Conceit (Se7en Deadly SEALs Book 1) by Alana Albertson Page B

earlier. She seemed younger than me, maybe not even twenty. A crisp blond bob framed her round cheeks as she reapplied pink lipstick.
    “Oh sorry, I can come back.” I turned away.
    “Hey, hon. It’s okay. So you’re Grant’s new girl? I’m Autumn. I used to work at Panthers. Grant’s a good guy.”
    My eyes widened. “I’m Ksenya. You know Grant?”
    “Yeah.” She paused, glanced toward the window. “We hung out once at another party. But things got crazy. There was this murder. I’m sure you read about it in the papers.”
    My breath stopped. She was there. “I’m new to area.”
    “A SEAL killed one of the girls there. I was so scared. Grant and I were in the next room when this guy Joaquín found the girl dead. So tragic. Grant hasn’t told you about it?”
    “No. We do not know each other so well.”
    “I get it. Well, good luck with him.”
    “Thank you.” My mind raced. I need to grill this girl, find out every detail about that night. But I had to get her away from this party—away from Grant. “What do you do now for work?”
    Her mouth twisted. “I work at this new club downtown, Diamond. It’s very high-end, very classy. We don’t even go topless. Guys respect you way more. I’m sure the owner would love to have you. You’re a knockout.”
    I couldn’t tell if she was just super friendly or she was hitting on me. Either way, I didn’t care. I couldn’t let her go. “So are you. Can I get it your number and I can go to see it the place?” I reached inside my purse.
    She snatched my phone from my hand, didn’t say a word, and tapped in her number.
    “Call me anytime. Nice to meet you, Ksenya.”
    She shut the door. Holy shit. This was huge. I bet some of the other strippers who were at the party that night worked at Diamond. Maybe even Emma? I was getting closer to the truth, to Tiffany’s real killer.
    I scrubbed Mitch’s touch off of me and met Grant back downstairs.
    “Babe, come to the rooftop deck with me. I want to show you something.”
    I kissed Grant on the cheek, grateful to him for inviting me to this party. His sharp stubble burned my lips. A warm flush ran through my body, imagining that stubble grazing my thighs.
    I followed him upstairs—a light giggle, a deep moan, and a passionate scream pierced my ears. Was he taking me up to one of these hidden rooms? My palms were sweaty, my hands trembled.
    We passed the bedrooms, and he led me out to a small deck.
    My heart stopped. I knew what he wanted to show me.
    “Sit, babe. Make a wish.”
    A wish. Grant had brought me up here to watch the sunset. To see the Green Flash.
    The Green Flash wasn’t a myth, or even an optical illusion. If you ever sat on a San Diego beach at sunset and noticed a group of people staring silently in the same direction, they were looking for the Green Flash. That moment when the sun set and emitted that last glimpse of light, a flash the color of the Emerald City in Oz.
    Grant pulled me to him, and I sat in his lap. His arms wrapped around me. “Babe, study the sky. Legend has it if you see a flash of green light, your wish will come true.”
    Was he feeling a real connection with me or did he share this with all of his dates? It took every ounce of training I had not to question him. I wanted to know how many other women he’d shown the flash too. He’d taken me to a restaurant on this same beach on our first date, but I’d been unable to spot the flash. My eyes had been clouded by my love for him, the sadness for my parents’ death still fresh in my heart. We’d planned to go back and see it together for our second anniversary, but we broke up a week before. Tonight I vowed I would finally see it.
    I made my unspoken wish. My throat felt thick, my pulse quickened. I wished for Joaquín to be free, as a good sister should. But a brief wish passed through my head for Grant to forgive me and for us to fall in love again.
    His arms tightened around me and I studied the fogless sky,