As Right As Rain

7. Busted

I wanted to snap at Luke as I slid into the passenger seat of his GMC as he shamelessly looked over me.

It wasn't an innocent modest look like Cash and Austin had given me. No, he was practically devouring me with his eyes.

Perv.

"Hello to you too." I said teasingly, causing his eyes to snap up to mine.

Instead of looking embarrassed, he smirked. "Well I'll definitely be having the hottest date tonight."

I faked a giggle.

He sped off then as we made our way to the club.

"So, you should probably know something before we go in tonight." Luke started to say.

I nodded, slyly getting my phone out and hitting the voice recorder, pretending as if I was checking the time. I snapped it shut and kept it on my lap as it kept recording.

I needed some backup evidence in case something went wrong.

"Sure." I replied, looking over at him.

"I think you're super sweet and genuine, Ashley. And I can see why Cash told me to stay away from you. He's obviously obsessed with you and wants you all to himself." He started, his grip on the wheel tightening.

I let out a small laugh. "That's absurd. I don't see Cash in any way other than a friend. Plus, I'm already interested in someone else..." I trailed off teasingly.

Luke glanced over at me and I bit my lip to sell the act better.

"You're so hot." He said in a strained voice. "I think we'd look good together, Ashley. That's why I asked you to come tonight. I need a queen by my side to help me rule my many businesses, and I already feel like I can trust you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked softly.

"The diner isn't the only thing I have going for me. I wasn't sure if I should tell you, because I don't want you to see me differently." Luke admitted.

I laughed softly. "I'm not one to judge, Luke. I come from a pretty rough place myself. I've seen a lot of stuff. I don't think anything you tell me is going to change how I see you." I assured him.

Luke looked over at me and gave me a soft smile. "You're so sweet Ashley. I trust you. I see the way you look at me too, and I feel the same. I want to get you in on what I'm doing, I think you'll be great. That's also why I want you to meet all my friends at the club."

"And what is it that you're doing, Luke?" I asked gently.

"I smuggle cocaine through the borders." He answered, looking to see my reaction.

I let out a laugh. "You had me thinking you were going to try and get me to join some weird cult." I joked.

He let out a laugh at that as well, relaxing instantly.

Perfect.

"No. I run one of the biggest underground operations for this. I started when I was fifteen. I bought the diner to cover up my illegal activities, to show that I had a different source of income which was legal." Luke explained.

"I like a smart man." I complimented, shooting him an impressed look.

That seemed to feed his ego profoundly as he shot me a smug look.

I was on fire.

"So yeah, the guys we're meeting tonight are all my business partners in that trade. We're expanding our business fast and need more guys in charge to run the operations and keep everyone in check. My next idea was buying a fabric store and using that to hide the imports. We'd smuggle it in the large shipments for cloths and have guys pick it up from there." Luke boasted.