Chapter 29
29
ETHAN
Pulling open the door to the bar, I was careful not to look back toward the parking lot, even though I was tempted. Nick had pointed out that it’s instinctual for us to do that if we know someone is around, so I made a mental note not to. My body language could be a red flag to anyone watching us that we were hiding something. I was impressed with the little things that Nick learned from years of being undercover. Subtle things we do and don’t realize we’re doing but could be to someone else.
Mila stepped inside, and I closed the door behind us. Glancing around, I recognized the same few people sitting at the bar and a few new ones. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“Hey.” My head turned toward the bar when I heard Steve call out, so we headed in that direction. We were barely there when he continued talking. “You on the list tonight?”
“Yeah.” I jerked up my chin. “Got the invite last night.”
“Careful.” He grinned. “You might just become a regular.”
I chuckled. “That would take moving here permanently.”
“Seen it before,” Steve replied, but that answer seemed odd.
“We should probably get downstairs,” Mila said.
I watched Steve when his attention flicked toward her. “You in a hurry?”
She shrugged casually, but her response was flirty. “Maybe.”
He laughed. “See you later.”
“You got it,” I replied before walking hand in hand with Mila toward the door leading downstairs.
We didn’t talk on the way, and I knew that was my fault. I needed to get out of my head but was failing. We’d just stepped off the last stair when Mila leaned against me and lifted to her tiptoes to whisper in my ear. To an onlooker, it would appear she was being flirty with me, but I knew better.
“We need to act the way we have been, or they’ll suspect something.”
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I buried my face in her neck. “Got it.”
She laid her hand against my chest and smiled up at me when I lifted my head. “It’s going to be fine.”
I wasn’t as sure of that as she was, so I avoided that statement and mumbled, “Let’s go.”
Once again linking fingers, we crossed the room and went behind the curtain. This was where the party was tonight. I hadn’t seen this many people on either of the other nights we’d been here.
“Wondering why it’s so busy?”
The sound of Samson’s voice crawled over my skin. We both turned and found him standing behind us.
“Yeah,” Mila replied. “What’s the occasion?”
He winked at her. “They all heard we have a new dancer tonight.”
“I’m flattered.” Mila laughed.
“I’m assuming since you’re here that you’ve convinced your boyfriend?”
He was acting as if I wasn’t standing next to her, which was starting to piss me off, but Mila kept talking as if it was normal.
“I did, but he still wants to come back with me.” When it looked as if Samson would decline, she continued. “We thought maybe he could stay in the changing room or something. If you have that kind of thing.”
He seemed to consider that for a moment and eventually nodded. “I think we could work with that.”
“Good.” Mila’s smile grew. “I don’t get why you don’t want him in the audience, though.”
“We’ve learned our dancers are a little more inhibited if their man is watching.”
“What if I tell you I’m less inhibited when he does?” she teased.
“I’d call you a liar,” Samson rebutted.
Mila laughed as if the whole conversation had been innocent teasing, and Samson responded with a grin. I had to give it to her; she could read people better than anyone I’d ever met, and she knew how to defuse a situation before it escalated.
Samson gestured toward the door. “Let’s go.”
“Great,” she responded cheerfully.
I grabbed her hand, and we followed Samson to the door that had been off-limits to us only yesterday. I realized I wanted behind that door as much as Mila did, and knowing Nick was right outside smoothed out my nerves.
He led us down a short hallway before gesturing toward a closed door. “Dancers change in there.”
“I didn’t bring anything.” Mila smiled and ran her hands over her hips. “I thought this would work.”
“Everything you need is in there,” he answered cryptically but quickly turned his attention to me. “Why don’t we have a drink while she gets ready?”
I pretended to consider that before agreeing. “I could use a drink.”
She squeezed my hand and pushed to her tiptoes to lay her lips against mine. I returned the kiss and stared at her when she broke away and smiled. “See you in a little bit.”
I didn’t have time to respond before she pushed open the door behind her and walked inside.
“Follow me.”
When I heard Samson’s voice, I turned to face him, but he was already walking. I was careful to take notice of my surroundings. Everything I saw could mean something, so I stayed hyper-aware.
