Bluff (Russian Cardroom #4)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

AINSLEY

I rush down the dark sidewalk, glancing over my shoulder to make sure I’m not being followed. Regret crashes into me. We shouldn’t have confronted her, but I couldn’t stop myself. I had to prove to my sister I was right.

The moment we pushed through the door and heard Lennon getting sick, I knew the rumors were true. She’d been avoiding us, shutting us out, and now I knew why. She married him. And she was pregnant with his offspring.

How could Lennon do this?

Our plan was to bring them to their knees. Not join them.

The image of Lennon’s face going pale as she collapsed flashes through my mind, sending a sharp pain through my chest. If Lyric hadn’t caught her, she would have cracked her head against the sink.

“Fuck,” I exclaim loudly. People glance my way, but I keep moving.

Growing up in this cesspool, I know people will pay attention if you act out. But if you just keep walking, they’ll ignore you. I don’t need to attract any more attention than I already have.

I need to put as much distance between me and the Russians as possible. They’d kill me for what I did. Everyone knows you don’t mess with family. That’s why our schemes against the underworld bosses never targeted their loved ones. We went after their businesses. That’s it.

Well… until our father, Jimmy, got involved.

I finally stop and look around. Somehow, I’ve ended up in front of the Second Circle Club and Bar.

I take a deep breath. My feet must have had a mind of their own. This place has become a second home to me. Ever since Chloe and I became friends a couple of years ago and she invited me to hang out here, I’ve kept coming back.

Chloe knows more of my secrets than my own twin. Lyric isn’t my identical twin, but we shared a womb and spent our lives sticking up for each other. I’ve sacrificed so much for her, and I know she’s done the same for me.

Now we have Lennon, and it hurts me that I’ve hurt her. I should text Lyric to find out how Lennon is doing. But I don’t.

I reach for the heavy, black wrought iron handle of the gate and push it open. Security spots me and gives a quick nod. I open the door to the bar, but before stepping inside, I glance toward the entrance to the club.

A part of me wants to go in, but I haven’t been back there since February.

One night, and I was ruined.

Every time I think about it, I remember that night and catch myself looking for him. But he hasn’t been back.

I step into the bar. A mix of red glow and soft white lights illuminates the space. Wrought iron accents, red velvet stools, and booths line the room.

I make my way to the antique wooden bar and slide into a seat.

“What can I get you?” the server asks. She’s dressed in a black leather bustier and tiny black leather shorts.

“I’ll have a vodka cran with lime. Is Selene here?”

“Just a sec.” She walks off and picks up an old-fashioned phone, fitting with the steampunk theme that decorates this side of the bar.

I glance up at the mirror. I can’t see through it, but I know the people on the other side can see me. That side looks just like this one—red, wrought iron, soft gold lighting, and black with wood.

It’s also the place I haven’t been in months. Not since I was ruined.

I take in more of the bar around me. It’s the front for the club. To get to the private area, you have to knock on a door like a speakeasy and give a password. Then, you’re allowed into the bowels of the Second Circle. The place where pleasure and pain blur into one for people like me.

I used to think there was something wrong with me. That my past had twisted me into this sick person. But I’m not sick. I just crave a different type of contact.

He knew what I wanted without me ever saying a word. And I had to walk away because it scared me too much.

I do that a lot. I self-sabotage.

I look over at the bartender. I can’t hear what she’s saying, but I know she’s talking to Selene. My gut clenches because I’m about to get an I told you so . Selene warned me that if I went through with my plan, I’d only end up hurting those I love. Proof of my self-sabotage. I push my sisters away with my attitude. I can’t stop myself, but Selene has been trying to help me with that.

“Ainsy,” a soft Southern accent says, and I turn to see Chloe walking toward me.

She’s dressed in a long black dress with high slits that run from just below her cleavage to the floor on both sides. Macramé ties hold the back and front together at her hips. Tattoos line her body, and her pixie-cut blond hair is wild around her face. Her platform heels lift her up, making her taller than my five and a half feet.

The woman is walking sex personified.

“Chlo,” I say, and she pulls me in for a hug.

I want to sink into it, but I know she’s going to be mad at me soon.

“You look beautiful.” She takes in my red dress that I wore to fit in with the party. She pauses, and I see the moment it hits her. “Son of a bitch,” she exclaims and shakes her head. “You didn’t.” She looks at the drink sitting in front of me.

“She didn’t what?” Selene asks as she walks up.

She’s dressed in an outfit almost identical to Chloe’s, making it clear they’re both playing at the club tonight instead of being on duty. Patrons of the club follow a strict dress code. This isn’t a dance club but a private sex club for the elite and a select clientele.

I only get in because of Chloe. She’s on the board, and she pays my membership. I didn’t want to accept it, but she insists she’s doing it to help me. Both of them know I quit drinking before I became a member. I’ll still come hang out here at the bar side and order water or virgin drinks.

Selene reaches for my drink and brings it to her nose. “Come on.” She sets the glass down. “Make her a cranberry and Sprite.” She changes my order before motioning me toward a booth in the corner.

I walk over with both of them following behind me. Chloe isn’t going to ream me, but Selene might. Even though she’s my counselor, she’s also my friend.

I slide in, and Chloe slips in next to me, blocking me from getting out. Selene reminds me of a young Linda Carter—all curves and long dark hair. Her legs are on full display beneath the slit of her gown. At five foot eight, she towers over us in her heels. She slides into the other side and adjusts her skirt so that she’s still completely covered.

Only the club officers and the owner are allowed to wear their outfits on the bar side. Rune owns the club, but she runs it alongside these two and two other women. They’re all close friends, and they work together outside the club as well.

