Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
ACE
TWENTY MINUTES EARLIER…
So far, the night’s been easy. Denny’s members know the rules, and know what happens if they ever get out of line. Denny texted me saying he's heading this way, so I'm planning to dip out as soon as he gets here.
I’ve been working the senator job all night. Not catching a break, I decide to call it. Morgan and I came to a decision: Denny needs to give us a little more information so we know what more to look for. Otherwise this job is done, and we have nothing to give him worthy of blackmail. We've never come across a job where we couldn't find a little something for Denny. I shouldn’t be surprised, this is a state senator. But seriously, not even his douchebag friends have something to hide? I call bullshit.
The desperate hostess hasn't paid me another surprise visit, so I consider that a win. I hesitated calling down to the bar to order up a drink earlier. On the phone, I made sure to request that the bartender I was speaking with bring it up himself.
I switch from staring at the security screens to my phone—she still hasn’t gotten back to me. I asked Morgan if he's heard anything. He said the last update was a text she sent their mom. He knows I’ve been trying to find her. After I left, Cass filled him in. He called while I was on the plane, pissed I hadn’t told him sooner so he could come with me.
One of the screens catches my eye. I look up to see a few security guards rushing to the men’s room. Denny doesn’t have cameras in the restroom, so I can’t see anything else. I look at the screen showing the lounge—everything looks normal. This is weird as hell, and I’m ready to get the fuck out of here. I’m about to text Denny when an alarm goes off. I know what that alarm is: someone pressed the emergency button in one of the private rooms.
“Dammit! Not tonight.” I dial the head of security right away, he picks up after the first ring. “Ace, some shit is going on down here.” I cut him off.
“Someone pressed the emergency button in one of the private rooms! You need to go to room four!” He knows the emergency buttons take precedence over anything else.
“I have three women in the men’s restroom ODing on God knows what! I need you to go! Take any security you see with you.” The call drops.
“Shit!”
I rush out of the office, sprinting down the stairs. Noticing two security guards standing by the bar, I whistle for them to follow me. The three of us race through the club to get to whoever's in trouble.
I get to room four and use one of the master keys to try to open the door. I can’t hear anything—these rooms are soundproof for member’s privacy. The key is stuck, making it difficult to unlock. I know Denny is planning to upgrade all the rooms to key code entry, but he hasn’t done it yet.
I shake the key once more and scoff, then throw my shoulder into the door. It takes me three times, but I finally break in. I pause to take in what I just walked into. I see a man on the floor, holding his dick with one hand and the side of his face with the other. I follow the crimson trail of blood, and I’m horrified at who I see.
“Ace?”
Ainsley.
“Ainsley! What the fuck are you doing here?” I grab both sides of her face and start looking over her body for injuries. Her dress is ripped down to her waist, exposing her chest. I'm instantly enraged, seeing my beautiful girl looking so broken.
The security guards rush in, and I snap for one of them to hand over their suit jacket. With the chaos spiraling down here, I didn’t grab mine. He takes it off quickly, tossing it to me to cover her up. I wrap the jacket around her shoulders, guiding her arms into each sleeve. I need to do something to calm her down, she's shaking. I wrap her in my arms as tight as I can, holding her close to my chest.
“It’s okay. You’re alright. I’m here,” I say quietly, trying to soothe her. Her shaking slows, and she lifts her head to look at me. Her eyes are smeared with mascara as black tears roll down her cheeks.
“Baby, I need you to stay here. I'll be right back.” I turn away from her to see one of the guards pressing a towel to Jackson’s cheek.
“You motherfucker! What the fuck did you do? You piece of shit!” I'm full-blown raging at the pathetic bloody mess, kicking him as he whimpers in the fetal position like the bitch he is.
“No! No, Ace! T-t-t-take me home, please. I don’t want to be here anymore. Please Ace, don't leave me.” Ainsley frantically pulls on my arm, turning me back to face her. I know I need to get her home, but everything in me wants to make this fucker pay.
“Alright. Alright. Shhh…Let’s go.” I pick her up, cradling her in my arms, and tell the security guards to handle Davis. There's a staff-only staircase that leads to a back lot where I parked.
“Police! Cut the music!” a thunderous voice echoes down the hall.
What the hell is going on?
We're at the exit. Ainsley is still trembling in my arms—I need to get her out of here quickly. This night turned into a nightmare, and I wasn’t even supposed to be here. She wasn’t supposed to be here.
I’m fucking coming for you, Jackson Davis! You fucking bitch!
