A Whole New Crowd(70)

I wasn’t going to call Jace. I wasn’t even going to walk across the alley and try to get through the guards. For this conversation, I wanted to surprise him and if he wasn’t around, maybe that was even better. I could snoop around for my answers.
*

Jace had been kicked out of the house when he joined the Panthers. When their dad died, he moved back in to watch over Brian and me, since I was there so much, but I knew he still had his own house. Knowing that, I debated if I should head to his house first or gamble and try my luck with his office at the Seven8 first.
I decided to gamble.
Standing across the back alley, down the block from the nightclub, I saw it was another busy night for the establishment. The security guards were busy and as I was watching, two guys began fighting near the door. This was my shot. Knowing I only had a couple seconds, I sprinted down the alley and then pressed against the wall of the opposite building. I could hear shouts from around the corner. A crowd formed and more guards rushed from the side alley, running around the corner. They ran right past me, and after the last one shoved open the door, I jerked forward. I slipped through the opened door and immediately stepped behind the door. Two more guards rushed out, passing by where I was hiding. When they were gone, I heard shouts from inside—more guards were heading my way. I heard a voice yell over a radio, “Three fights! Get it under control!”
From farther down the hallway, someone answered, “On it, boss. Six more were dispatched.”
“We do not want the cops called.”
“On it.” Then static came over the radio and it grew in volume; they were getting closer. The hallways were lit up. The lights were bright. I had nowhere to hide. The door closed. I couldn’t open it or they would be suspicious so I hurried to the light switch. When they were right around the corner, about to turn towards the door, I plunged the hallway into darkness.
I had a small window again, and I sprinted for them, keeping on my toes to be silent. As they stopped and cursed, I pressed against the wall, moving past the first one’s elbow as he reached for his belt. A flashlight switched on and I melted backwards, keeping to the darkness.
Jace didn’t like when we were in his territory, but I’d been in his office a few times. Going to the back exit doors, I knew they weren’t alarmed like the others. His office was at the top corner. When I got there, the floor was in the dark. Good. That meant Jace wasn’t there. There were two doors on the whole floor. One was a large set of doors and the other was further down. It led to a small back room. I headed to the latter. Jace liked having his office next to the stairs that led to the roof. It was a better exit, if necessary.
The room was locked, but I pulled out two pins from my pocket and bent down to work on it. It didn’t take me long to unlock the door. I knelt down and blew under the door. He could have another security measure, and I was wondering if he had sensors set up on the other side of the door. Nothing happened so I felt around the entire doorframe to see if any other secret paneling would spring open. He’d been known for having secondary alarms installed, but when nothing opened for me, I stood back and frowned. It couldn’t be that easy. Still. I took a breath and opened the door. I’d have to risk it. When I stepped inside and nothing more happened, I let out that breath.
So far, so good. I eased further into the room. No secret alarms flared up or went off. I sat down at his computer and typed in his daughter’s name. Not many people knew about his daughter; Jace didn’t even know I knew about her. It worked. I began looking for anything that tied Jace to Kevin Parson. I knew he had something to do with my new adoption. I needed proof before I confronted him about it.
“How do you know that name?”
His sudden voice, low and deadly, set the hairs on the back of my neck upright. I froze, my fingers poised over the keyboard, my heart pounding, before I looked over. Jace was standing in the doorway. He was dressed all in black. A black t-shirt hugged his body, outlining his ripped torso. It wasn’t tucked inside his black cargo pants, but hugged over top of the waistline. I saw the bulge in the front and knew he had tucked a gun there. My mouth went dry. Did he have other guns? My heart sped up. I couldn’t believe I was nervous about his guns. Six months ago, he’d been family.
“Jace,” I started, cautious, as I stood from the desk.
A lethal storm had taken over his face. His jaw clenched as he stared back at me. “How, Taryn?”
I licked my lips and tried to keep myself calm. I needed to think rationally around him, especially when he was acting like a caged animal. Somehow I had stepped into the cage with him. He was ready to spring, and I had no idea what he would do.