Chapter Thirty
Cross straightened the knot of his tie and checked his reflection in the mirror, smoothing back the hair over his temples. Verity was right, he had never voluntarily spent this long away from the club since he’d assumed control. And while he felt other matters were more pressing for the moment, he imagined his absence had already been noted and, if it continued much longer, people would start to talk. Giving his appearance one last check, he opened the door from his office and stepped through into the upper lounge.
It was gratifying to see both patrons and staff immediately register his presence and react accordingly. The former greeting his appearance with smiles of welcome and the occasional raised hand while the latter noticeably stiffening, their eyes widening a fraction as they rushed to complete tasks that they had been clearly avoiding.
It was good to be missed, he thought with a grin.
His good mood evaporated as his eyes came to rest on the figure holding court in the centre of the room. Valentina had clearly been revelling in his absence as it permitted her to assume the role of Eighth Circle ambassador unchallenged and she’d gathered a number of his senior members around her, plying them with wine and smiles.
He ground his teeth, someone should have informed him of her presence. Mentally choosing to ignore the fact that he’d given the specific instruction that he was not to be disturbed unless the building was on fire, he seethed quietly while deciding which of his unfortunate employees would receive his wrath.
But at least if Valentina was distracted by the attention of the patrons, it might allow him to slip Verity back into his apartment without her noticing. He was just deliberating whether he could avoid her himself when she turned her face and her eyes met his.
“Thomas!” she said, with an exaggerated note of surprise. “There you are! Finally! Some of your friends here were starting to grow concerned that you had disappeared entirely.”
And who could possibly have put that idea in their heads, he thought darkly.
“I do apologise,” he said, moving across to kiss her outstretched hand, “No one thought to inform me you were here, or I would have been out sooner.”
She patted his arm, like he was a favoured pet, “Oh, I know how it is as an owner, the paperwork is endless. I do so enjoy visiting other clubs where I can enjoy the evening with none of the responsibility.” As if to give the lie to her words, she caught the eye of a passing waitress and nodded sharply towards a collection of empty glasses on the table. “Though, of course, I had other reasons for wanting to visit.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw as Cross forced a smile. It was very bad form to order staff around in a club that wasn’t yours. Valentina was obviously engaged in a deeply unsubtle display of power.
“Other reasons?” he asked.
Valentina pouted, the expression exaggerated for the benefit of anyone who might be watching. “Giancarlo is hurt. He says he has not felt welcome here. I thought I could smooth things over.” She gave him a meaningful look. “Now that all the unpleasantness is out of the way.”
“So thoughtful,” Cross murmured, trying to keep the main door in his sightline, while still giving the appearance of eye contact.
“And you will be attending his party tomorrow night, won’t you, Thomas?” There was a slight edge to her tone that surprised him.
He feigned a look of confusion. “I confess, I did wonder whether my presence would be welcome.”
“Nonsense! That would send entirely the wrong message. And Giancarlo adores you. Don’t you darling?” Signalling over her shoulder, she caught the attention of a dark suited man on the far side of the lounge.
Cross stiffened. She’d brought Giancarlo with her and was now proudly displaying him like a debutant in their first season. He gave himself a shake, he shouldn’t be surprised, this was her plan after all, a way of ensuring the man was fully accepted by the rest of their community.
Uptil now, he’d managed to keep his interactions with Giancarlo low key and away from the general membership, wanting to avoid any overt displays of welcome or friendship that might be misinterpreted as approval. But Valentina was after her pound of flesh following the other night and there was no way she was going to let him avoid this very public acknowledgement of kinship.
As the man approached, Cross could see the fabric of his expensive suit straining over the muscles of his chest and shoulders. He was a few inches shorter than Cross, but had the heavy-set build that spoke of many hours spent in a private gym.
“See, I told you he would be joining us,” Valentina said and then turned back to Cross, “for some reason, Giancarlo thought you were avoiding him.” Her gaze hardened. “I assured him that was nonsense.” Grasping Cross by the arm she pulled the two men closer.
