Runner: A dark enemies to lovers gang romance (Sapphire Duet Book 1)
Runner: Chapter 1

TWO YEARS LATER

“Happy twenty-ninth, man.” Kade slapped me on the back, making me spill my shot. I laughed, motioning for the bartender to get me another one.

“It’s too bad we have business tonight.” I downed the shot, enjoying the small buzz. “The club is on another level.”

“The meeting shouldn’t take too long,” he replied, glancing at his watch. “We’ll be done with plenty of time to still enjoy the night.”

I nodded, swiveling on the barstool to face the dance floor. We owned the club and spent the weekend nights here if we weren’t working. It had been a while since we’d had a free night. Black lights shone down on the crowd of people dancing. The music was so loud it was nearly deafening, but no one in here cared.

Kade ran a hand through his short brown hair as he turned to chat with a girl who had walked up to us. She traced the tattoos that covered his lower neck while giggling at whatever he’d just said. My gaze drifted to the dance floor, and almost immediately stopped on a girl in the middle.

Her back was turned to me as she danced like no one was watching. And fuck, she could move. Even with how dark the club was, I could see every curve under her tight outfit. A short black skirt hugged her ass, and a shimmery crop top revealed her bare back. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail and whipped around as she moved. It didn’t look like she was dancing with anyone as she moved to the beat of the song.

“Go.” Kade nudged me. “We have time before the meeting.”

I didn’t need to be told twice and hopped off the barstool before making my way to the dance floor. Once people recognized me, they gave me space, making it easy to move behind her. Grasping her hips, I pulled her back until her spine hit my chest. She tensed as I dropped my head until my lips brushed her ear.

“My friend got me a new car for my birthday,” I murmured, inhaling her addictive scent. “But I think a dance with you might top that.”

She giggled. “Well, I wouldn’t want to disappoint you on your birthday.”

I could barely hear her over the music, but that didn’t matter. I didn’t come over here to talk anyway. The song changed, and she pressed herself against me, her grinding instantly causing my dick to stir. I trailed my hands all over her as we moved. The longer we danced, the more I touched, and her reaction had me wanting to pull her into a private room.

Her moves slowed as my fingers grazed her erect nipples through her thin top. I kissed down her neck and slipped my hand under her skirt. I half expected her to push me away since we were on the dance floor, surrounded by people, but she spread her legs wider instead. I groaned, feeling her soaked through her panties.

“Happy birthday to me,” I muttered, pushing her panties to the side and replaceing her clit. I wrapped my other arm around her waist, keeping her close when she started squirming at my touch. Moving my fingers in small circles, I ignored everyone around me except her. If anyone saw what I was doing, they’d look the other way. They knew who I was, and in here, I could do whatever the fuck I wanted.

Her head fell back and rested below my shoulder as I picked up my speed. Raising my hand from her stomach, I wrapped it around her throat. Her pulse was thrashing like crazy, and I squeezed firmly, stopping just before I cut off her air. She didn’t seem uneasy about how I took control of her body.

I slid two fingers into her, letting my palm rub against her clit as I moved. The grinding she was doing now was all to get the friction she needed. Her body tensed, giving away how close she was. I continued my movements, my fingers curling every time I plunged them back inside her. I could hear her cry even over the music as she came hard. Pulling my hand out from her skirt, I sucked on the fingers that had been inside her seconds ago.

“Fuck me,” I mumbled, wanting to properly taste her. Besides smoking weed, I didn’t do drugs. But in this moment, I understood how people became addicted. I would do some dicey shit for a chance to bury my face in her pussy. She tried pulling away, and my hand tightened around her throat. “Where do you think you’re going? We’re nowhere near done.”

She laughed. “I have somewhere to be. But thanks. I wasn’t expecting to have that much fun tonight. Raincheck?”

“I promise the things I’ll do to you will make being late more than worth it.” I lightly bit her neck, feeling a shudder run through her body.

“I’m sure that’s true, Grayson.”

My name fell from her lips as if she’d known me forever. With a frown, I released her neck before grabbing her arm and spinning her around. She was smiling, but her eyes were filled with warning. Her light brown eyes. The same amber eyes I stared into when I’d taken a fucking bullet to the shoulder.

“You,” I hissed, keeping my hold on her arm.

“Oh no, you found me. Just like your little friend promised two years ago.” She sounded bored, and when she dramatically yawned, my self-control snapped. Grabbing her other arm, I kept her in front of me as my anger rose.

