Chapter 17
BEASTY
The line went dead, leaving the four of us staring at the phone in disbelief.
"Did he really end the call before he left their town?" I was shocked. What an ass!
"He did." Joaquin's tone was grim.
"He's safe. He'll call back as soon as he's done." Kim, surprisingly optimistic today.
We sat in the office like good little kids, and I'd never been more angry at myself for not putting up more of a fight about Lake going back to my old town.
My phone went off and I jumped.
Holly needed me with the dancers. As much as I loved having a purpose and helping out, I’d be useless until I knew that Lake was safe.
"What's wrong?" Kim rubbed the small of my back.
"Holly needs me. I can't go, not until we hear from Lake."
Joaquin held up his phone. "He's past city limits. He said he needs to do some things, but he'll call us soon or talk to us when he gets back."
"That fucker." Atlas seemed a mix of irritated and impressed. I wasn't even going to touch that.
"Come on, Beasty. I'll go with you." Kim nudged me toward the door. Over his shoulder he said, "Text us if Lake calls. Otherwise, he's the next one to get punished."
"Punished?" I asked, but Kim blushed, shaking his head. "I heard you talking about ganging up on Joaquin."
I didn't think that was the whole story...
"Yeah, well, that asshole would love the torture. You'll have to find another way to punish him," Atlas grumbled. His words pulled an unwilling laugh from my chest.
Damn these guys. They were funny under tense situations. Another item added to the list of things I was learning about them.
The dancers were sprawled out in the Whip Room while Holly wrote something on her clipboard.
"I'm here!" I called. Holly and the dancers perked up.
Danielle and Ross glared at each other, but outside of that, they all seemed in good spirits.
"We're all set to go for tonight's show, except one of the servers in the Whip Room called in. I've called all our backups and none can make it." Holly tapped her spreadsheet with a list of names on it.
"It's because Sophie has a new boyfriend," Danielle sniffed.
What was it with these women picking at each other? It was like they wanted an all-out war. "We need a server then?"
"Yes." Holly bit her lip. "We're already short, and we need to hire more people, period. The club has done more numbers than we anticipated."
Shit, okay. That was a good problem, but it was still a problem...
Desiree.
I brushed Kim’s arm. "Can you get Desiree here? She said she wanted to work." Then I turned to Holly. "Can you train someone on the fly to be ready by tonight?"
"For a server job?" She blinked. "Yeah, it’s the easiest job we have."
"Perfect. I'll find you later when she gets here." And maybe I'd be able to get a little information out of Desiree too.
I breezed through the schedules and dancer placements, with more than a few complaints from Danielle. What was her problem?
As soon as we had a full staff, she was gone.
"Let's go to the front room, check things out and maybe grab a bite to eat." I took Kim's hand and started toward the door.
Pulling out of my hold, he dropped his arm around my shoulders and tucked me against his side. Every time Kim touched me in public, I was still shocked. From the looks on the dancers' faces, they were surprised too.
I loved it, reveled in it even.
For a few fantastic minutes, there were no issues. No patrons clogging the hallways at this time of day, only a light crowd of business meetings in the main room. By the time we reached it though, almost all the tables were full.
"What time is it?" I asked Kim.
"11:15."
"Didn't Lake say something about charging a membership to eat here during the day? That might be necessary." I steered us toward our booth.
Kim snickered. "Don't underestimate the power of people wanting to be in the in-crowd."
I wouldn't. The more I was around the guys, I understood exactly what that meant. Maybe I always had.
The boys had this effortless draw to them that others couldn't help but notice. Coupled with the massive success under their belts, people flocked to them in droves. And threw money at them.
Great for Snatched.
Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. At the edge of the hallway, by the front entrance, was a woman in a scuffle.
I sighed.
"We can let the bouncer handle it." Kim gave me a gentle squeeze.
"No, it's okay. We don't want anyone taking pictures and posting them on gossip sites." Chances were, the issue was nothing, but if I saw it, there was something I could do to manage it.
As we approached, Kim muttered, "Oh," under his breath.
"What?"
"That's Briceida. Isn't that who gave that Pesci grunt a pass in?"