The sudden proximity was uncomfortable and Cross struggled to maintain his smile. Giancarlo held his stocky frame in a belligerent posture; the aggressive tilt to his chin betraying both his awareness and annoyance at the disparity between their heights. Cross already knew how touchy the man was about his stature and had tactfully remained seated during their previous encounters. No longer feeling the urge to pander, he straightened and idly wondered if the man wore lifts.
The next second his hand was enveloped in a bruising grip and Giancarlo jerked him so close he could smell the expensive product the man used to style his hair. Resisting the temptation to tighten his own grip in some ludicrous display of machismo, Cross kept his smile light and patted Giancarlo on the shoulder, hoping that would be an end to the encounter.
“It’s good to see you again, Giancarlo,” he said, careful to keep the tension away from his face and tone as he felt the bones of his knuckles grate together.
Giancarlo scowled up at him, clearly annoyed by the lack of reaction, then he tightened his fingers and jerked his fist, trying to force Cross off balance. Anticipating the ridiculous move, Cross merely extended his arm and the other man stumbled back a pace, finally releasing his hold. Lip curled in a snarl, Giancarlo tensed and Cross saw the faint flicker of something akin to madness gleam in his eyes. That was far more concerning than any of the posturing earlier. What did Valentina think she was doing, tying herself so firmly to this lunatic?
Quick to defuse the situation before outright violence ensued, Valentina stepped between them. “Thomas was just saying how much he was looking forward to your party tomorrow night.” She turned slightly, her gaze diamond hard as she added, “Isn’t that right, Thomas?”
Cross straightened his cuffs and nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He had to bite back a grin at Valentina’s look of triumph. If she only knew .
Happy now, Valentina circled them, first patting Giancarlo’s shoulder and then Cross’s arm as she passed. She looked as if she was about to speak when something caught her attention and her eyes narrowed as she stepped past them. Cross realised, with a lurch, that she was staring at the door. Dammit, he’d meant to distract her.
“What is she doing here?” Valentina hissed, moving towards the balcony for a better view.
Cross made a show of following her gaze and then stepped up beside her with a puzzled frown. “Who? Verity? She works here. You knew that.”
Voice low enough to keep her words between the two of them she glared at him. “Still! Surely after the other night, it would be safest to be rid of her! How could you be so foolish?”
Cross shrugged. “She’s a hard worker and the members are fond of her. I really don’t want to have to train up someone new.” He raised a dismissive hand. “She seems mostly recovered from events, and I thought it best to simply return to normal as swiftly as possible.”
“You trust her?”
He gave a forced laugh. “Good God, no. But it’s not like she knows anything of value. As far as she is concerned, the other night was a one off. It did not go well and is unlikely to be repeated. She’s more embarrassed to have failed than anything else.” His smile darkened, “And you know how keen people can be to get back into my good books when they think they’ve disappointed me.”
Giancarlo had now followed them and Cross could feel the man’s gaze wandering up Verity’s legs and over the tight fabric of her skirt. An oily smile stretched across his face and Cross had to resist the sudden urge to break his nose.
“She looks… entertaining,” he said in heavily accented English, before adding something in Italian that Cross didn’t catch.
Valentina took his arm, trying to draw him back into the room with a sharp trill of laughter. “Oh I’m sure Thomas can supply you with someone much prettier than that to play with.”
Giancarlo wrenched himself free and shouldered his way past Valentina. Cross caught that same hint of madness burn across the man’s eyes as he returned his gaze to Verity.
“I want her,” he said, with the sullenness of an overindulged child.
Cross turned away from the furious expression. If Valentina thought she had control of Giancarlo, she was very mistaken, he decided.
Perhaps realising the same thing, she shifted her attack, turning her attention on Cross. Meeting his gaze with a chilling smile she waved a hand towards Verity. “In that case, I think she should join us. Then we can see just how eager to please she really is.”
