Chapter Seven
Rome grabbed her hand and walked her through the crowded nightclub, and she didn’t fight him, as she was more than happy to get away from the crowd. Men and women were all but having sex on the dance floor. She didn’t know how anyone could call what they were doing dancing. To her, it appeared on the explicit side, and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
She pressed her lips together and decided not to ask him any questions. Ten days, she’d been with him now. Ten whole days, and he’d finally decided to take her to a nightclub. He said he had work to do, and it was time Beth got out of his house. She’d nearly corrected him, and called it a den. The Devil’s Den.
Before Ben had dropped her off at Rome’s, he’d warned her about the fact Rome was in line with the Devil. Some had even believed he was the Devil himself. It was probably another reason why when she was in the car, she just lost it. Her brother had no right to terrify her like that, just moments before she was about to enter Rome’s home—or the Devil’s Den—to keep him breathing.
Yep, she had been pissed. She wondered in that moment if she might have overreacted just a smidge. So far, Rome hadn’t shown any kind of devil tendencies. Yes, he liked sex, a lot of it. Beth was starting to realize that she also loved a lot of sex.
The man in charge of the VIP section used his arm to push some women out of the way, and opened the entrance to the section for him.
“Evening, Mr. Hayes,” he said.
“Evening, Ryan.”
“What the hell? You’re going to let him and Fatty through, but you’re not going to give me a shot?”
Beth let out a cry as Rome reacted fast. Within seconds, she was shocked to see Rome’s hand clenched around the woman who’d been complaining.
“What did you say?” Rome asked.
She didn’t know what to do. She had never seen him react so swiftly.
The woman clearly panicked as she tried to pull his hand away, to force him to let her go.
“Get off me. Call the cops.”
“Sir?” Ryan asked.
Beth stepped forward and put her hand on his arm. “Come on, don’t let her ruin our night any more than she already has.” She didn’t know what to do as she wasn’t sure what had set him off. She did, however, see Rome squeeze her neck before letting her go.
“Get her out of my club, and if I ever find out she has been back, I will have your job,” Rome said.
“Your club?” the woman on the floor asked.
Her friend was already picking her up, and Rome turned back to Beth and walked her up the VIP section. This part of the nightclub wasn’t just for Rome. She saw several people in different booths. She was pretty sure she even saw an actor, but she didn’t know for sure.
They arrived at his booth, and before she even got chance to ask, a waitress was there to take their drink order. She pressed her lips together and waited. Rome no longer looked ready to explode.
He kept glancing over the dance floor, and then he turned to look at her.
“What happened?” she asked.
Beth expected him to be vague, or to skeet around the subject.
“She insulted you. No one insults you, Beth.”
She opened her mouth and then closed it, a little taken aback as she stared at him. “You did that … for me?”
“Yes, they don’t get to insult you. Don’t allow anyone the chance to do that. Once they do, they have power over you.”
“I didn’t even know that woman.”
“It doesn’t matter. Never allow it to happen.” Rome suddenly got to his feet. “Stay here, I have some business to get to.”
“Wait,” Beth said.
He stopped and turned toward her.
“First, thank you. That was really sweet.” She got a frown for her thanking him. “I need to use the bathroom. Can I just go?”
“Yes, if you need anything, Ryan will assist you.”
“What about the drinks?”
“The waitress knows not to deliver them until I return. If there are any drinks on this table before I come back, don’t drink them, and inform Ryan.”
She nodded and watched as he walked away. This was already a strange night. Was there going to be nothing with Rome that was normal? Beth took a deep breath and got to her feet. Normal was overrated, maybe. She didn’t know exactly what she wanted. What she did know was she needed the bathroom.
Stepping back the way she had come, Ryan was already on his section.
“Rome said I could come to you,” she said. “I need to use the bathroom.” This was embarrassing. She tried to convince herself it wasn’t embarrassing but every bone in her body was telling her the exact opposite.
Ryan nodded, he didn’t laugh or snigger, he just pointed toward the bathroom. She understood why Rome didn’t have a problem, as they were within Ryan’s line of sight. Beth didn’t think there was going to be any trouble, seeing as she wasn’t exactly a party girl.