Briceida was exactly as I expected of someone in the fashion industry—dressed to the nines with flawless hair and makeup. If I could see her feet, I'd bet she was wearing five inch stilettos. She just seemed like the type.
She was also yelling obscenities about our low-class establishment.
I picked up my pace. "Brian!" I called the bouncer's name.
He glanced over his shoulder and his scowl melted. "Ms. Hart."
"What's going on?" I gave Briceida a smile like everything was going to be okay.
"Finally, Kim." She blew a curl out of her eyes, the only wayward piece in her otherwise slicked back hair, a tell of how much she struggled with the bouncer. "Tell them who I am. This dickface said I'm not on the list."
Kim's gaze skated to me, and I nodded reassuringly. I had this. Taking care of the guys this way was my biggest pleasure.
"It's okay, Brian. Can you show her to the security office?"
"What—"
"We just have a small matter to clear up with you before you can gain full access..." I trailed off when I glanced over her shoulder.
A man in jeans and a sweatshirt, miles different from the suit he’d worn at the museum, stood on the sidewalk by the parking garage. It was the same guy I’d taken a picture of. I was sure of it.
"Kim!" I turned. "It's him," I whispered, jerking my head behind me.
I itched to run after him, but I was done being stupid. Kim brushed past me, stopping on the top steps. "Where?"
"He's..." Gone. "He was right there."
Kim burst toward the stairs, but I grabbed his arm. "No!" I leaned closer. "It could be a trap."
My heart pounded in my ears. We could be in danger right now, and we had no idea who this man was.
"Come on." Kim grabbed my hand, and tugged me into an alcove. Moving one hand to my hip, he flipped through the outside and parking garage cameras.
When nothing appeared, he rotated through the different angles all over again. With every empty screen, my stomach sank lower and lower.
"There." He was back in the parking garage. Kim hesitated.
Shit, I pressed a hand to my chest. There was no way we were going to go back into the garage. Not like this. A security guard passed, and I caught his sleeve.
"Jay," I rushed out. "There's a man in the parking garage. Gray hoodie, jeans, and brown hair. Can you grab him?"
"You got it." He took off, but I called after him. "Take backup and have your weapons out."
He nodded, his walkie-talkie already out.
I didn't like this. It felt wrong to send our guys out there when I knew this man could be dangerous. But at the same time, I would choose Kim and me over them every single time. The truth of it stuck in my throat.
We huddled around Kim’s phone, watching four men run across the screen. One pointed, and the man from the museum took off. Whatever he'd been doing, he'd stayed in that corner until security spotted him, then he bolted.
"No..." I whined as Kim followed the chase through the cameras. But once he crossed the road, he was just gone.
Our guys ran out and while two went in different directions, the other two slowed to a stop, threading their fingers behind their heads as they searched the road.
My racing pulse slowed in the most disappointed and dejected fashion.
What the fuck? Why couldn't we catch a break with this guy?
"Excuse me, Ms. Hart? Mr. Kim?" A guy cleared his throat. He was one of the security guards who had been here since the beginning. I recognized him but didn't know his name.
"Yes, Ethan?" Kim sighed much like I felt.
"Briceida Ross is in the spare office. What do you want us to do with her?" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
A new kick of adrenaline surged in my chest. Okay, maybe all wasn't lost. I looked at Kim and his expression brightened. "We'll be there in a few minutes. Keep her there, please."
"Will do." He ducked his head and headed back to the front entrance.
"I'll call the others," he murmured, squeezing my hip.
I didn't respond. Instead, I thought back to the day we'd kicked Mac Crady out of the Gold Room and then Lake’s conversation with Donnie. If this woman was in cahoots with the Pescis, what did that mean for her or us?
In less than two minutes, Joaquin appeared, and about thirty seconds after that, Atlas showed up.
"We ready?" Atlas dropped a hard kiss on my lips, stealing me from Kim’s hold.
“Yes. We can finally get some answers,” I said.
"Let’s go see what my old friend knows about the Pescis." Joaquin patted his thigh where his cards were, but he didn't pull them out. "I'll question her. We have history."
I stiffened.
"Not that kind of history, Beasty," Atlas murmured against my temple. "There's never been anyone else but you."