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re playing at, but coming here was the worst mistake you could make,” I growled, scanning her body again, looking for hidden weapons. There was no way she had anything on her. I’d touched nearly every inch of her, and her outfit didn’t leave room to stash even a small knife.

She pretended to pout. “Just a few seconds ago, you were promising me amazing sex. You mean that option isn’t still on the table?”

“It’s really too bad,” I murmured, letting my face go cold. “We could have had some fun if you hadn’t tried to kill me.”

Her smile grew bigger. “I didn’t try to kill you.”

“Bullshit.”

“It was a graze.”

“I needed surgery and was in a sling for months.”

“But you’re not dead. You should feel lucky. I usually don’t leave witnesses when I do a job.”

I studied her, knowing her words were true. She was as cutthroat as we were. And probably even more dangerous since she was a threat no one saw coming. Keeping a tight hold on her upper arms, I glanced over my shoulder at Kade. He was watching us in confusion, and I realized he hadn’t seen her face yet. I jerked a nod, making him slide off the stool before striding over to the dance floor.

“You never should have come here. Or you should have killed us,” I told her, turning my attention back to her. “Because now you won’t be leaving this city.”

“Like I told you before, I’m late for something.” She peered around me, a frown forming on her face. “Tell your friend I said hi.”

“Tell him yourself. I’m sure he has a lot to say to you—”

I yelled out a curse when her thick heel connected with my shin. Then she dropped. It was impossible to keep a hold of her arms when she fell straight down. Hands grasped my ankles and yanked. It was enough to make me stumble but not fall.

“Too late to run now,” I said loud enough for her to hear as I bent down to grab her.

“Who says I’m leaving?”

She ducked around my hand and crouched lower, swinging her leg out. Pain shot up my calf, and this time when her fingers wrapped around my ankle and tugged, I went down. I hissed out a breath as I landed on my tailbone. The dance floor cleared around me, and I shot back up, watching as she shoved through the crowd to get to the back of the club. The music quieted as I raced to catch up to her.

“Lock it down,” Kade roared from behind me. “Nobody fucking leaves.”

I closed the distance between us as she passed the bar. A waitress with a full tray of drinks pressed against the bar as I reached past her and snagged the girl’s wrist. She whirled around, her face a mask of calmness. Her eyes went from my hand and then back to my face.

“Can’t keep your hands off me?” she asked, planting her feet when I tried pulling her closer.

“There’s nowhere to go,” I informed her. “The doors are locked.”

“Fine with me.” With her free hand, she grabbed the waitress’s arm and pulled her between us. The waitress screamed as she was shoved into me. Her tray of drinks tipped forward, drenching me in what smelled like tequila. I clenched my teeth, feeling her twist her wrist from my grip before she pushed the waitress into my chest.

She bounded up the stairs behind the bar, taking two steps at a time. Kade flew past me, hot on her heels. After steadying the waitress, I followed behind him but took my time as I calmed my nerves. The only thing up there was our private room. And there was no way out unless she had a key.

I shrugged out of my soaked black leather jacket, shaking off the alcohol that was dripping from it. I grumbled under my breath as I climbed the steps. If she’d ruined my favorite jacket, I was going to be more pissed than I was when she shot me.

Kade had left the door open, and I closed it behind me, being sure to lock it. I could hear her screams of frustration, but as I scanned the room, I couldn’t see them anywhere. In front of me were four couches surrounding a round glass table. A table for meetings was on the side of the room that held ten people. The entire front of the room was one-way glass that gave us a view of the club below. A few plush chairs were scattered in front of the mirror, and they were all empty at the moment. I threw my jacket on one of the chairs as I continued to look for them. In the back of the room was a black velvet pool table next to a small bar. Another door was on the side of the room that led to a smaller room and the exit.

I rounded one of the couches and stopped short when I saw them. Kade was sitting on top of her. He had one of her hands trapped under him and her other wrist pressed to the wood floor near her head. She was deathly still. It probably had something to do with the knife Kade was holding against her throat.

I bit my tongue, trying to ignore how her skirt had risen far enough to get a peek of her red lace panties. Shaking my head, I walked forward until I saw her face. Kade glanced at me for a moment before looking back at her. I frowned, not seeing any panic or fear on her face.

“Give me one reason I shouldn’t kill you now,” Kade murmured, his voice venomous.

Her gaze flicked to me and then back to Kade as her lips curled into a devilish smile before she answered.

“Hellfire.”