Cross fought to keep his expression neutral. This wasn’t what he wanted . He’d hoped to keep as much distance as possible between the two of them. But the look on Valentina’s face told him she wasn’t going to be dissuaded.
“Of course,” he murmured, turning to catch Verity’s attention. She was talking to someone but Cross couldn’t make out who. He was about to move closer to investigate when Giancarlo’s expression suddenly cleared and he clapped his hands with delight.
“And she should come to the party tomorrow! Cross, you will bring her?”
Cross nearly laughed out loud at Valentina’s horrified expression. Ignoring her protests, he raised a hand. “If that is what you want, I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”
Silencing Valentina with one figure, the man nodded and turned from the balcony with a smug expression on his face. “That’s settled then,” he rubbed his hands together as a disturbing smile twisted his features. “I very much look forward to being able to get to know her better.”
Cross closed his eyes briefly. He’d been worried about whether Verity would be able to hold it together - now, he admitted silently, he was more concerned that he might be the one struggling to maintain his composure if Giancarlo was allowed to indulge his very obvious desires.
Unable to come up with any good reason to avoid the introductions, other than his own personal preference, he moved to the head of the stairs, caught Verity’s attention and gestured imperiously for her to join them. She frowned up at him briefly and then her eyes widened as Valentina appeared beside him. Cross watched as she swallowed hard and slowly began to make her way towards them.
***
Verity was improvising on her feet. She had no idea what the three of them had been discussing, or what Cross might have said to explain her presence to Valentina. But she was still wearing her uniform so that gave her a character to play, and the woman was all ego, so that gave the direction to her performance.
Deciding to lead with abject apology , she approached them slowly, eyes downcast and let her lower lip tremble.
“Ah there you are. Was there something you wanted to say to Valentina?” said Cross. His face had shifted back into the blank yet threatening features of ‘Thomas Cross, Club proprietor’, and the tight set of his jaw clearly added, ‘ don’t fuck this up ’.
He looked like a stranger and a very real lurch of fear twisted her stomach as she nodded.
“About the other night. I-I don’t really remember very much of what happened once I left the building. But… but I-I’m truly sorry for everything I–”
Watching Cross’s micro expressions, she saw him relax a fraction and breathed an internal sigh of relief.
Valentina also seemed at least partially satisfied with her words and extended a hand, her nails digging into Verity’s arm, pulling her closer.
As she was dragged into a rigid hug, the scent of Valentina’s perfume enveloped her and Verity felt a wave of nausea sweep through her. She gritted her teeth, she just had to get through this. Fortunately the woman seemed to find her reticence gratifying and slid an arm around her waist.
A hard object dug into her hip and Verity turned her face away as her eyes widened. Was that….??? From its size and shape she could tell exactly what it was, and she had to hide a grin.
This opportunity was too good to pass up!
Now or never, she thought, trying to damp down the rising tide of panic. With a smoothness born of much practice she shifted her weight, letting her head rest against the woman’s shoulder as she slipped her hand into Valentina’s pocket and carefully withdrew the phone she’d felt digging into her side.
Sliding it into the tight cuff of her sleeve she was about to retreat, her arm pinned against her hip to hide the device, when her other hand was suddenly grasped by the heavyset man standing next to them. Her gaze flicked towards Cross and her question must have been clear because he immediately cleared his throat.
“Allow me to make the introductions. Giancarlo, this is Verity, Verity, this is Giancarlo, a very special guest visiting from Sicily.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said as he raised her hand to his lips.
“Giancarlo was wondering if you’d like to attend a party at his house tomorrow night. I trust that won’t be a problem.” Cross sounded almost bored as he issued the invitation.
Any need to act was now rendered unnecessary as Verity’s gaze back and forth between Cross and Valentina in genuine confusion. “Me?”
“I would be honoured,” Giancarlo replied, “and very much look forward to getting to know you better… much better.” To underline his intentions he delivered a wet lick to the back of her hand and Verity swallowed down a wave of revulsion.
