The night passed smoothly as it always did when Devyn and I worked together. I adored working with Anthony, but there was just something about working with Devyn. We didn't split the bar the way Anthony and I did. We didn't need to. We were so in sync that it wasn't necessary. So when Brandon came up to me towards the end of the night, I gave him a kilowatt smile. "What can I get for you?" I asked, my voice coming out a little more chipper than I had intended.

He laughed and shook his head. "In a better mood, are we?"

"Significantly."

"Well, I don't want a drink. I was just sent to deliver a message."

"What's that?"

"Vince said he'll be waiting for you after your shift."

The glass I was pouring vodka into slipped through my fingers and clanked against the counter. "Shit," I muttered, turning to find my towel to wipe up the spill. "What?" I asked Brandon, wanting to make sure I had heard him right.

"Vince is waiting for you."

"Tell him to go home," I snapped, my earlier irritation returning in full force.

"Why don't you come on over and do it yourself?"

Glancing towards the corner booth where they normally sat, I saw Vincent along with Lucas, Arkin, and a few of the other men I had seen the very first night. I narrowed my eyes at him even though he wasn't looking in my direction. Refocusing on Brandon, I shoved my bangs out of my eyes. "I don't have time for this right now. Tell him Dante is giving me a ride."

"Will do." He saluted me and headed back towards the rest of them. Biting my lip, I decided not to dwell on the smug smirk that had crossed his face before he left.

The rest of the night went just as smoothly as the first half. Devyn and I were both sitting on the counter after close. Dante was glaring at us from the back, but we were both pretending we couldn't feel the holes he was burning into the side of our heads. Continuing my counting, I was happy when I finally broke three hundred dollars. Tuesday nights were always slow, and we didn't get nearly as much traffic as we normally did. For being a relatively small club, we really only had two slow nights a week. Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Three twenty-two, twenty-seven," I told her when I had laid the last dollar on the pile. Shoving it at her, I let her start her job of splitting the tips.

"You still rolling your change?" she asked me. I nodded. "Then here." And she pushed the quarter and two pennies over to me. "Keep that."

Laughing, I took them and jammed them into my pocket. Once she had finished splitting the tips, I took my half and headed towards the back. When I made it to my purse, Dante came up to me. He flicked my forehead. "Stay off the bar."

"Ow," I grumbled, lightly rubbing the spot of his assault. "Rude."

"Shut up."

"Why is everyone telling me to shut up today?" I muttered, hiking my bag up onto my shoulder. I punched in my number to clock out and headed for the door.

"Jules, hold up!" Dante called. "I'll drive you home."

"I can walk, I'm ready to go," I told him as I pulled the back door open. "Just take Devyn home." He didn't even get a chance to give me a reply before I was out the door.

When I faced the parking lot, I froze in place. Vincent was leaning against the side of the SUV, a small smile playing with the edges of his lips. My eyes narrowed. Deciding to ignore him, I hugged the side of the building as I headed towards the sidewalk. Hearing sound of pursuit, I pushed my legs harder. I'd be damned if I let him give me another ride home. If it happened enough times I would be indebted to him. Owing anything to Vincent Monroe was not high on my list of priorities.

However, I should have known that he was not someone who could easily be ignored.

My back collided with the side of the building as I was pushed against it. It should have hurt, but Vincent was surprisingly gentle. "Where do you think you're going, princess?" he asked, forcing me to meet his eyes.

"Home."

"You're not walking."

"You're not taking me."

"I thought Dante was supposed to be giving you a ride. Guess it's a good thing I stuck around."

"Vince," I groaned, slumping against the wall. "Would you leave it alone?"

"No, c'mon." His voice broached no argument. He took my arm in a firm grip and steered me back to the SUV.

Relenting, I allowed him to hoist me up into the passenger seat after he had opened the door for me. Sighing, I settled into the now familiar leather seat. Vincent got into the driver's seat and cranked the engine over. We didn't speak as he drove. The only sound in the car was the soft notes of a piano. He seemed to like it. Sighing, I allowed my eyes to flutter closed as the car continued to move.

It took me a while to figure out that I had been in the car way longer than I should have. Peaking one eye open, I noticed that we were on the opposite side of the city. We were close to the gang's warehouse. Straightening in my seat, I turned to Vincent. He ignored me. I let the silence continue for another few minutes before I spoke. "Vinnie?"

"Hmm?"

"Weren't you supposed to be taking me home?"

"I said I would," he responded, his head slightly nodding. "But I have to swing by the warehouse first. I've got some business to attend to after I drop you off."

"It's three o'clock in the morning."

"And?"

"And it's three o'clock in the morning. What could you possibly doing at this hour?"

"Illegal things."

Well, duh, Jules, I thought, resisting the urge to smack myself. Before I could open my mouth again, Vincent maneuvered the SUV into a parking spot outside the warehouse I had been to the first time I had met him. Had it only been a few days prior? It felt like so long ago now. Vincent got out of the car, and I followed suit. There was no way I was just going to sit in the car. Not around here.

Vincent held the door open for me and I had to shield my eyes from the lights. Since I wasn't a prisoner this time, I took the opportunity to survey the room. It was fairly large, but one side had clearly been converted into a lounge area. There were two couches and a few chairs arranged in a semi-circle facing a large TV. The coffee table was littered with cards, cigarette packs, ashtrays, and the like. My gaze travelled to the staircase at the far end of the room that I was guessing lead to the apartments over our heads.