We walked into another area, and the stage was directly in front of me. A young girl danced, but it was obvious by her expression that she wasn’t in the room in her mind. Her eyes were distant, and her movements sloppy, almost uncoordinated, which led me to believe she was on something.
She’d have to be to dance in a place like this.
Following Samson to the bar, I pretended I was adjusting my watch and pulled the small device from the band. This would be my only chance to plant it because I had my doubts he’d turn his back on me again. While I slid onto a stool at the corner of the bar, I reached out and wrapped my hand around the bar's edge, quickly sticking it underneath, while keeping my eyes on the stage. I wanted Samson to believe I was interested in the dancer, but in truth, I was scanning the tables near the stage. Several men in suits were sipping drinks from cocktail glasses, their eyes locked on the girl, completely unaware of everything around them. I had to admit this wasn’t what I expected, but nothing in this place seemed to be.
“What are you drinking?”
“Beer,” I replied and watched the bartender open the bottle before sliding it in front of me. I lifted it to my mouth and pretended to take a drink, but there was no way in hell I did. I didn’t trust that he hadn’t spiked the bottles back here, especially after seeing the dancer's state.
“She’s something special.”
I glanced toward him when he slid onto the barstool on the other side of the corner, essentially putting him across from me. “She’s young.”
“You don’t like the young ones?”
I shrugged, remembering what Nick told me about Samson’s possible plan of needing men. “They usually need a lot of work.”
“Depends on the girl.”
“That’s very true.” I tapped the edge of my bottle on the bar top. “Gotta admit, I thought there would be more dancers on stage back here.”
“We like to showcase one girl at a time.”
“For your buyers?”
He studied me closely, and I assumed he wouldn’t answer, so I was surprised when he started talking. “We have a reputation for the quality of girls in our organization. We don’t fuck around with what people want when they come to us to do business.”
I gestured to the girl dancing. “She looks strung out. Your buyers really like that?”
His eyes narrowed slightly, but I kept my expression neutral. I had a feeling I was pissing him off, but I was hoping he’d get angry enough to say something incriminating while defending his business. “She’s a filler while buyers wait for the next showcased girl to dance, but yes, some buyers do want a girl who likes to party.” His eyebrow lifted. “Heard your girl likes to party.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“She knows how much I’ll tolerate and doesn’t take it any further.”
“She got you here tonight,” he pointed out.
I jerked up my chin. “I’m here because I’m interested in your business, not because April persuaded me to come.”
“What’s an electrician from North Carolina know about my business?” he asked sarcastically.
I shrugged. “Well, just from what I’ve seen, you bring in young girls, train them to behave the way your buyers demand, and then sell them.” I lifted the bottle to my lips and pretended to drink. “How am I doing so far?”
“You're observant.”
“This isn’t my first experience.” I trailed off, hoping that would keep him wondering about me and talking. “What I haven’t figured out is how you find your buyers. Can’t exactly advertise what you have going on in here.”
“We have an extensive network.”
“Outside of Devil’s Lake?” I snorted, as if I thought that was impossible. I wanted to offend him, make him think I assumed he was a small fish in a big pond. I had a feeling insulting his abilities would get him to say shit he wouldn’t usually say.
He smirked and revealed it.
Arrogance.
He didn’t like to be challenged or thought to be less than he thought of himself. With any luck at all, his narcissism would land his ass in jail, where he belonged. “My reach is coast to coast.”
“So why choose Devil’s Lake as your home base?” I asked. “Can’t imagine this location brings you many girls.”
“It didn’t,” he admitted, “until we started the festival. Bike week brings in even more. You’d be surprised what people will do when they’re out of their comfort zone. How much they like to experiment in, well”—he snorted—“everything.”
“So you offer them a chance to experiment, maybe delve into things they’ve never done, like BDSM, and then what?”
He shrugged. “That all depends on who’s interested in what they see.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You recording?”
“That make you nervous?” He grinned. “After your performance?”
“No.” I put my elbows on the bar top but swallowed back the bile that rose in my throat. I assumed he was talking about Mila and me last night. I could only hope nobody ever saw that fucking recording of us. “Figured you might be recording in that room. Giving buyers a front-row seat as to what’s in store for them if they invest is brilliant, actually.”
