was out of the brougham and on his way to her. The look on his face was far from pleasant. In fact, he looked downright irritated. His mouth, the mouth that had nearly kissed her the other night, was flat and unwelcoming.
He licked me.
She could almost still feel that brief, warm wet slide on her skin. Tasting her. What would that tongue be able to do elsewhere, on other parts of her body? Swallowing, she pushed all those thoughts aside for later. As in, never.
So, what was he doing here?
“What are you doing here?”
She shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. “I was just wondering the same about you. Have you come to bet on the horse races?” She could think of no other reason why Mulligan was here, glowering at her outside the World Poolroom. Then a horrible thought struck her. “Is this one of yours?”
“No, my poolrooms are just poolrooms. We don’t drug and rob patrons as a regular practice. Seeing as we’ve cleared that up, tell me why you are visiting this particular establishment.”
“I am looking for someone. He was last seen here on June 19th.”
“Who?”
“A German man, von Briesen. We think a group of peter players robbed him and put him on the street. His family is quite concerned.”
“Do your brother-in-law and Otto Rosen know you are investigating here, at this particular place?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Because they will both answer to me if the answer is yes. You have no business being in this particular stretch of the Bowery. It’s dangerous.”
“Is this why you are here? Because of me?”
“When they told me you were here, I came as fast as I could.”
Part of her was flattered that he worried over her safety, but the bigger part of her was annoyed he thought she was in danger. “That was unnecessary. I am perfectly safe.”
“No one is perfectly safe here, least of all an unaccompanied woman.”
“It’s the middle of the day and I have no intention of going in. My plan is to question patrons out here, which I have already started doing.” He appeared confused so she elaborated. “A woman came out from the poolroom and she was fairly inebriated. The barkeep chased her down because she owed him money, so I helped out. In return, she answered my questions.”
“Helped out?”
“Paid her bar tab in exchange for answers. I showed her the sketch of von Briesen. Unfortunately, she hadn’t ever seen him before and went back inside.”
He shook his head and muttered a string of French curse words. “Let’s go get your money back.”
“What? Where?”
“Inside. Come on.”
He started toward the poolroom door so Justine grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Wait. I don’t need my money returned. I offered up my assistance free and clear. He was going to make her do terrible things to work off her debt.”
Jack’s expression softened, his gaze turning warm, almost affectionate. Her chest fluttered at that look, one that probably caused women to swoon at his feet. The foot traffic streamed on both sides of them, but this man commanded every bit of her attention with his bright blue eyes and chiseled face. He lifted a hand and dragged the backs of his knuckles gently across her cheek. Her knees trembled, her body caught under his spell. Had she melted into a puddle on the sidewalk yet?
“You have a good heart, and I admire you for it,” he said. “But you’ve been swindled, chérie, and I mean to make it right.”
Chapter Eleven
Jack could tell by her face that she didn’t believe him. God save him from uptown do-gooder heiresses.
She blinked at him and he dropped his hand, already missing the feel of her soft skin. “No, Mulligan. You’re wrong. She was inebriated, and cursed and spat at him. He said she owed four days’ worth of bar tab.”
“Justine, this is more my area of expertise than yours. You were swindled. They probably saw you standing out here on the walk and decided to con you.”
Stubborn until the end, she shook her head. “No.”
“Shall we place a wager on it?”
Ah, there was the seed of doubt. She bit her lip and chewed it, indecision pinching her lovely brows. He waited, the fear at her roaming this neighborhood alone slowly ebbing. He had vowed to forget her after she left his club in fear. Then the second he’d learned of her errand at the World, he’d raced to her side. Had he ever traveled south so quickly? The news had terrified him.