It was nice of him to say, but I'd known since the day they'd kicked that man out of Snatched that they'd fucked other people. Only this time when I thought about it, it didn't hurt.
Like the packaged deal we were, we walked to the security office. The few people entering the club slowed down, watching us pass. I had to give it to the guys, they had such an extreme level of indifference, they didn't seem to care about or even register them.
I'd get there. One day. When there weren't a million threats hanging over our heads. Until then—Actually, fuck that. The first thing Aunt Erin had taught me on the street was to watch everyone. You never knew when someone would try to stab you in the back.
I never wanted to lose my street smarts. They’d kept me safe more than anything I’d learned in school and I was proud of that part of me.
Joaquin opened the door, breezing in like he was the king of the castle. We filed in behind him, lining up against the wall as Joaquin pulled out a chair opposite Briceida.
"Thank God, tell these people I'm on the list." Her shoulders slumped and her hands stretched across the table without an ounce of tension in them.
"Actually, Bri, we removed your name from the list." Joaquin adjusted the tongue of his tie, canting his head.
"What? Why?" Real confusion painted her expression. I snuck a glance at Atlas and Kim. Did they recognize it too?
"The last time you were in the club, you brought a man in as your plus one. He caused some shit and we had to escort him out," Joaquin recited as if he were reading off a dictionary. No emotion. Just stating facts.
"The last time..." Briceida dropped her gaze to the table. "When was that?"
"You don't remember the last time you were here?" The surprise in Joaquin's voice pitched his tone higher.
"Oh, wait. You mean Mac? I met him about a month ago. Here in the main dining room." Her openness was genuine, even as my stomach sank.
Briceida was telling the truth. That meant that Mac had made it past security more than once.
But that was before Lake had facial recognition software installed. He wouldn't be getting in now.
Unless he wore a mask. That sour thought banged around inside my head.
"Hmm..." Joaquin stretched back in his chair. "You mean, you met a man in the main dining room, who you knew nothing about," he raised a hand when she tried to interject, "and took him to our most private rooms as your plus one?"
He shook his head, releasing a beleaguered sigh. "Briceida. What the hell?"
The woman fidgeted in her seat. She knew she fucked up. Maybe she hadn't before, but listening to Joaquin, she knew it now. "Joaquin. Damn it, I thought he was okay. I never would have taken him as my plus one if I'd known he'd cause issues for you."
"He didn't just cause issues, he purposely targeted you so he could get into those rooms." Joaquin's voice hardened. "And you fell into the trap like a fucking idiot."
"What can I do to make it up to you? I didn't have any shady feelings about him, I swear!"
That was surprising. From the two seconds I was in his presence, I couldn't escape the slime of his intentions. Or the darkness in his personality. This woman must have lived a sheltered life.
"Tell us everything you know about him. Everything he told you, everything you noticed. Even the things you thought and discarded because you didn't think they were important."
"Okay," she breathed. "Okay. He said his name was Mac Brady. He's a bookie from Virginia. The only thing he'd drink was whiskey..."
We sat with her for an hour as Joaquin grilled her. If she thought anything was weird with us propping up the wall, she didn't say. In the end, there wasn't anything of use. He'd lied to her, and her instincts were shit.
"I think we're done here." Joaquin stood up, pushing his chair back into the table.
"Am I good? Am I back on the list?" When she glanced up at him, her eyes were wide and her fingers trembled where they lay on the table.
The Gold Room, how her body reacted—she was an addict. Only gambling was her drug of choice.
"Sorry, Bri. We can't have people in our club who can't respect the privacy we need to operate. You understand."
Joaquin turned to me, his lids heavy and his lips pulling down in a frown. He didn't take pleasure in doing this, but it was the right thing to do. We had to protect ourselves first and foremost.
Taking my hand, he led me out with Atlas and Kim behind us. The woman, Briceida, yelled after us the whole way.
She was sorry, it wouldn't happen again. They were friends, and he owed her this chance for old times’ sake.
Ethan stood in the hallway with a few other guards. "Escort her off the property please,” Joaquin ordered. “She's on the banned list."
Two of the men slipped by us as we headed to the main dining room.
Atlas, who had been dividing his attention between the conversation and his phone, looked up. "Lake is here."