Chapter Fifteen
ELIZABETH
While trying to blend in, I smile when I need to and laugh at jokes that don’t quite reach me. My eyes keep scanning the room, searching for cracks in their armor and moments of vulnerability where truths might slip through.
Sin is standing with a group of men near the far end of the room, his broad shoulders taut, his expression sharp and unreadable.
My gaze sweeps over the group as I inch closer, doing my best to remain unnoticed.
Jonas McClane catches my attention immediately.
His handshake is firm when he greets Sin, his smile polished, but his eyes?
They tell a different story. There’s a heaviness there, an exhaustion that no amount of charm can hide.
Millie’s father, the name McClane Mining Co.
, clicks into place in my mind. The jagged edges of this puzzle are starting to take form, though they still slice at my thoughts.
I drift away before I draw any suspicion, blending into the crowd as I approach Millie. She’s leaning against the bar, her face lit up in a way that’s infectious, while she laughs with one of the girls. When she spots me, her smile widens, and she waves me over.
“Elizabeth!” she calls, her voice warm and welcoming. “You look incredible tonight. That dress, girl, Sin must be losing his mind.”
I laugh lightly, brushing off the compliment. “Thanks, Millie. You’re looking stunning yourself.”
She grins, spinning slightly to show off her shimmering silver gown. “Not bad for a last-minute choice, huh?”
“Not bad at all,” I agree, taking the seat next to her, spotting Will staring obviously. “I think Will agrees with me, too,” I add.
Millie’s face brightens red as she avoids eye contact with him. She is clearly embarrassed as her eyes meet mine. “He’s looking… at me?”
Smirking, I reach out, touching her arm for comfort.
“Millie, since I arrived to work with the club, the one thing that has been consistent is that Will is always looking at you, honey.” She gnaws on her bottom lip with nerves and has no clue what to do with that information.
I let the moment linger before steering the conversation in another direction.
“I saw you talking to your dad earlier. He seems to really respect the club.”
Millie’s smile falters for just a second, so brief it’s almost imperceptible. “Yeah… he and the club go way back.” Her hesitation makes my pulse quicken.
There’s something here—something important.
“He seems… different from the other people who come around here,” I say carefully. “Not in a bad way. Just… more polished?”
Millie’s laugh is soft, almost self-deprecating. “That’s Jonas McClane for you. Always the businessman.” She takes a sip of her drink, her gaze growing distant. “But he owes the club more than he’ll ever admit. We both do.”
I tilt my head, feigning curiosity. “Owe them? What do you mean?”
Millie hesitates, glancing around as though ensuring no one else is listening.
Then she leans in slightly, her voice dropping to a lower, more serious tone.
“It’s not something we talk about openly.
But you already know some of the details of what the club did for me.
So I don’t see any reason not to tell you the full story of how the club and my family became involved. ”
I nod, my heart pounding as I encourage her to continue, “I’d love to hear it.”
She exhales slowly, her fingers toying with the edge of her champagne flute.
“You already know that when I was younger, the Alliance took me as collateral. My dad was in a bind… his mining company, McClane Mining Co., was being targeted. The Alliance wanted the mine for themselves, probably to strip it clean and use the gold to fund their operations. They told my dad he had two choices. Hand over the mine completely to the Alliance or never see me again. I would be the property of the Alliance. I would be the girl they hand around to their men for whatever sick fantasy they wanted. Sex, torture, it didn’t matter. That’s what was on the cards for me.”
My stomach tightens as I listen, the weight of her words pressing down on me like a sledgehammer. “Jesus, Millie… so your dad got the club involved?”
Her eyes flick to mine, shimmering with gratitude and pain.
“He did the only thing he could think of. He knew Defiance was at war with the Alliance, that they wouldn’t hesitate to take action.
And they didn’t. They found me, Elizabeth.
They rescued me without even thinking of hesitating.
Without a second thought, it would escalate their war.
” I blink, absorbing her words, but she isn’t finished.