"You coming, princess?" Vincent called.

It was then that I realized he had never stopped walking. He was already at the door to his office, standing in the threshold. He fixed me with a steady gaze, and when I failed to answer he raised his eyebrows at me and cocked his head to the side.

"You look a little lost, Jules," a voice said from behind me.

I yelped. When I spun around, I met Arkin's shimmering blue eyes. Before I could even think about what I was doing, I hauled my arm back and punched him in the shoulder. "You asshole!" I hissed.

"Ouch," he said, rubbing the spot. "That hurt."

"Good!"

"Juliette."

"Oh, shut up already!" I snapped, whirling back to face Vincent before stomping towards him. "I'm coming." Snickers erupted from around me, and I finally took the time to realize that we weren't alone in the warehouse. A few men were scattered around. They all seemed to be amused by my outburst. Wincing, I glanced back at Vincent. Just as I suspected, he wasn't so amused. The color drained from my face as I came to a stop in front of him. A muscle along his jaw was twitching.

"Inside," he ordered, that dark authority coating his voice. I nodded and moved past him.

When he closed the door, I felt the temperature in the room drop. "I'm guessing 'I'm sorry' would be pointless, huh?" I asked, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Just a little," he bit out.

Oooooh, Vinnie's mad, I thought. Shaking my head, I tried to rid myself of my obnoxious thoughts. If there was ever a time for me to filter what I said to him, it was then. Biting my lip, I looked anywhere but at him. A deep sigh reached my ears before I heard him begin to move. Taking my chances, I peeked in his direction. He was rooting around in his desk. His furrowed brow cast a heavy shadow over his cheekbones, making him look even more intimidating than usual. He finally straightened when he had a few papers in one hand, and a gun in his other.

"Are you really going to need the gun?" I asked, cursing myself because my voice came out so soft and small.

"Hopefully not," he replied. His eyes raised to meet mine and that ghost of a smile passed over his mouth. "Don't worry about me, princess. I'll be fine."

"I'm not worried."

"Sure."

"I'm not!"

The smug look on his face made me want to smack him. He tucked the gun into the waistband of his jeans at his back, and placed the papers in a pocket on the inside of his jacket. He made his way over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. I couldn't look away from his eyes even if I had wanted to.

"Try not to undermine me in front of my men anymore, okay?" he asked, his voice soft, yet filled with a promise of consequence if I didn't do as I was told.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, breaking eye contact. "I'm just –"

"Exhausted and irritable? I noticed." He pulled away from me before heading towards the door. He opened it and motioned for me to go ahead of him. "Let's get you home."

Nodding, I headed out into the main part of the warehouse. Curious stares met me as I emerged, and I wanted to stick my tongue out at all of them. Once Vincent was standing by my side, however, everyone found something else to be interested in. Except for Arkin. He made his way over to us with a smile on his face.

"You okay, Jules?" he asked, worry crossing his brow.

"I'm fine," I replied, giving him a thumbs-up. "Just ready for this day to be over."

"Let's go," Vincent said, taking my bicep in his strong grip as he steered me towards the exit. I waved goodbye to Arkin and then followed Vincent without any fuss. I was tired and my bed was calling my name. As long as Vincent actually took me home this time, I would go without complaint. When we stepped out into the night air, I took in a deep breath. Vincent didn't take the time to stop. We kept moving. When we made it to the SUV, he once again helped to hoist me into the passenger seat.

When he rounded to the driver's side, I didn't spare him a glance. A sigh fell out of my mouth as I rested my forehead against the glass. I was so tired.

"Dexter's gonna be so mad at me," I mumbled, letting my eyes flutter closed.

"Why is that?"

"There's no way I'm going to be able to walk him tonight," I replied just as a yawn broke free.

We fell silent after that. It didn't take me long to be lulled to sleep by the warmth of the heater and the soft hum of the engine.

* * * * *

"Princess, we're here. I need your keys."

"What?" I groaned, lifting my hand to rub sleep from my eyes.

It was then that I realized my feet weren't on the ground.

"Vinnie, why are you carrying me?"

"You were asleep," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing. "Can I get in your purse for your keys?"

"Sure."

My eyes fluttered again as I felt him shift me around. He did it as if I weighed nothing. Before too long I heard my keys jingling. My door swung open and he stepped through, kicking it shut behind him. Vincent had only been in my apartment once, but he maneuvered through it like he had it memorized. Dexter, the little traitor, didn't even growl at Vincent as he walked past him. He opened the door to my bedroom and made his way over to the bed.

"No," I protested as he laid me down. "Dexter –"

"Shhh, princess," he murmured, cutting me off. "I got him."

I blinked up at him. One of his rare full-smiles graced his lips as he gently pushed against my shoulder, easing me back down onto the bed. His hands trailed down my body, barely touching me as they grazed over my hose-clad legs. His eyes stayed locked on mine, and in my sleep-induced haze, my breath hitched in my throat. His smile turned teasing as he pulled my heels off for me. Then, as I continued to watch him from beneath tired eyes, he eased my legs under the covers before pulling the duvet up to my chin. His eyes flicked over my face.

"What're you doing Vinnie?" I questioned around a yawn.

"Get some sleep, princess. I'll take Dexter out."

He didn't need to say much more. After that, the warmth the covers created pulled me under.

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