His eyes flashed at the compliment. “Gives us the reach we need. We can advertise anywhere.” He tilted his head. “I’m surprised it doesn’t bother you that I have someone very interested in April, especially after how much work you put in to her.”
“There’s a good reason for that.” I rolled the bottle between my hands to keep from making a fist when he mentioned Mila being sold. I knew it couldn’t happen. Nick was right outside, but even the idea that it could made my blood boil.
His eyebrows rose slightly. “Which is?”
I lowered my voice to a growl. “April’s not for sale.”
He smirked slowly. “Every girl who walks through my door is for sale.”
He studied me, and I saw the change in his expression. What had once been interest in me was now dismissal. He almost seemed disappointed that I failed his test, but I didn’t fucking care. No way in hell would I ever say Mila was for sale. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone move through the doorway to the left of the bar, but I again kept my stare locked on Samson.
The man approached and stood beside the bar, waiting for the sign. He was there for me. He was huge, obviously the muscle in this place, and I was about to be escorted out. I wondered when Samson gave the signal because I hadn’t noticed any change in his posture, but he’d done something to alert the bodyguard that I was no longer someone he was interested in talking to.
He leaned down and whispered something in Samson’s ear before Samson nodded and faced me again. “April’s ready. Roman will show you to the room where you can wait for her to finish.”
I jerked up my chin, pretending to be sticking to the deal, and stood with my beer in hand, but I wasn’t walking away without him knowing who he was dealing with. “I better see April as soon as she finishes dancing.”
His eyes hardened. “Or what?”
“Or I’m coming for you. And trust me, you don’t want to know what happens to people who lie to me.”
His eyes turned almost black, and he stood. “Are you threatening me?”
“No.” I reached out and wrapped my hand around his shoulder. “I’m giving you my word.”
I walked out around Samson and stepped up beside Roman, who led me to the door where he’d just exited. I could’ve used that opportunity to say one of the words Nick had given me because I knew what was waiting on the other side of that door.
But I didn’t.
My adrenaline spiked the second Samson mentioned bringing out Mila, and I needed somewhere to release it.
Roman opened the door and gestured for me to go ahead of him, which I did, but I braced and spun to face him, refusing to keep my back to him. I saw Mila walk into the room in a small skirt and a glittery bra when he began closing the door. Fire raced up my spine when one of the men at the tables stood and started toward her.
Roman had barely closed the door before I moved. I had my hand around his throat in less than a second and watched the surprise register on his expression when I threw him against the door. He hadn’t expected me to fight and instead judged me as someone he could easily overpower.
That was his first mistake.
He didn’t know that I’d spent hours in the gym learning to defend myself and any member of the team with me. It had been a stipulation of hiring me. Brody taught me how to fight efficiently. I wasn’t trained as a street fighter like this man obviously was. I was trained the way Brody had trained in the military because he taught me my mind was my greatest weapon. He taught me that I could disarm or put down any man quickly if I learned how to fight strategically. And one of the first steps was to catch the opponent off guard, which I had, but that didn’t last. He grabbed the front of my shirt and forced me back with one hand, pulled back his other, and punched me in the stomach. I bent over and, with all my body weight, slammed my shoulder into him, knocking us both to the floor. We were equally fighting with blows to the ribs and an uppercut to my jaw that split my lip. Blood dripped onto his shirt, but I smiled and returned the favor. Rolling, he got me on my back, pulled back his fist, and landed a blow that had the power to force me into darkness. I struggled against the black spots seeping into my vision and then remembered Mila was just beyond that door and fighting her own battle. Adrenaline poured through my system, and lifting my hands, I wrapped them around his neck, squeezing as hard as I could. He continued to land punches to my ribs, but as those lost their power and I saw him struggling to breathe, I rolled us until I was on top. Quickly cocking my fist, I slammed it into his temple. His hands dropped slowly, and his eyes rolled back into his head before they closed. He was limp when I stood, but he was alive.
Breathing heavily, I started toward the closed door, but remembering my audience, I gave Nick an update. “He’s down. I’m going to take care of the rest of these fuckers, and then we’re coming out.”