Page 20 of Ravaged By a Devil

She thinks she's quick, but nothing escapes me.

I reach out, my index finger sliding out the exact photograph her eyes lingered on. I tap the face of the scarred man in the picture and lean over the table, trapping her under my dark gaze.

"You know this one," I say softly, the hair on my arms standing up. "Who is he, Alexis?"

She shrugs, trying to play it cool, but the slight tremor in her hands gives her away. "I don't know him personally. I've just seen him around Nolan several times at the club."

She leans back against the booth and folds her arms tightly across her chest, her mouth snapping shut like a vault. She’s refusing to yield another single detail.

I don't press her. I slide the surveillance photos off the table, tuck them back into my inner jacket pocket, and keep my eyes locked on her while saying absolutely nothing else.

A moment later, Sophia returns with a tray loaded with hot food. She sets down the eggs, bacon, toast, and tea, chatting idly before leaving us to eat.

We clear our plates in suffocating silence—her picking at her fruit, me downing my coffee.

When we finish, I drop a thick stack of cash onto the table—far more than the bill—leaving Sophia a tip that makes her eyes go wide.

"Oh, Cain, you're too good to me," Sophia beams, clearing the empty dishes with a bright smile. "Don't be a stranger, handsome. Make sure you don't stay away so long next time."

"I won't stay away long, Soph," I promise, giving her a brief nod.

We step out of the quiet diner, the cool morning air hitting us instantly. Alexis stops dead in her tracks on the pavement, wrapping her arms around her waist as she looks down the street.

"I'll walk home from here," she states, her voice stiff and defiant.

I turn around, stepping into her space until my shadow completely engulfs her.

"Get in the car, Alexis," I say, my voice dropping into a low, uncompromising growl. "Or I'll carry you."

Alexis glares at me, her brown eyes flashing with pure fire, before she spins on her heel and storms straight to the passenger side. She yanks the door open and slams it shut hard enough to shake the frame.

I slide behind the wheel, crank the engine, and pull out of the lot.

"My house is the other way, Cain," she says, her voice tight as she watches the streets blur past.

Fuck. Maybe I shouldn't have given her my name. Hearing it roll off her tongue, laced with that sharp, defiant edge, hits me straight in the chest. I like the way she says it way too damn much.

"I'm not taking you home yet," I say, keeping my eyes fixed on the road ahead.

She snaps her head toward me. "Why? Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Alexis scoffs, leaning back and rubbing her temples. "I need to get home soon. I have to check on my grandmother."

I glance over at her, softening my voice just a fraction without losing its weight. "I promise I'll take you home soon. And you'll be safe."

Our eyes lock for a lingering, charged second, her guard slipping just enough for me to see the raw exhaustion beneath her anger. Then she swallows hard and looks away, staring out the passenger window.

Ten minutes later, I kill the engine, gliding the car to a stop under the shadow of a brick alleyway across the street from a high-end lounge.

Alexis leans forward, squinting through the windshield. "Where are we? What is this place?"

"It's a Devlin-owned club," I tell her, shifting in my seat to face her. "Nolan is arriving here shortly. I need you to look at the men walking through those doors with him and tell me who you've seen surrounding him at The Blackwood."

Her eyes go wide, panic instant and sharp. "I'm not going inside that club, Cain."

"I'm not asking you to," I reassure her, pointing to the dark glass. "You don't even have to step foot out of this car. The windows are heavily tinted—they can't see a damn thing inside."