I leave the bar where I’d been with Sawyer and head straight to the club, my blood boiling. The idea that someone would sell this photograph—someone I let into my club—infuriates me.

I have bouncers so shit exactly like this doesn’t happen.

Pulling open the club’s back door, I head straight to Jordan’s office. He’s in there, with two of the bouncers, Tor and Mikey.

“Jordan,” I say, my voice tense as shit. “I need to speak with you, now.”

His eyes flick over me, and picking up on the fact my fists are clenched and I’m pacing the floor like a goddamned caged animal, he sends the bouncers out.

“I’ll finish talking with you after this meeting,” he tells them.

“This is more important than Callahan,” Tor says. “No offense.”

I jut my chin, not taking it personally. These guys don’t know I own this club, that I hired them, and right about now I want to say to hell with my parents’ dying wish that I keep my head down.

“ Cal here should hear what we have to say,” Mikey says. “He’s one of our own. And after last night—”

“Just where were you last night?” I interrupt. “I was getting my teeth practically knocked out and you were just outside? After you saw those fuckers come in?”

Tor shrugs. “Jordan asked us to check on some of the guys outside.”

My eyes land on Jordan. In his fitted three-piece suit, hair slicked back and face sporting a clean shave, he looks like half the men in this town. Trying too hard.

“What the fuck is that about?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “Look, I’m upset too—”

I cut him off. “You weren’t the one getting your ass kicked. Things like that shouldn’t happen at the A-List.”

“I know, man,” Tor says. “If Jordan hadn’t called us out, we would have had your back.”

I take another look at Jordan. Is this man, someone I’ve trusted with so much, fucking me over?

He must see where my thoughts are headed because he raises his hands in defense. “You gotta believe I have your back, Cal. Always have.”

I look over at Mikey and Tor. “Can you give us a minute?”

Realizing I’m not backing down on my request, they grunt their okays and head out the door. I shut it behind them.

“I know how this must look—”

“I don’t think you do, Jordan.”

“I don’t know what happened last night. Between those gangsters showing up and then the photograph getting leaked—it was bad all around.”

“More than bad. It’s a clusterfuck. And from where I’m standing, it looks like you were the one pulling the trigger.”

Jordan shakes his head. “The gangsters had a whole load of friends with them. That’s why I called Tor and Mikey out. I didn’t expect anyone to start throwing punches before they came back inside.”

I want to trust Jordan, but I feel like a goddamn fool to believe his alibi.

“Why don’t you tell me your thoughts on the fucking photographs of Sawyer?” I run my hand through my hair, thinking about how Sawyer was when he left the bar only a little while ago.

His face was drawn, his phone ringing off the hook—his agent, publicist, Sondra––everyone was calling, and everyone was pissed. No one was asking how he was doing. The fact this is happening to my oldest friend fucking tears me up inside.

“Do you have any idea how badly this is gonna screw him over?”

Jordan doesn’t look caught red handed. He looks distraught. Nearly as much as I am.

“You think I don’t know how shitty this is? My job is to keep this place safe, and I fucked up. I’m sorry, man.” Jordan sinks into his chair. “Look, there are no cameras allowed. I only saw one girl—that new girl of Danny’s with a camera last night. And besides her, everyone knows the rules.”

“It wasn’t her,” I say it sharply and my tone causes Jordan’s head to snap up but I don’t care. Last night, when Jules was in my arms, I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. She may be gorgeous, but it was her open heart, her willingness to give in to the moment without trying to be someone or something else. Jules was herself, entirely. The most refreshing woman I’ve met in fucking forever.

It was like the moment I led her outside the club after those men assaulted me, and took her hand in mine, she was all in.

Last night was more than I expected, but as I look at Jordan now, I know how much is riding on those leaked photographs.

Not only my privacy but the privacy of the people who come here.

I’ve worked too hard to build this club, to make a life for myself after my parents died.

The last thing I want is a beautiful woman to be the death of me.

Those fucking photographs are a chip in the ice and I don’t want what I have here at the A-List to melt.

Jordan’s no fool, but neither am I. Jules is not a snitch.

But damn, she is naïve, vulnerable. Maybe someone asked her to do something and she didn’t realize the cost.

I close my eyes, remembering her bare body wrapped around mine.

No.

It wasn’t Jules. Don’t need any more proof than that. She told me the last thing she wanted to do was return to the A-List. And even if I could tempt her into one of the playrooms... she made it clear she despised everything this place represented.

Which is a hard pill to swallow, sure, but I can show her the beauty of this place eventually. Right now I’m focused on making sure it’s safe.

“Maybe we let too many people in the club last night. Too many new faces. But even if we did, it wasn’t Jules.”

“How can you be sure?” Jordan asks. “We have to assume it could be anyone.”

“You want me to assume it was you, then?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Jordan pushes his lips forward. “No, I don’t want that. This job means everything to me. I’ve lived and breathed this place, I’d never do—”

I cut him off. “Then believe me when I say Jules wouldn’t have either.”

Jordan narrows his eyes at me. “You’re going to trust a woman you just met?”

“You want me to trust my manager who just so happened to call all the bouncers out of my club the moment shit went down for the first time within the walls of the A-List?”

“Look,” Jordan says, straightening his tie. “It’s messed up, okay? But I’m on your side. I just think you oughta watch your back with this girl.”

I don’t want to listen to him, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t some trace of worry inside me, wondering if Jules had any part of this. I want to believe her hands are clean… Hell, she’s the one who sent me the link when the story was leaked. But maybe that was a cover too.

Taking another hard look at Jordan, I know he’s as suspect as anyone, no matter how long we’ve been working together.

This city wasn’t built on loyalty. It was built on the idea of every man for himself.

And right now, I need to find out who my real friends are. And who sold out my oldest one.