Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

her.
Even though I’m the one who will benefit, I’m disgusted by how easily I convinced him to betray
Hallie is still mostly watching me, but her gaze drifts back to Jackson, warier than it was before.
Sensing danger in this place, she tries to make her tone harder as she addresses him. “I can’t stay
long. I have to get back to Charity’s bachelorette party. What do you need from me?”
Unsure how to answer, Jackson’s gaze flickers to me.
He doesn’t need anything from her, of course. It was a ruse to get her here, something he was
sure would work. He was quite cocky when he expressed to me that he was sure she’d show up for
him, no problem. His first attempt to get her here failed, but thankfully she answered his text a little
later and got on board.
I stand. The movement catches her attention. She shifts, then covertly takes a step back toward
Hollis as if he’ll protect her.
Not from me, he won’t.
“I’m the one who needs something from you,” I state.
Recognition lightens her expression, diminishing some of her fear. “You’re the man I was talking
to on the phone.”
“Yes.”
I walk closer to her. For a moment, she doesn’t back away. It makes me think I must have made a
halfway decent impression on the phone. Perhaps she’s lulled by the sense of familiarity into thinking
I won’t pounce on her, that I’m not dangerous.
When I get about two feet away from her, she finally takes a step back. Some of the wariness
returns, but not as much as before.
“You were supposed to introduce yourself when I got here,” she reminds me.
“I’m Calvin.”
“Hallie,” she says automatically, even though she knows I already know her name. Licking her
lips and trying to maintain some distance between us, she asks, “And what, exactly, did you need from
me, Calvin?”
“We’re going to play tonight, Hallie.”
She swallows, regarding me carefully as I move even closer. She tries to back up, but she’s
already against a wall. With Hollis guarding the door and me in front of her, she doesn’t really have
anywhere to go. “Play?”
“Mm-hmm. I like to come here and enjoy a certain kind of play you can’t enjoy in other places.
The NDA is a mere formality. You should know that now, lest you decide tomorrow you need to tell
someone what happened here tonight. Nobody will believe you. Your presence at this club—on this