Stepping into the bathroom, she went to the first stall and closed the door. Sitting down, she closed her eyes and pressed her hands to her face. Aware that she also wore makeup, she immediately removed her hands.
Rome’s reaction to the woman should alarm her. That was what she kept telling herself. She should be a little more concerned with how he handled it, which wasn’t good. Beth had been called worse in her lifetime, by women older and younger than the one that pissed off Rome.
Beth hadn’t really been paying much attention to the two women, seeing as she was entering a nightclub for the first time in her life. Rome had found out she hadn’t gone to a party or nightclub, or had any kind of fun. They got talking, or Rome was questioning her, about her life with her brother.
She didn’t like any of the questions, because none of them made her think about her brother in a positive light. Ben hadn’t been good to her. He used her, and she was starting to see that now. She finished on the toilet, flushed, and opened the door, only to come face to face with the man she’d just been thinking about.
Ben stood in the women’s bathroom.
“What the fuck,” Beth said, putting a hand in front of her beating heart. “Ben, you scared me.”
He looked like he’d not had a lot of sleep.
“I had to see you,” Ben said.
Beth found that very hard to believe but said nothing to him, because he was also known for having a temper and being a pain in the ass. The man would pout for days after, and make living with him so difficult. She didn’t even have to be the cause of his irritation, he found some reason to complain.
“If you want to see Rome, he’s busy doing something.” She brushed past him and went to the sinks.
“I need you to do something for me,” Ben said.
Beth looked at her brother in the mirror across from the bathroom.
“And you don’t think I am doing something for you?” Beth asked.
He took a step toward her, then another.
“Come on, little sis, I wouldn’t come and ask you if it wasn’t majorly important.” He reached out and gripped her arms.
Beth didn’t like it. There was an edge of desperation to his actions.
She didn’t want to hear any of this, and she couldn’t help but look toward the door, hoping Ryan would magically appear, or Rome, and she wouldn’t need to hear what Ben wanted.
“He’s distracted,” Ben said. “I know we don’t have a lot of time, but this is important. I’m in trouble, Beth.”
“In trouble?”
“I need you to … find some kind of vault, or some way to get me cash.”
“Are you insane?” she asked.
“Look, I took all the rent money, we’ve lost the apartment, and I need money fast.”
Beth stared at him, and then she suddenly realized what he was saying. “You gambled our home? How?”
“Someone wanted to rent a place, so I put our place on the table for a prize. Come on, Beth, it’s not hard to understand.”
“So, let me get this right. While I’m currently trying to keep your ass alive by belonging to one of the men you owed money to, rather than get your lazy ass to find a job, you decided to fill your time by creating a bigger debt. I’ve got no home to go to when all of this is over?” Beth asked. “You took everything.”
“Look, I know it sounds bad, but get me that money, and I promise I will make it up to you. I promise. I have proven, time and time again, that I will take care of you.”
Beth was seething with rage. She felt ready to explode. Just as she was about to open her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, his cell phone rang.
“I’ve got to go. I’ll be waiting, Beth. You owe me.”
****
Arriving back at his VIP booth, he saw Beth was sitting, no drinks, but her arms were folded across her chest. He was very much aware of her brother’s shenanigans tonight. How he’d gotten a woman to start showing off her tits to Ryan. All the time, Rome had been waiting.
This was his job—to provide an opportunity for brother and sister to meet. He’d gotten a call from a cop, warning him that Ben Hunter was talking shit about him. Telling people he was invincible because Rome Hayes was on his side.
The only person keeping Ben alive right now was his sister.
He didn’t know what kind of delusion Ben was working on right now, but either way, this was a test for Beth. She looked up at him with a frown on her face.
“You’re back,” she said.
“Business took a little longer than I would have liked. Were you able to find the bathroom okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, yeah, it was fine.”
He gave her that opening.
The waitress was just in time with their drinks, a friendly smile, and off she went.
He handed Beth her orange juice as he took a sip of his whiskey. Rome always made sure he got the best, he didn’t shirk on quality. The whiskey was spicy, but not in a cheap way. This had been aged with grace.
“My brother was in the ladies’ room, waiting for me when I was done,” Beth said.
