Chapter 7
7
E lodie
When Jaeger carries me into the shadow-filled foyer of Inferno, the black-haired hostess with a ruby-jeweled nose ring does a double take.
“Elodie?” My friend’s eyes widen when she sees who’s carrying me.
“Hi, Daria.” I give her a little wave.
She gulps as Jaeger approaches and grabs two menus. “This way, sir.” Her tone is brisk and professional, but she glances back a few times while leading us through the club.
“Did we have to come here?” I whisper to him.
“You want to get paid.”
“Yeah, but I haven’t told my boss I’m going to be MIA for a few days.” In all the excitement, I forgot to call in. I was hoping to explain and maybe swap shifts with a hostess who can also wait tables. I can work if I can sit down the whole time.
“That’s all handled.”
“What do you mean?
“St. James knows about your ankle.”
I suck in a breath. Getting on St. James’ radar is NOT what I want. I want to ask what else he knows about me, but I also don’t want to know.
Inferno is divided into two areas. Up front are steakhouse-style booths and mahogany-paneled private rooms. It’s lunch hour, so this part of the restaurant is packed.
In the back is the gentleman’s club. I don’t work back there unless it’s super slammed. I know there are secret poker games, gambling, and illegal dealings of all kinds that happen at all hours.
Today, there are a few groups doing business at the round tables, ignoring the burlesque dancer on stage. I wave to the dancer, Angel, as I pass. She waves her white feather fan and winks at me.
Daria guides us back through the club all the way to the VIP area above the dancers’ stage. I’ve waited tables in the front of Inferno and the dancers’ area, but I’ve never been up here before.
This area is reserved for Fraternitas members.
Daria stops at a central booth set against the wall. “How’s this?”
“Fine.” Jaeger sets me down, and I scoot deep into the circular seat.
Two tattooed guys sit at the bar. They have to be Fraternitas if they’re in the VIP area. Sure enough, both wear skull rings on their middle fingers. Jaeger gives them a nod.
“I’ll be right back.” He digs his hand into my hair and tugs my head back, kissing the heck out of me. I’m gasping into his mouth before he drags his lips down to my collarbone and sucks hard enough to bruise.
Then he’s gone, and I’m rubbing the wet spot he left on my skin. It’s probably bright red. A claiming mark.
Stealthy as a shadow, Daria slides into the booth in his place. She leans close, the jewel in her nose ring glittering. “Girl, what is going on?”
I’m still catching my breath. “It’s a long story.”
“So tell me,” she hisses. A shadow falls over the table, and we straighten, only to see it’s another waitress, Honey.
“What are you guys doing?” she asks, and we hush her.
“Elodie is here… with someone.” Daria bounces her eyebrows.
“Like…” Honey’s gaze darts to the thugs at the bar. “One of them? Which one?”
“His name is Jaeger,” I say.
“Oooh,” Honey murmurs. “He’s fine. So is his brother. Have you met Kaiser yet?”
“No.” I didn’t even know Jaeger had a brother.
“He’s scary. Scary hot.” Honey pretends to swoon.
“Come on, girl.” Daria raps the table. “Spill. You have thirty seconds before Lucy catches us.” Lucy is the head manager of Inferno and rules with an iron fist. She can be more intimidating than all the Fraternitas members combined.
“Lucy will forgive us,” Honey says. “She likes you.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Daria shoots back without taking her eyes off me.
“She does,” Honey insists. It’s an old argument, one they’ve happily bickered about in snatches of conversation between serving customers.
I scoot to the edge of the booth. “Help me up. I want to go to the ladies’ room.”
“What happened to your ankle?” Daria asks, but she and Honey come on either side of me and help me hobble down the hall.
We enter the spacious bathroom. There’s a lounge area next to the stalls, and I drop into one of the chairs.
“Tell us everything,” Daria demands.
I feel warm and fuzzy facing them. Once I dropped out of college and started working here, my life became nothing but sleeping and double shifts with a side of babysitting for Margot. I’ve been too tired to do anything for myself, much less chase the friends I made in college.
I never meant for my co-workers to become my closest friends, but that’s how life goes. Where you spend your time becomes your home. The people around you become your community. Once I made the choice to work at Inferno, all the other choices cascaded from here, and my destiny was set.
But looking at Daria and Honey, I realize how much I need their friendship. We share gossip and blister pads and complain about long shifts and stingy tippers. Their support is all I have, and because of that, it means the world.
So I tell them my story, starting with St. James’ offer and ending with the shopping spree, but I keep my freak-out over the ring to myself. The ladies ooh and ahh at appropriate places, and when I’m done, Daria’s tapping her chin, deep in thought.
“St. James doesn’t make that offer to just anyone,” she says. “Not to any waitresses or dancers, at least, because one of them would talk, and I would’ve found out. That means Jaeger singled you out.”
Honey gasps. “Because he wants you. You’ve been chosen.” She gives me a dazzling smile.
“What?” I ask.
