Lover Undercover by Samanthe Beck Read Free Book Online Page B

teachers, social workers, and yes, on occasion, Two Trout’s finest, had formed Stacy’s distrust of the establishment—and those run-ins involved nothing as serious as murder.
    As though she sensed her sibling’s wavering certainty, Stacy went on. “You’re handling them so much better than I ever could. Thanks to you, I’m not even a suspect. I promise I don’t have any information that could possibly help this investigation. If I did, I’d tell you. I remember Alex, and I remember Carlton, but I have no idea who killed them. I’m not the link. There’s got to be some other connection the cops haven’t figured out yet. Maybe they will, if we don’t distract them with our situation.”
    “Stacy, I’m not trying to scare you, but they think you’ve attracted the attention of a killer. If they’re right, you’re in danger, and as long as I’m pretending to be you, I am, too.”
    “We’re not in danger, because I’m not the connection,” Stacy said firmly. “Trust me, Ky, I can spot the freaks from a mile away, and I’ve never gotten that vibe from anyone at Deuces, clients or employees. Besides, if this Detective McCade is at the club every night, what can happen?”
    She didn’t want to think about what might happen with Trevor at Deuces every night.
    “Please, Ky? Please don’t throw me to the cops.” Stacy wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “I’ll end up convicted of something. I’ll lose my job.” Tears welled in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. “Afterward, no reputable club will touch me. My performing career will be over before it’s really started. None of this will bring Carlton or Alex back or get anybody one step closer to finding out who killed them.”
    Irrational fear had taken control, Kylie knew, but logical or not, her sister really was scared. Kylie couldn’t help wanting to comfort her. She sat on the couch and slid an arm around her shoulders. Stacy covered her face with her hands and leaned in, seeking support.
    “Okay,” she sighed, defeated. “I’ll handle the police.”
    Stacy sniffed loudly, wiped her cheeks, and gave her a grateful look. “You will?”
    “Yes, but this is the absolute last time we resort to an identity swap to get out of a jam. Things have to change. We need to take responsibility for our own lives.”
    “Last time. I swear. I’ll do anything you want, Ky. Just name it.”
    “You have to help me if I’m going to pull this off. I need to be a much more convincing Stacy, for starters.”
    “I’ll help.” Stacy smiled through her tears. “By the time I’m done, even you won’t believe you’re not me.”

Chapter Four
    Halfway through her second featured dance, Kylie completed a slow twirl around the pole and her gaze slammed into Trevor’s. She tightened her grip and slowed the turn so she didn’t stumble. His controlled expression gave nothing away, but the sight of him watching her like a hawk from the back of the audience stretched her already-tight nerves until they quivered like overwound violin strings. Deep breathing didn’t do much to ease the painful tension.
    Why wouldn’t she be tense? She’d spent the whole evening hyperalert, wired from drinking too much caffeine and stressed because she imagined a killer monitoring her every move. Call her uptight, but constantly scanning her coworkers and customers for signs of homicidal tendencies made her edgy.
    Yet despite her vigilance, she hadn’t seen Trevor arrive.
    Now that he had, a different sort of edginess took hold. Her focus contracted. Everything around him faded to an indistinct blur while the dark, velvety weight of his stare stroked her like a touch, igniting little fires everywhere it lingered—her lips, her breasts…lower. Somehow, she managed to complete the dance, but her wobbly legs and shortness of breath couldn’t be blamed on exertion.
    Backstage, while waiting on her clothes, she worked on bringing her heart rate back to normal and