Rome turned toward her. He figured she wouldn’t tell him, that her loyalty was to her brother and not him. Beth lifted her gaze to his, and he saw the tears in her eyes.
“He wants me to steal money from you. He … I’m sorry. I…” She looked around the room and the music was just a little too loud.
“Come on,” he said, taking hold of her hand. He led her toward the back of the nightclub, going through several doors, until he stepped into his office. The moment the door closed, silence assailed them.
“A soundproof office, I should have known you would have something like this,” she said.
“Only the best,” he said.
“Of course.” She chuckled. “That is what you have.”
He moved toward the desk and leaned against the front of it. “Talk.”
“I don’t know what he’s doing or what he’s been up to, but he mentioned losing the apartment. I can’t even believe he has done that. We don’t even own the place, but apparently if someone wants to rent, then it can be some kind of collateral, I guess. I don’t get it. It’s a shitty apartment.” She cried out. “He makes me so mad! I told him to get his shit together, and instead, he’s only made things worse, and now he wants me to steal from you.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what happened.”
Rome sighed.
Tears had started to fall down her face. The mascara she wore must be waterproof, as none of it had smudged while she cried.
“It’s pretty simple, I’ve been aware of your brother using my name as leverage to get into several places.”
“What?” Beth asked. “What kind of places?”
“Gambling. Anywhere you can place a bet is where you can find him.”
She shook her head. “No, that is insane.” She began to pace.
“Did you know what your brother did back home?” he asked.
“He had some kind of job, I don’t know what. He always wore a suit, and he said it was important.”
Rome stared at her. There was a lot she didn’t know about her brother.
“Your brother was a breaker,” Rome said.
“What?”
“He worked for one of the biggest crooks in town. A guy called—”
“Vinchy?”
“Yeah, you now the name?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, he ran everything in town. He owned everything. No one could do anything without him knowing. My parents worked for him as well. I always thought, no, Ben always told me he had a good job.”
“He did, he got paid to break bones of men and women who didn’t pay their debts.”
Beth gasped and pressed her hands to her face. “He did?”
He saw her scrambling as she started to pace.
“Holy crap, no, this can’t be, but then, that makes a lot of sense. It explains why so many people were upset and terrified of him. I can’t believe it, this feels insane, I mean, none of it makes sense to me, and yet it does. He broke a woman’s nose.” Beth rubbed her temple.
“Do you want to steal from me?” he asked.
“What?” She shook her head. “Hell, no. I left home. I left my parents. I left that life and he can tell me all he wants that I owe him. I owe him nothing. I’ve been taking care of him for the last five years, and he has done nothing for himself.” She screamed and tightened her hands into fists. “He makes me so angry.” Beth looked up at him, and he saw how lost she appeared. “What do I do?”
Rome knew there was nothing she could do. He spread open his arms. “Come here.”
Beth sighed and he partly expected her to tell him no, but then she surprised him by closing the distance and all but throwing herself into his arms.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what else he has done, but I will try and make it up to you.”
“You’ve got to stop,” Rome said.
She sunk against him.
“What your brother has done, or is doing, is not your fault. I need to know if you want me to take care of it,” Rome said.
Beth pulled back a little, just enough for her to see the slight panic in her face.
“Take care of it?” she asked.
“It is only going to be a matter of time before whatever he does causes you trouble, Beth. Hasn’t he proven that he’s going to keep coming until he gets what he wants?”
She sighed and then nodded. “Yeah, he has.”
He cupped her cheek. “I’ll take care of it.”
“I’m scared. He is still my brother.”
He saw the tears fall down her face. “I can wait. I’ll keep an eye on him, but I will wait.”
Rome didn’t have the heart to tell her it was only going to be a matter of time before he fucked up. Stroking her cheek, he pulled her in close and relished her sinking into him, taking comfort from him.
He had planned tonight, knowing Ben was trying to find a way to get to Beth. The only way he was guaranteed to learn the truth was if he went to the nightclub tonight. Beth had surprised him. He expected Beth to help her brother, to be willing to steal from him. She wasn’t going to fall down the hole with her brother.
She truly was one of a kind.