Chapter 16 Emilio
Emilio
Eventually, I gather myself and pull on a suit I pulled out.
Bright pink, the kind of bold statement piece that demands attention and makes it impossible to fade into the background.
The fabric is smooth and expensive, tailored perfectly to hide the swell of my belly while still making me look put together.
Hot as fuck, actually. The lace from my camisole lingers below, peeking out beneath the v of my dress shirt.
Just enough to be suggestive without being obvious.
The contrast between the bright pink suit and the rose blush lace creates an interesting visual, one that says I know exactly what I'm doing and I don't care what anyone thinks about it.
Deep breaths, Emilio. In through my nose, out through my mouth.
The dread from earlier still sits heavy in my chest, but I push it away.
That's what I'm good at. Shoving problems into boxes and dealing with them later when I have the time and energy.
Right now, I need to be Emilio Ardyn, club owner extraordinaire.
Not Emilio the terrified pregnant Omega who just realized his entire life is about to implode.
Walking into the main area, I nearly collide with Cole. The Beta stands near the bar, nursing what looks like a whiskey on the rocks. His sharp eyes take me in, something in his expression telling me this conversation won't be pleasant.
"I wasn't sure you'd show after that mess of a meeting," Cole says, his tone casual but his posture tense.
The comment irritates me immediately. "This is my club. Why wouldn't I?" My voice comes out sharper than I intend, but I'm tired of people questioning my commitment. "Just because Zaden is trying to sabotage what I've built doesn't mean I'm not going to push through it."
Cole nods slowly, something like awe flickering across his face. "I respect that."
We talk for a few minutes about Neon Dreams, about the sales numbers from last night, and about the new flavors Cole wants to introduce next month.
The launch went well despite everything that happened.
Better than projected, actually. People loved the drinks, loved the aesthetic, loved the way they glowed under the blacklights.
Cole mentions a few new marketing strategies he wants to implement, ways to capitalize on the buzz from opening night.
But then his expression shifts, becoming more serious. "And you're okay? I should have asked earlier."
The concern in his voice catches me off guard. "I'm much better, thank you." My defenses go up automatically, walls slamming into place. "You should have never been in that conference room. It was unprofessional as fuck and I'm sorry."
Cole shrugs, unbothered. "I've been around worse. But hey, if you need help producing an Alpha, I can help you with that."
My entire body tenses, anger flooding through me. "What the fuck did you just say to me?"
Cole holds up his hands, trying to placate me.
"I was only brought up to speed this morning, but we both know that you don't have an Alpha.
" He leans in slightly, lowering his voice so no one else can hear.
"Come on, Emilio. It was like your whole big thing when you hooked me in, that we don't need Alphas and that we are just as capable as them.
I don't want to see the club go to Zaden and if all you need is an Alpha… "
A snort escapes me. "I appreciate the concern, but there is an Alpha. He's just not involved in the politics of my club because that was the deal. This whole building and everything in it is what I've built and his grimy hands aren't allowed on it."
The lie comes out smooth and even though I've been telling it for less than twenty-four hours, it already feels rehearsed. Maybe because I've been lying to myself for longer than that.
Cole's expression doesn't change. "I get it. I'm just saying that come tomorrow if you don't…"
"Now you're just being disrespectful," I cut him off. "Enjoy the evening, Cole."
Without waiting for his response, I turn and walk away.
Everyone has an opinion about what I should do, how I should handle my life, who I should let control me.
Nobody thinks I can do this on my own. Not the investors, not my brother, not even the people who are supposed to be my allies. Well, most of them.
The thought of making rounds through the crowd hits me, and suddenly a pang of fear from what happened last night flits through me.
The memory of being drugged, of losing control of my own body, of stumbling around vulnerable and exposed.
What if it happens again? What if someone else tries to drug me?
What if I can't protect myself or the baby?
Instead of heading to the main floor, I veer toward the VIP lounge. The exclusive section feels safer somehow. Security is tighter up here. Plus, it's where Liam usually is. Not that I need him. I don't need anyone. But knowing he's nearby makes the anxiety ease slightly.
Except when I reach the top of the stairs, Liam is mysteriously absent. The booth where he usually sits with Akira stands empty save for Akira himself. He's at the last booth, working with a customer. I wait until the customer nods, pockets the package, and walks off before approaching.
Akira looks up, his gaze immediately softening when he sees me. The change is so dramatic it almost makes me stumble. One second he's all business, hard edges and calculated moves. The next, his expression melts into something warmer, something that makes my stomach flip.
"I heard you were doing better," he says, his voice carrying across the space between us.
My frown deepens. Something about the way he's looking at me feels too intense, too knowing. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why are you looking at me like that?"
Akira's eyes darken with lust, his gaze walking all over me.
Starting at my face, trailing down my neck, lingering on the hint of lace peeking through my shirt, following the lines of my suit down to my shoes and back up again.
The heat in his stare makes my skin prickle, my body responding in ways I don't want to acknowledge.
A whine builds in my throat, and I bite it back, swallowing it down before it can escape and betray exactly how much his attention affects me.
"You look like a fucking snack," Akira says, his voice dropping lower. "And if that lace peeking out through your shirt is anything like the panties I peeled off of you last night, then that's why I'm looking at you like this."
Heat floods my face, my cheeks burning. "It was one night."
Akira throws his hands up in defeat, but there's amusement in his eyes. "I apologize for ogling the boss."
My heart flutters, and I hate myself for it. I've always been admired, always had people looking at me with desire. But something about the way Akira does it feels different. Like he's not just looking at an Omega he wants to fuck, but at me specifically.