I need to calm down or I'll freak her out more. We need to leave, and I'll have to explain to Denny why I bailed later. The door opens before I have the chance; Denny and Wally storm through, looking just as angry as I feel.
“Ace! Fuck, you’re still here. What the hell happened to her?” Denny frantically asks, looking back and forth between me and Ainsley.
“I can explain later, the cops are here.”
“I know they are. I got a tip from someone on the force, and we rushed here as quickly as we could. I need you to leave. Don’t worry, Walter will grab your laptop. I'll have it delivered to your house as soon as possible.” His hand grips my shoulder. It’s not in an aggressive way, more like a fatherly way, something my dad would do. Ainsley is uncomfortable—I can feel her tense up more.
“Are you sure—” He cuts me off.
“You aren’t twenty-one yet, and I can’t risk you getting caught up in this. I'll call you once this gets settled. Go!”
“Fuck, okay. We’re leaving.” I walk out the door holding Ainsley tight, but need to set her down so we can run to my car. I didn’t see any injuries on her. From what I saw, the blood was all Jackson’s.
“Princess, I need you to stand. Can you run with me to the car? We need to get out of here.” She nods, so I set her down. She's wobbly on her feet. I’m sure it has to do with her high heels and the adrenaline wearing off. More sirens sound, we have no other choice but to run.
* * *
Back at my apartment, I have Ainsley on the sectional, curled up with a blanket. She didn’t say anything in the car, and I didn’t push for her to talk. She'll talk when she’s ready.
I walk downstairs after grabbing some of my clothes for her to change into. She's still wearing that ripped green dress. I've never seen her like this—smeared makeup, wild hair, and a dazed, empty stare. She looks broken. I lean down, holding my hand out for her to grab. When she doesn’t, I reach under her arms to pull her up to a standing position.
She won’t take her eyes off the floor. I can’t see her like this; I need to do something. I cautiously place a finger under her chin and lift her face toward mine until she makes eye contact with me. She doesn’t fight me on it. She knows she's safe with me, no matter what Fuckface did to her.
“Hey, let’s get you into some clean clothes. Do you want to use another room? Or I could leave.” I'm trying to give her options. Safe or not, he fucked her up mentally. I need her to know she can do whatever makes her feel comfortable. Ainsley still doesn’t speak. She turns slowly, a quiet shift in her movements making it clear she wants me to help her out of the dress. “Are you sure?” I whisper into her ear. She nods. My hands move to the zipper on the back of her tattered dress. She took off the security guard’s jacket when I brought her the blanket. Regardless of how distraught she looks, she's still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I hate this night and what happened to her. I don’t hate that she's here with me, and I can keep her safe from him.
Jackson is probably at the hospital now—that was a lot of blood oozing from his face.
Why were they there? How would they have even gained access to the club?
My inner thoughts are taking over. I'm trying to piece the puzzle together, but I need more information.
The dress slides down her body with ease, and I eye her up and down to check for injuries again. A bruise, shaped like a handprint, marks the front of her neck. Looking further, she has smaller bruises on her hip and legs. I turn her around so I can slip my t-shirt over her head.
Her eyes find mine, and we stand frozen in place, not making a sound. I lift my hand to tuck the hair in her face behind her ear, but stop. I want her to know I'm her safe place. I bring my hand down, but she grabs it with both hands and cups it to her face. The two of us are having an entire conversation without words. She's letting me know my closeness is okay.
“Ace? Can we go to bed? I’m really sleepy.” She covers her mouth as a large yawn escapes.
“Yeah princess, we can go to bed.” I kiss her forehead and pull her toward the stairs, letting her lead once we get to them. I don’t want to assume she's sleeping in my room.
I don’t want to lose Morgan, but I refuse to lose her again. Fuck, I didn’t have her to begin with, but I could have. If I had figured my shit out three months ago, she wouldn’t be in this mess. She would have been with me, spending Christmas together with our families. Yeah, Morgan would have hated it and hated me, but I need to stop putting him above her. She needs to know I choose her, and from now on, I’m putting her first.
Thank fuck she walks to my room and opens the door. I would understand if she needed to sleep alone in her brother’s room, but I was praying she would choose mine.
She crawls into the bed, tucking herself under my blanket. I unbutton my shirt and let it fall to the floor, then unbutton my slacks, letting them drop as well. I stand on my side of the bed in a pair of black briefs. She eyes my body up and down, but as I lift the covers, her eyes snap up to my face. I curl up next to her, pulling her body close to mine.
“We don't have to talk tonight, but I will need to know what happened, Ains.”
"Mhmm," is all I get before her breathing gets heavy. She's asleep, and it's not long before I fall asleep, too.