Thoroughly confused by the direction this conversation had taken she blinked at Cross and mumbled, “I-I…um… thank you? But I…”
“Don’t worry about your shift, it won’t be a problem, we can find someone to fill in.”
Uncomfortably aware of the phone trapped between her arm and her hip, she thought frantically. She had to get out of here. She needed a diversion! With the slightest shrug of her shoulder, she dislodged the canvas duffle and her whole body jerked as its descent was halted by her elbow.
Valentina’s lip curled with distaste as she eyed the old, battered bag. “What is that ?” she asked, her fingers reaching for the offending item before she retracted them with a shudder.
“I’m sorry, it’s my–” Verity made a show of confusion and discomfort as she recycled a lie from the previous week. “It’s my washing, I was going to go to the laundrette after my shift. Early morning is the only time you can guarantee you’ll get a machine.”
She threw a pleading glance at Cross and was relieved that he immediately jerked his chin towards the stairs, clearly as anxious as she to end this encounter. “Put it away in the locker room, you shouldn’t have personal items on the main floor.”
Verity nodded and took a quick step back, “I-I didn’t mean to, I was just–” Not bothering to finish the sentence she turned and fled for the lower floors.
Valentina’s voice followed her, “And bring some wine with you, when you return. A decent vintage, not the rubbish you normally serve. Thomas should have a reasonable bottle in his private collection.”
Once she’d reached the safety of the staff changing room, Verity dropped her duffle in the corner and locked herself in one of the stalls. For a moment, she considered the option of throwing up but gradually her breathing settled and she sank onto the lid of the toilet and flexed her shaking fingers.
She didn’t have much time, she knew they’d be expecting her back in a couple of minutes. Carefully, she slid the stolen phone from her sleeve, and retrieved the latex finger print from the contact lens case in her bag and set to work.
Valentina’s appearance had altered her plans, she hadn’t expected to run into the woman until the party tomorrow night, but when an opportunity presents itself you have to roll with it and Verity was used to improvising on the fly. Even so, it took three attempts before her trembling fingers could unlock the phone and for one horrible moment she thought the fake print wasn’t going to work. Then the screen lit up and a dizzying wave of relief swept through her.
Opening the web browser she quickly searched for the phrasing she wanted and pasted it into the secure messenger, typing the number she knew by heart. There was a swoosh as the message sent and Verity slumped back against the tiles. This might actually work!
Noting that the woman kept her sent box meticulously empty, she deleted the message. It would be easy enough to find, if anyone bothered to look, and she intended to make sure they looked at Valentina very closely indeed.
Exiting the stall, she washed her hands and stared at her flushed cheeks in the mirror. Did she have the chance to corner Chris again before she returned? Their conversation had been interrupted earlier as Cross had summoned her away and before she’d had the chance to say any more than ‘ make sure you’re working the top table tomorrow evening. ’ But she’d already used up more time than would be expected for this chore; delaying any further might be suspicious. She had to hope that the single instruction would be enough.
Avoiding the other staff, she made her way down into the main wine cellar and using dust as an indicator of quality she picked the dirtiest bottle she could find before making her way swiftly back to the upper lounge.
Apparently, she’d picked well; the delight in Valentina’s eyes was matched by the faintest wince from Cross as she presented the bottle. Perhaps he’d been intending this wine for some special occasion, she thought, careful to not let her grin show. Well she felt like celebrating and he could suck it.
Verity was relieved to learn that Giancarlo had already made his apologies, apparently he needed to make final preparations for the party. That suited her just fine, she knew all she needed to about the man of the hour and she wasn’t really in the mood for another aggressive groping.
Valentina also seemed to have come to terms with the sudden shift in plans for the following night and gestured to her to fill all three glasses. Verity accepted hers with a quiet murmur of thanks and as she moved past the woman to fill Cross’s glass, she slipped the stolen phone down the side of her chair where it lodged between the cushion and the armrest, ready to be found later.
Taking a sip of the excellent red she hid a dark smile.
Yes, it was definitely time to celebrate.