Heart Beats (Joker's Sin #3) - Davidson King

Chapter One

Shane

“I really appreciate you inviting me to come with you, Toby.” I tugged on my lanyard and stared down at my name. VIP passes to DJay Con. Toby, my best friend, was supposed to go with his boyfriend, Atlas, but he had an emergency, so he invited me.

“Are you kidding? I don’t think Atlas was really interested, anyway. I know you love this stuff as much as I do, so it’s gonna be fun!” Toby and I had known each other for a long time. We’d worked together at a shitty dive bar, Vick’s Tricks, before both working at Joker’s Sin.

It was there that Toby fell in love with the owner, Atlas, and when I joined the club, working behind the bar, I’d never felt so good. Better pay, safer, and true friends.

“Is Ledger here?” I asked, and from the smirk on Toby’s face, I could see I wasn’t fooling him.

“Of course he is. He got me and Atlas the tickets to begin with. He hasn’t been to the con in a couple of years—not a fan of the panels—but he said if he had to do it this year, he wanted someone from Joker’s Sin to come.”

Ledger was the DJ for Joker’s Sin and one of the best I’d ever seen or heard. It didn’t hurt that he was hotter than any man I’d ever laid eyes on, and I knew he had an interest in me. I just wished he’d act on it, even though I was a grown adult and could probably just be like, “Hey, wanna, like, go out?” Something about his eyes was so intense, they made me freeze in place. Not terror…but total intimidation.

“It’s noon now, so Ledger should be in Ballroom Two for his panel. It starts in half an hour, and I promised we’d be there.” Toby sped up, and I was able to follow easily.

“You told him I was coming?”

He stopped at the doors, just about to open them, when he turned. “No, and stop, you sound like a teenager all crushing. Be cool, and act like you should be there. Eager is a weird whatever on you.”

“Hey.” I put my hand over his as he pulled the door open. “I don’t get Ledger. You know I like him, and I think he likes me but…I dunno.”

Toby patted my shoulder. “Teenage girl. Just be you, okay?” He didn’t let me answer, and when we opened the door, a huge guy blocked it.

“Panel doesn’t start for another half hour—lineup is there.” He pointed toward a huge row of people.

“No, sorry, here.” Toby held up his ID. “I’m Toby St. Clair, and this is Shane Reeves. We’re here because DJ Edge asked us to be.” Toby smiled, but the big man just narrowed his eyes.

“Wait here, I’ll have to ask DJ Edge.” The door shut in our faces.

“Rude,” I said and looked over at all the people staring us down. “I never knew how many groupies DJs had.”

Toby chuckled. “Ciro once told me he gets more questions about Ledger than about Atlas as people wait to get inside the club.” Ciro was head of security for Joker’s Sin, and if I thought Ledger was intimidating, Ciro was scary. He was a man of few words, but I knew he’d seen some shit, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d killed someone.

When the door opened, the big man was back. “Okay, you two can come in.”

Toby thanked him, and we walked inside. There were easily two or three hundred chairs set up, and people were still setting up more. The panel featured five DJs from all over the country, and Ledger was one of them.

“Where’s Atlas?” Ledger asked by way of greeting, and I cursed myself for ever thinking he possibly liked me in that way.

“Working, Ledger, so Shane came to help. ‘Thank you’ works in response.” I felt Toby’s glare, and it was a funny thing. He had never been one to stand up for himself. One thing Atlas gave Toby was self-worth. He made Toby ignite the embers that lingered in his soul, and I’d always be grateful to Atlas for loving my best friend that much.

“Sorry, just nervous. Hey, man.” Ledger gave me a curt nod.

“Hey. You’ll be fine—at least there are four others up there with you, right?” He shrugged and went backstage. “Do we follow?” I asked Toby, and he nodded.

There were quite a few people there: four other DJs and whomever they’d brought as their assistants, and honestly,

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