t you send the groom back to the party and come and make your statement.”

“No,” the man slurred. “You—”

“Will do, Detective.” Vrost gripped his friend tighter. “Come along now, all your friends are waiting.” He grabbed the door, opened in, then stepped inside.

She lunged forward, trying to catch the door before it closed but it was too late. It was one of those secret doors, built into the wall so no one could see it and had no latch or handle. “What the fuck?” Did everyone here think they were above the law? How dare he just walk away from her? There was definitely something going on around her, and she didn’t like it. Vrost was definitely hiding something. 

She waited there, hating that she probably looked like an idiot. Martinez and his partner were probably snickering at her, but she didn’t dare give them the satisfaction of knowing she was frustrated or that Vrost had just ignored her.

When the door budged open, her body went tense, ready to tear Vrost a new asshole. But, to her surprise, someone else walked out of the secret entrance—a tall, older man. Tall was an understatement; he was probably half a foot over six feet and broad shoulders like mountain. He also had long blond hair tied back in a ponytail, and his loose shirt and dark pants made him look like a pirate. Or a viking. When those sea-green eyes turned on her, she found herself drawing back into a defensive stance.

“Are you Detective Selinofoto?” he asked. There was a hint of accent in his voice. She was usually good with figuring out where people came from based on their accents, but for the life of her, she couldn’t tell with him.

“Yes.” She made her irritation obvious in her voice. “Who are you?”

“My name is Daric Jonasson. I’m also a partner in this club,” he said. “Zac wanted me to take care of you.”

“Did he?” Her thoughts drew back to the other man. The groom.

“Yes, I believe I can answer all your questions. Follow me, please.”

“Hold on,” she said, moving away from him. “Where are you—”

He took a step toward her. Not anticipating such a bold move, she didn’t have time to dodge him and he caught her wrist, then placed his other hand in his pocket. Was he taking out a weapon?

“What the fuck! Let go or I’ll have you arrested for assaulting a police officer!”

The man’s eyes flashed surprise for a moment then took a step back. He held his hands up in surrender. “I mean you know harm, detective. I just wanted to stop you from tripping and hurting yourself.”

“Tripping? On what?”

“On that.” He nodded toward the floor.

She followed his gaze and noticed the empty bottle of champagne by her foot. “That wasn’t there a second ago.”

“Perhaps you just didn’t notice it roll towards you.”

“Maybe.” There was definitely something going on here. “We don’t have to go anywhere, Mr. Jonasson. I can take your statement right here.”

“All right, Detective. Whatever you want.” He cocked his head at her, the expression on his face curious. “But first, may I see your badge?”

“Fine.” She held it up. “Satisfied.”

“Sofia Selinofoto.” The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Wisdom and moonlight in Greek.”

“My family is Greek,” she found herself saying, then shook her head. Why the hell was she revealing personal information to a stranger? She shrugged. “Mr. Jonasson, just tell me where you were during the incident and what you witnessed.”

“There really is no need, Detective. We don’t plan on pressing charges. The disturbance happened on private property, not out on the street. Besides, the people who caused the trouble are long gone.”

“But you have cameras all over the place, right?”

“Yes, but it would be a waste of resources and time—ours and your department—to track them down for a little scuffle that really hurt no one but themselves,” he pointed out.

She didn’t like any of this. Not the way his reasoning made sense or the way he looked at her. Like he knew everything about her with one look. But, she couldn’t do anything else, not unless she found evidence that there was something illegal going on. “You’re right.” Unfortunately. She took our her card and handed it to him. “But, if you do change your mind—”

“I know where to find you,” he finished, taking her card.

With a nod, she pivoted on her heel and walked toward the exit. She ignored Martinez’s disdainful glance, despite the fact that she could feel it burning a hole in her back. Pushing at the door, she walked out into the sidewalk.

It was one of those cold winter nights, so it wasn’t surprising that she was shivering. But, the cold air felt amazing on her face, and she didn’t even realize that her cheeks were warm.

Despite Jonasson’s reassurances, her gut was screaming at her. It was telling her something was not right at Blood Moon. Everything about the whole thing was strange.

And then the image of mismatched eyes popped into her mind. That man. He was attractive for sure. No, attractive wasn’t the right word. Magnetic.

And so very taken. It was his stag party, after all and it looked like he was trying to make the most of his last nights of freedom, judging by how drunk he was. Did they also have strippers in there? Again, that strange tightening in her chest came back, but she pushed it away.

A quick glance at her watch told her that it was past 10:30 in the evening. She’d been working for over fourteen hours and now fatigue was creeping into her body. Really, she should go home and crash. Vrost and Jonasson were doing her a favor by not adding to her caseload. This was one gift horse she shouldn’t be looking in the mouth. With everything else going on, she should just walk away from Blood Moon and never come back.

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