Scandal Never Sleeps by Shayla Black, Lexi Blake Page A

over his casket.”
    Gabe couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, he left a hooker fund—twenty grand—for any of us who happened to be single at the time of his death and in need of temporary solace.”
    Gabe didn’t want a hooker. He wanted Eve, and she was about to walk out the door. Maybe if he was honest about what he wanted, she wouldn’t be hurt. Maybe she’d come here for a drink because she needed something, too.
    All he knew was he would regret it forever if he let her walk out.
    He grabbed his jacket. “I’ll talk to you guys later.”
    “Treat the lady right, Gabriel,” Dax said with a grin.
    He intended to. He hoped he could convince her to give him a chance because suddenly nothing seemed more important than spending the rest of the night with her.
    •   •   •
    I t really was time to head home. Everly wasn’t sure why she hadn’t left when Scott had. That wasn’t exactly true. She knew what she was waiting for, or more specifically, whom. She simply wasn’t sure why.
    She dragged out the necessary cash to pay her bill. Scott had found the courage to talk to his crush. He’d left with Harry from accounting thirty minutes earlier. It was already dark, and she needed to get home. Instead, she’d sat around, nursing her drink and hoping for another glimpse of Gabriel.
    Now she wished she’d left sooner. He’d caught her staring. Of course, he’d been with a friend. The minute his gaze had found hers, she’d put her head down. When she looked back up, he’d been gone.
    Was he waiting for her to leave? He might think she was some kind of creepy female stalker. If he was an actor or someone famous, he might have to deal with adoration from strangers constantly. It was definitely past time to exit. She just lacked the check. And damn it, there was never a waitress around when she needed one.
    She glanced at her cell while she waited and found a text. The number came up as unknown.
    I have the info about Crawford’s death I promised in my e-mail. I’ll contact you with a date and time to meet. Don’t tell anyone. Come alone.
    A chill zipped through her. She wanted to believe the person contacting her was some whacked-out loon, but she’d received that mysterious, very lucid e-mail yesterday suggesting that she check into Maddox Crawford’s activities in the days before his murder. Not his unfortunate accident or his death. His
murder.
When she’d tried to trace the source, she’d come up with an e-mail sent from an anonymous account, the type anyone could grab off free mail sites. She needed more information to be able to track the person down.
    If he wasn’t a deranged creep then . . . what? A sick jerk playing a prank on her? A vindictive coworker trying to trip her up to prove she couldn’t do her job? A creepy reporter fishing for a story? Or someone really trying to give her vital information about Maddox? Everly thought through the angles. The latter seemed far-fetched . . . but not impossible. She couldn’t brush it off. Since getting tipsy apparently wasn’t on her agenda tonight, as soon as she made it back to her loft, she’d start digging. Everly owed Maddox at least that much.
    Part of her wanted to text the mysterious bastard back and ask what he was up to. But she needed to be smarter. If inquiries with hercell provider didn’t net her any information . . . well, she knew a few tricks to hack her way into obtaining phone numbers. This jerk could try to hide, but she had ways to peel back the layers and find the truth.
    She shoved her phone into her purse and stood. Pay the bill. Get home. Start investigating. Maybe try to sleep. Her stomach growled. She should probably eat first, but she definitely wasn’t going to hang around and look like she waited desperately for Gabriel.
    Everly marched to the bar. “I need my bill, please.”
    Shockingly, the bartender stopped. “It’s already been taken care of. Thank the gentleman in the suit there.”
    She turned