“So, what happened?” Selene asks as she leans back in the booth. Her manicured hands rest casually on the tabletop. Her nails are painted a deep, rich red.

“How do you know something happened? I could have gone there and nothing happened.” I try to defend myself, but even I don’t believe the lie. I know better. When I plan something like this, there’s always a problem.

I shake my head and drop it, my long hair slipping loose from the bun. Stray strands brush against my face as I bite down on my lip, trying to hold in the emotion. When I finally look up, my eyes are swimming with tears.

Chloe reaches for me. “Oh, girl… it can’t be that bad.”

I nod at her. “It is. As soon as we stepped out of the kitchen, I saw Lennon heading for the bathroom. I thought it was perfect timing, but something kept telling me to turn around and get out of there. I didn’t listen. I fucking should have.”

I can’t stop the tears, and Selene hands me a napkin. I dab at my eyes, trying to keep my makeup from running.

“And?” Selene asks.

“Lennon was puking. She’s pregnant.”

“Fuck,” Chloe exclaims, and I watch as she and Selene exchange a look before Chloe gets up. “I’ll be back.” She turns and heads toward the entrance of the club.

I watch her walk away before turning back to Selene. “She didn’t have to tell me. I just knew. She ended up fainting. If Lyric hadn’t caught her…” I wave my hands around, and Selene reaches out, gently clasping them to steady me.

“Is she okay?” she asks.

I shake my head. “I don’t know. She was taken away in an ambulance, I think. I heard it coming as I ran. I left Lyric there to face the consequences.”

Selene sighs deeply. Her eyes drift upward as though she’s contemplating something. “I can get a hold of someone. You need to go into hiding. Chloe is arranging a place for you.”

“No. I need to go to the hospital and turn myself in.”

“Not yet,” she says, raising her voice. People glance our way. “Ainsley, this isn’t a world where you can do that. Dmitri will be looking for blood. Lyric will be safe, but you won’t.”

“How do you know that?” I ask as Chloe returns.

“Rune set her up under a false name at a motel nearby. I have a car coming to get her.”

I take a sip of the drink placed in front of me and glance between the two of them. “Why are you still helping me? I’ve hurt both of my sisters.”

“Yeah, you might have,” Selene says, “but we’ll keep you safe until we can figure out what to do.”

“Here.” Chloe hands me a cell phone. “It’s a burner. Give us yours.”

I hand it over. It’s my only contact with my sisters, but I know Lyric can track me with it.

“I want to turn myself over to them. I want to make amends.” I have to do this for Lyric and Lennon. It’s what I should have done when this all started instead of seeking out revenge.

“I’ll make some phone calls. But if Lennon—or the baby—is hurt, Dmitri will want your life.” Selene pauses, pinching her lips in thought. “Stay in hiding until I tell you otherwise. Don’t do anything stupid, Ainsley.”

Chloe walks me out, and the doubt starts creeping in before we even reach the curb.

She pulls me in for a hug. “Trust us, please. We know what we’re doing,” she says, but trust is hard for me.

As I slip into the back of the car, I glance back and wonder how they can help me. They don’t know how to deal with the mafia. Selene is just a counselor, and Chloe is my party girl bestie. Chloe is in school studying chemistry and chemical engineering so she can launch her own beauty line. They’re not exactly underworld material.

So how can they help me? How can they keep me safe?

* * *

Mikhail

M y fingers fly over my laptop as Dmitri paces the hospital waiting room. Lennon checked herself out against medical advice and slipped out the back. Lyric and I are combing through nearby camera feeds, searching for any sign of her.

My phone vibrates. I pull it from my pocket and read a message from one of the guards at the club.

Ainsley is there.

I can’t tell Dmitri I know where to find her because doing so would reveal one of my darkest secrets. I don’t always know where she is, but I know when she’s at the club.

I force myself to focus back on my laptop screen, blocking out the memories. My job is to protect my family at all costs, and they need me right now.

“Nothing from the gate guards,” Andrei says. “She didn’t go to the house.”

“The Triad general landed last week. He’s here in Vegas,” Lyric supplies. “Oh, and…” She steps in close to Dmitri, whispering something in his ear that makes him stumble back, worry flashing across his face.

We quickly pack up and head out to the car. I slide into the driver’s seat, ready to take them wherever Andrei and Dmitri need me to go.

These two men have been my family since I lost my parents. Gray, Ridley, and Aleksei also, along with Babushka, who helped raise me after I was left alone. I had no family in Russia and didn’t want to go back. I knew if I bided my time, I could avenge my parents, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.

I’m instructed to head to the office. As I drive, I listen to Lyric typing away on her computer before explaining what happened at the restaurant. Lennon collapsed in the bathroom, and it was Ainsley who triggered it by yelling and upsetting her. I shift my eyes to Dmitri, wondering if he’s going to call for her death.

“I’ve called Alek. He’s on his way too,” Andrei says as I pull into the alley behind the Russian Cardroom and Yelena’s.

The cardroom is where we run our illegal gambling operation. Yelena’s is the restaurant Andrei uses as a front. Both are just small parts of our revenue stream. We don’t run drugs, but we do help people get guns.

My phone vibrates again. The guard updates me that Ainsley left in a private car. I’ll have to track her later. Dmitri is going to want to talk to her.

When my phone buzzes with another message, I look down at the text and smile.

Mistress Selene: I have a package you’ve been looking for. I’ll only turn her over if you can guarantee her safety.

Me: She will be safe.

Now, we just need to find Lennon. And then, I can plan.