“You know, one of them,” Honey says and then adds in a whisper, “An elita .”
I glance at Daria, but neither of us has any idea what Honey’s talking about.
“What’s an elita ?” Daria folds her arms in front of her chest.
“One of the chosen.” Honey sees our confusion and rolls her eyes. “You guys have to start paying attention.”
“Paying attention can get us killed,” Daria grumbles, and I concur.
“Whatever,” Honey says. “Remember Odette?”
The name sounds familiar, but I don’t remember her until Daria says, “The dancer? She worked here for, like, a hot second.”
“Right. And now she only comes in on the arm of that big guy with the neck tattoo. The one with jewels in his ring,” Honey lowers her voice again. “One of the Seven.”
I don’t know what she means by ‘one of the Seven,’ and I don’t want to know. But I remember Odette. “She came in a few weeks ago with him,” I say slowly. “She was wearing a black ribbon around her throat with a blue jewel on it.”
“Right, to match his ring.” Honey rolls her hands in a “ta-da” gesture and sighs when we still look confused. “She’s an initiate. That’s what you become before the ceremony when you’re claimed.”
Ceremony? I have so many questions, but I feel like I’ve been tromping through the woods, only to come to a fence covered in barbed wire and a No Trespassing sign.
Daria looks skeptical. “How do you know so much about this?”
Honey flushes and examines her French manicure. “I just do.”
“Okay,” I say, “So what? Some of the Fraternitas claim their elite?—”
“ Elita . Or Electus , if they’re male,” Honey corrects and sticks her tongue out at Daria, who’s shaking her head.
“ Elita .” I can’t shake the feeling of dread like I shouldn’t know this term. “What does that have to do with Jaeger?”
“Everything.” Honey crouches in front of me and takes my hands in hers. “The reason you’re here—in a booth and not working the floor—is because Jaeger wants to claim you.”
“He can’t claim me. I’m not, not…” My brain is blanking like it did when I tried on the ring. Danger! Turn back! “This isn’t like that.”
“He brought you here to show you off in front of Fraternitas. He wants to claim you as his elita .”
“What would that entail?” Daria asks.
“I don’t know. The ritual is kept secret. Like everything about Fraternitas. I can try to get in touch with Odette?—”
“No, don’t.” I shake my head.
“It’s like the skull rings,” Honey says. “They earn them by killing a man. Or is it ten?”
I get a violent flashback to Jaeger in the stairwell, the blood spattered on his jaw.
“Oh, gods.” I lean over my knees. “I don’t want to know.”
“Elodie,” Daria says, and I cover my ears with my hands. Not that I can hear anything over the loud rushing sound, like water crashing through a hole in a giant dam. I close my eyes.
When I open them again, Honey and Daria are looking at me sympathetically.
“I’m sure it’ll turn out okay,” Honey says. She squeezes my knee and stands.
“We have to get back to work.” Daria motions to Honey to leave and hesitates, looking back at me.
“Go,” I say. “I need a minute.” I have to calm down before I can face Jaeger and a roomful of men with skull rings.
Daria hesitates again, and I flap a hand at her. “I’ll be fine.” I knot my hands together until the door shuts, and I’m alone.
My ankle is sore but nowhere near as painful as it was yesterday. A good night’s sleep helped a ton. Maybe I’ll be mobile sooner than later.
And then what? Can I run? Where do I go? I can’t head to Aunt Carol’s. Besides not wanting to lead the loan sharks there, her hospitality will be stretched too thin. Better for me to run in the opposite direction.
Another thought hits me. Jaeger knows where Margot is. He could threaten her and the kids or hold them over my head as blackmail to make me return.
I reject the thought as soon as I have it. Jaeger will never hurt her or the kids. I don’t know him well, but I know that.
He has an odd sense of honor for a murdering criminal.
But I’m afraid Honey is right. Jaeger might want to keep me. And nothing will stop him.
There are murmurs in the hallway outside the door, and I figure I’ve been in here long enough.
I grab the chair rail and use it to support my slow limp to the door. Once I’m there, I lean on the handle, shifting my weight, and open it.
There’s a dark figure in the hall. I startle back until the low light gleams on a golden head.
“Jaeger?” All I can see of him is a tattooed hand and a skull ring.
When the figure steps into the light, I realize it’s not Jaeger at all.
The man looks like Jaeger, with the same leonine head and stormy blue eyes. His face is identical, and even the tattoos are similar. But he’s not the same. This isn’t the man I ran from in the forest or the one I snuggled with last night.
No, this man looks down on me like I’m a bug he’s about to squash. Jaeger has never looked at me like this.
“Who are you?” My question dies on my lips when he steps forward. A big hand, covered to the knuckle with a spiderweb tattoo, cups my jaw. He turns my face this way and that.
A jolt of fear runs through me at his callous touch. I freeze like a rabbit in a trap.
Before I collect myself to scream or push him away, he releases me and steps back, a sneer twisting his face.
“So, little red,” he says. “You’re the one who’s trapped my brother.”