A smile manages to break through despite my best efforts. "Where's Liam?"
"He's interviewing a few people with Otto," Akira says, leaning back in his seat. "Trying to figure out what happened last night."
Nodding, I look around the VIP section again. The space is filling up, people claiming tables and ordering bottles. The energy is good, the vibe exactly what I want for this club. Exclusive but not stuffy, upscale but still fun. Then, without even thinking about it, I take a seat across from Akira.
His eyebrow raises, surprise flickering across his face. "Why not sit at any of the other tables?"
"Because then people like to come over and ask questions," I say, settling into the plush booth. "I just need to sit here for a minute."
Akira observes me, his dark eyes taking in details I'm not sure I want him to see. The tension in my shoulders, the way my hands won't stay still, the exhaustion that I can't quite hide. "Sit here as long as you like."
The offer makes me a little flustered. My eyes scan the VIP section, looking for Liam again.
Not sure why I keep doing that. I don't even need him.
We're not dating. Last night was just a necessity, this afternoon was just comfort.
Nothing more. But something inside of me wants to put eyes on the Alpha, wants to confirm he's here and safe and accessible if I need him.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out. A text from Liam. Come to the security office.
The message immediately sets off alarm bells in my head.
Standing up, I notice Akira rises with me.
He falls into step beside me as I head toward the back of the club, and it takes me a moment to realize what he's doing.
Shielding me from the crowd. His body angles between me and the other people, creating a barrier that keeps them from getting too close.
Nobody bumps into me, nobody reaches out to touch me.
Akira makes sure of it without saying a word.
The security office sits at the end of a long hallway, away from the main floor. When I push open the door, Liam and Otto are already inside. Both of them look grim, their expressions tight with frustration.
Otto speaks first, not wasting time on pleasantries. "It seems that there is an hour of security footage missing, right around the time you would have been drugged and then carried out of the building."
A grimace pulls at my face. "Why can't anything ever be easy?"
Of course the footage is missing. Of course whoever did this was smart enough to cover their tracks. Nothing about this situation has been straightforward, so why would this be any different?
Pulling out my phone, I'm about to call Cole to see if he caught anything when I see a new text string. Skull emojis. Lots of them. From Zaden.
"Is he a fucking child?" I mutter, staring at the screen.
Before anyone can respond, a pounding on the security office door makes us all jump.
"Police, open up!"
My blood runs cold. Otto moves toward the door, Liam walking me back a few steps, positioning himself between me and whoever is about to come through that door.
Otto opens the door, Zaden standing there with an evil grin plastered across his face. Two police officers flank him, their expressions completely neutral as they step inside, their eyes scanning the small room and landing on Akira and Liam.
"Are you Akira and Liam Stark?" one of the officers asks.
"Yes," they both answer, their voices steady despite the tension crackling in the air.
The officer pulls out handcuffs, and my heart drops into my stomach. "River Harrison was murdered a few hours ago. A few witness reports have you both at his location so we’re taking you in for questioning."
The words wash over me, but I can't process them. River Harrison murdered. The name means nothing to me, but clearly it means something to them. Both Akira and Liam go still, their faces suddenly blank of emotion. But I can see the tension in their jaws and the way their hands clench into fists.
The officers move forward, everything happening in slow motion.
They turn the brothers around, pulling their arms behind their backs.
The metallic click of handcuffs echoes in the small space, impossibly loud.
Both Liam and Akira stare at me as they're restrained, their eyes locked on mine.
Liam's expression is apologetic, like he's sorry for leaving me.
Akira's is fierce, like he's memorizing my face in case he doesn't see it again.
Anguish floods through me, fear clawing at my throat, making it hard to breathe. The officers guide them toward the door, and I watch helplessly as they disappear into the hallway.
Zaden steps forward, his grin widening. "Seems like your drug dealers got in over their head and killed one of their members. Be careful who you hang out with, Emmy. This isn't a good look."
The nickname makes my skin crawl. Only my parents called me Emmy, and hearing it from Zaden's mouth feels like a violation. He's enjoying this, reveling in my distress. This is what he wanted. Not just to take my club, but to destroy everything I care about in the process.
My heart beats faster, panic rising in my chest. Looking around frantically, I search for something to calm me, something to ground me before I spiral completely. But there's nothing. Just Otto's concerned face and Zaden's satisfied smirk.
"We need to go to the station," I manage to say, turning to Otto, Zaden already disappearing down the hall.
Otto manages a slow nod, suggesting we wait a few minutes so that the chaos dies down a little bit. I almost argue with him until he asks me a question that cuts through my panic.
"When are you going to stop fighting whatever this is with those Stark Alphas?"
"What are you talking about?"
Otto glances at me. "Son, we both know they aren't just vendors at the club. Not with the way you seek Liam out and not with the way you made a beeline up those VIP steps this evening to sit with Akira."
"I just didn't want to be in the crowd after yesterday," I protest, but it's a weak reasoning and we both know it.
Otto chuckles. "Lying to yourself won't make it go away. You could have asked me to make a few calls to check up on the Starks and make sure they made bail if that was necessary, but you demanded we go see them."
He's right. I could have handled this from the club, could have sent someone else to deal with it. But the moment those officers led Liam and Akira away, all I could think about was getting to them. Making sure they're okay. Seeing them with my own eyes.
Burying my face in my hands, I let out a shaky breath. "I don't know, okay? I don't know." The admission feels like defeat, like acknowledging something I've been desperately trying to ignore. "I just need to see that they're okay and then I can deal with everything else."