The cop was Bax’s half brother, Titus King. He had played a big part in helping take Novak down, and was now a constant pain in my ass. I liked Titus. He was a good man, a dedicated cop, but if he really knew what I was into, the kinds of things Bax and I had working on the side, he would flip his shit and have no qualms about shutting my operation down cold. He was always watching us with an eagle eye, and I think he knew more than he let on, but Nassir was a ruthless bastard, and if Titus did indeed get too close, I didn’t doubt he would try and take him out of the game.

I didn’t have anything else to say to him and my patience at having to deal with the slick bastard had reached its limits. I wasn’t playing at anything. I knew how serious this shit I was deep into was, and treated it as such. I just didn’t have any intention of turning into a Novak while doing it.

As I rounded the corner I almost slammed into Honor. Her real name was Keelyn Foster and she was probably the most beautiful girl in the entire world. Granted, she paid a lot of money to keep that appearance up, but in the dark, there was no difference between man-made and heaven-sent in my book. She had on a silky black robe, her long, auburn hair was a tangled mess, and her heavy makeup was smeared all over her face. Even in the dim light of the strip club, I could see the nasty split in her bottom lip and the bruise flowering across her high and elegant cheekbone.

I let out a whistle. “Are you all right?”

She winced a little and lifted her fingers to her cheek. “Been better. Did Nassir bring that idiot back here?”

I nodded and warned, “If Nassir gets a good look at your face, that idiot is leaving the club in a body bag.”

“Good. Asshole deserves it. No touching means no touching. He’s lucky I didn’t castrate him with one of my heels.”

It was impossible to live this life and not develop that edge. Beautiful girls shouldn’t have to live this hard. It was a shame.

“He had Chuck work him over pretty good, but I’m serious about him killing the guy if he catches sight of the damage. I think the devil has a soft spot for you.”

She rolled her dark gray eyes at me and crossed her arms over her silk-covered breasts. I was very familiar with her naked body, knew she made the money she did for a reason, but there was a hardness about her now that hadn’t been there when I left five years ago.

“Nassir is like a wild animal that escaped from the zoo. He’s amazing to look at, fascinating to watch, but I would prefer that bars and glass separated us. There is nothing soft about that man.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t like him having control of the club?”

She blinked obscenely long lashes at me and her perfectly bowed mouth crooked up in a half grin. Only Honor could look that good with a split open lip.

“Ernie was a slob and easy to manipulate. He liked to pretend he was in charge, but we really ran the show. Back in the day this was a fun job that the girls could do hungover and with zero effort. Flash some tit and the tentpole rises. Nassir is all business, and now the dancers have to work for every dollar. There is no playing around, and with Novak gone, every Tom, Dick, and Harry is grappling to prove they’re the next badass. Things are more dangerous, more desperate. Everyone is trying to carve out their own piece of the city, and it shows.” She gestured at her battered face. “Case in point.”

I hated what she said, but it was true. “Why don’t you quit? Go find something less in the line of fire to do?”

She reached out a hand and tapped my cheek lightly. “You always were too pretty and too smart for your own good, Race.” She flipped her hair out to the side. “What do you think I’m qualified to do? I’ve taken my clothes off for a living since I was seventeen. I didn’t finish high school. I don’t have rich parents waiting in the wings. Where else can I make a grand a night and the only risk is an overly zealous soccer dad? This is what I know.”

I was a firm believer in the principle that knowledge was something that continued to grow, continued to develop, as long as you had the desire to chase after it. For me there was always more to know, but I couldn’t fault her for doing what she felt like she had to do in order to survive. I bent down so I could kiss her bruised cheek.

“Take care of yourself.”

She returned the kiss on my dimple. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re back. I just hope you know what you’re doing getting into business with a shark like Nassir.”

“Me too, but it usually only takes one mistake for me to learn my lesson.”