“It wasn’t only about saving me, though.
My dad couldn’t just walk away from a deal with Defiance, leaving them empty-handed.
He didn’t feel right…” She pauses, taking another sip before continuing, “He offered them a deal. Once a month, three of the guys go to the mine. There’s a hidden entrance, completely off the books.
They take unrecorded gold out, just enough to keep things quiet.
It’s how the club funds itself and its operations.
Everything. If Dad’s business has no record of the gold coming in, and the club takes it, cashes that gold for money, then they have this steady stream of cash, and they can do whatever they need with it.
It’s been working flawlessly for years.”
My breath catches, the implications sinking in.
Illegal gold.
Off-the-record deals.
This is the kind of information that could blow everything wide open.
But Millie’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“I know it sounds bad,” she says quickly, her tone almost pleading.
“But they saved me, Elizabeth. My dad doesn’t trust anyone easily, but he trusts them.
And honestly, so do I. They’re more than just a club, they’re family.
They protect their own. And with that money, they do good things…
like that toy drive for those underprivileged kids, and Queenie, Nitro’s grandmother.
The gold money helps her and the Sunset Manor Senior Living Community, and they couldn’t do any of that without my father’s help. ”
Her words make my chest tighten. I force myself to nod, to keep my expression neutral. “That’s… a lot to take in,” I reply, my voice soft. “I see why you feel so strongly about them.”
Millie smiles faintly, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “They’re not perfect, I know that. But they’re good men. They’ve saved me more than once, and I owe them everything. So does my dad.”
I nod again, her words echoing in my mind as I offer her a small smile. “Thanks for telling me, Millie. That can’t have been easy.”
She shrugs, her smile turning brighter, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re part of our family now, Elizabeth. I thought you should know.”
Family.
That word feels heavy, almost suffocating.
I smile again, but inside, I’m reeling.
Millie’s story changes everything.
The club’s operations, their ties to Jonas McClane, their war with the Alliance—it’s all so much bigger than I realized.
It’s not black and white.
It never is.
Millie and I continue to chat, our conversation changing direction, and for that, I’m glad. I was sent here to find out information on the club, to dig for secrets. But now that I’m finding some information and reaching my goals, it doesn’t sit as well with me as I thought.
And the main focus I have been searching for, my brother, is still no closer to being figured out.
Everyone I approach about him shuts down.
A clear sign that they’re hiding something.
I need to push harder, but I have time, and tonight, I need to tune out of research mode and enjoy the end of this year with the friends I have made.
If you told me coming into this that I would ever have considered the people at this club to have turned into my friends, I would have laughed in your face. Now, there are people here I care about. One in particular I can’t seem to stop thinking about. My body is always desperate to be near him.
As the night stretches on, I catch glimpses of Sin, his eyes finding me no matter where I am. It’s like he can sense me, his gaze burning into mine across the room. When he finally approaches, sliding an arm around my waist, the air shifts.
Everything else fades.
It’s just him and me.
And I hate how much I crave this—crave him.
“You okay?” he asks, his voice low, intimate, like it’s meant only for me.
I nod, swallowing hard. “Fine,” I lie. My voice betrays me, trembling with the weight of everything I can’t say.
His grip tightens, his lips brushing against my ear. “Stay close,” he murmurs, his tone possessive, protective. “I want you with me when it hits midnight.”
I don’t trust myself to speak, so I nod again, letting him guide me through the crowd. His hand is firm on my back, a silent claim that makes my heart race and my mind scream at the same time. Every step with him feels like a step closer to the edge—a point of no return.
As midnight approaches, the energy in the air shifts, crackling like static before a storm.
The crowd pours outside, a river of laughter and excitement spilling into the chilly night.
The sharp bite of the winter air hits my lungs, shocking away some of the haze from the warmth and chaos of the clubhouse.
Conversations buzz around me, mingling with the occasional pop and whistle as fireworks launch into the sky, testing the silence before the main event.