“Outside”—Staind
Oh my fucking God.
Mortification hit me. I’d met Niara at the Atlas after leaving my mother, as had become our routine. There hadn’t been any change in my mother’s condition, which was both good and bad. I was emotionally exhausted, pissed at my circumstances, and I decided to take this gorgeous man up on his cocky announcement at Niara’s goading. It would’ve been to let off some steam, and for a few stolen moments, forget the worries and burdens plaguing my every waking hour. It also would’ve handled a certain situation for me. Not that I truly believed that bullshit.
To have his friend barge in the bathroom and catch me ready to wrap my legs around his hips to let him fuck me in a men’s bathroom—in a bar, no less—was humiliating.
“Voodoo,” the man pressed against me began before he stepped back, “I can explain.”
“You’re Goddamn right you will,” the guy named Voodoo ground out.
My raging hormones began to simmer down, and what was said sank in.
Voodoo.
What were the freaking odds?
Slowly, my gaze left the man I’d been wrapped up in and found the intruder. What I saw confirmed my suspicions, and I practically choked on my own damn spit.
“Ogun,” I breathed the name out in disbelief. The momentary widening of his eyes was the only evidence that I’d caught him off guard, but I blinked, and a stoic mask dropped over his face.
“Well, that makes things a little simpler,” he drawled. “Is there somewhere we can go to talk?”
Though the intruder was likely my brother and the man my mother said would protect me, I didn’t really know him at all.
“Only if my friend is there too,” I bartered with a slight lift of my chin.
“Absolutely” was his immediate reply. “Phoenixwill join us as well.”
The name was damn near growled out between clenched teeth.
“Um, okay. Then we can go to my shop. It’s just down the road and closer than my home,” I said with a decisive nod and moved to open the door. Voodoo beat me to it and held it open. As I stepped into the hall, my face burned when I saw Niara waiting there, appearing nervous. Her arms were crossed with our purses draped over one forearm.
“You won’t need the dagger,” Voodoo said to her as the three of us left the bathroom.
That’s when I caught the glint of her jewel-handled blade hiding in her hand behind the purses. My eyes widened in surprise. She shrugged unapologetically.
“I saw him come in and head back this way. I didn’t know what to expect, so I was prepared,” Niara explained as she defiantly flipped her ponytail over her shoulder.
Voodoo obviously knew where my shop was, because he didn’t slow down as he made his way through the crowd and toward the front door. Niara and I followed, with Phoenix bringing up the rear. My spine burned from his gaze that I knew was zeroed in on me.
When we exited into the night air, we all continued down the block. The spring wind was blowing hard, causing my skirt to wrap around my legs. When hair blew in my face, I pushed it back as we stopped in front of my business.
“Call Raptor,” Voodoo said to Phoenix, who nodded and reached into his back pocket to grab his phone. The tight ticking of his jaw was the only indication of his irritation.
Niara already had her keys out, so she opened the door, and I followed her inside. Both men scanned up and down the street before they came in and shut the door. Phoenix turned the lock with a click that echoed through the silent space while he spoke softly into his phone. He gave one last peek through the closed blinds before snapping them back in place and looking at Voodoo.
“It appears clear.”
I snorted. “Nothing will get past the wards I have in place. We’ll talk back here,” I informed them as I led the way through the dark store to the back room.
Once we were all there, I closed the door and turned on the lights. Voodoo frowned and glanced around, knowing he hadn’t heard me flip a switch. I smirked but didn’t say a word. Who needed an Alexa when they were a bona fide witch?
Niara pulled the desk chair out of my office and rolled it up to the break room table. After motioning for the men to choose a seat, I grabbed a step stool and prepared to sit down. A firm hand curled around my upper arm that practically scorched me as Phoenix stopped me from taking the stool. He shook his head, guided me to one of the chairs, then sat on the stool himself. It creaked ominously when he dropped his considerable weight on it. I almost chuckled at the comical picture the large man made, perched on the small stool.
Both men glanced around my break room and paused on the other two doors.
“Where do those lead?” Voodoo asked.