Chapter 5
The next week goes by in a blur of adjusting to my new routine, exploring the club, and getting to know the people in my new life. When I’m not here, I’m frequenting the places on Dani’s list, hoping to catch a glimpse of Enzo and what he’s up to. So far, though, I don’t have a lot. From what I can tell, both he and Valentina spend most of their time at the casino.
Sloane’s kindness makes me feel right at home, and I love helping out at the bar as a way to give back for her generosity. Tonight, she’s been busy sorting out staff issues with one of the new dancers, and it’s given me the time to chat with a couple of girls who work the bar as well. Both Myriah and Sally are pretty friendly and seem open to answering questions, but neither of them has ever been asked to work for Enzo. They have just heard whispers of other girls who have. Escorts or dancers turned spies for him. They both knew the last girl to be killed at his hands and are still traumatized. They were both with Sloane when she opened the door to find her body. I can only imagine how awful that must have been.
Sloane returns from the members-only room and leans into the bar next to me, her arm pressing into mine. “Word on the street is Enzo is looking for another girl to help him run some jobs around town, one being tracking you down.”
I glance over my shoulder, making sure we can’t be heard. “Who did you hear that from?” I whisper.
“Brunette serving table eight. She’s just come in from a bachelorette party at the casino over the weekend. She says Enzo approached her, knowing she was one of my girls. Get this, he offered her two hundred thousand to seduce his son.”
My eyes go wide, and my heart kicks up a beat. “Did she do it?” I ask, mortified that he would try that shit on one of his sons. And also scared that she might have been successful.
She moves around behind the bar and pours herself and me a drink, placing it down in front of me. “Are you kidding? She knows better, that’s why she brought the information straight to me.”
“But you were right, Enzo is on the hunt for someone to replace your Pia.” I have a sip of my drink, wondering how we can turn this into an opportunity that benefits us.
“Looks that way,” she agrees, downing her drink in one go.
“We need to get into Sinners’ Paradise. He is there all the time strutting around like he still owns the place.” An idea comes to me. “Why is he targeting your staff or girls who work for you and your brothers, like Pia?”
“Well, we both know he’s trying to get to me, but I think it’s more than that. Now that Alex is running the Moretti businesses, he can’t use his people or his son will find out exactly what he’s up to.”
What she’s saying makes sense. He already knows if they’re willing to work with the Iron Strykers they’re on the wrong side of the law, and there are no links back to his sons. He also has the added bonus of fucking with Sloane. “I could go to the casino and…”
She hits me on the arm, cutting me off. “Don’t look but the Moretti brothers just walked in, all three of them,” she squeaks in a hushed tone.
My eyes go wide. “Are you fucking with me?” I ask, my heart nearly leaping out of my chest. They said the other night they never come here.
She shakes her head, and I know she’s for real. “They’re walking this way. Stand up and walk behind the bar. I’ll take care of them,” she says under her breath with a fake-ass smile on her lips I can tell is for them and not me.
I do as she says, going around the bar without looking over my shoulder. I think my disguise is pretty damn good, but I’m not quite ready to test it out yet, and these boys know me better than anyone. Fuck.
“Pretend you’re wiping down the counter,” she whispers over her shoulder.
I grab a cloth and carefully wipe down the pristine counter, removing any speck of dirt or dust. Nausea swirling through my stomach. I’m not ready for them to find me. I haven’t had enough time. I haven’t done any of the things I wanted to do.
“Sloane,” Alessandro greets my new friend with a little too much familiarity and charm in his voice.
“Alex, what brings you boys into my little establishment tonight? It’s becoming a regular occurrence, how lucky am I?” she hums, her voice all light and fluffy.
One of the bar stools scrapes across the floor, and my skin goes all prickly. They’re staying. For fuck’s sake.
“We’re looking for someone. A girl, thought you might have seen her?” This time it’s Ricky’s voice I hear, and I close my eyes, imagining his handsome face, a deep ache forming in my chest for him. I don’t know if I can do this. Part of me wants to just spin around, tell them it’s me, and beg at their feet for forgiveness, but I know I can’t. I haven’t finished what I started, and if I do, my sacrifice will be for nothing. They will probably still hate me. And Enzo will try to destroy us all. “She was in here with us last week,” he adds, sounding like a shadow of himself.
“Oh, she’s pretty. Who is she?” Sloane plays along, and I know they must have shown her a photo of me.
“My fiancé,” Alessandro snaps, removing the pleasantness out of his voice. He’s a man on the edge.
Beads of sweat roll down my forehead, dripping onto the shiny black marble surface of the bar. I want the earth to swallow me up, anything so I don’t have to hear this conversation. Or be stuck in the same room as them. What if she gives me up. She might, I really don’t know her all that well. Alex on a rampage can be mighty intimidating. Also, there is that cash reward I’m sure wouldn’t go astray.
“I’m sorry, boys, haven’t seen her around here. But if I do, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
My shoulders visibly relax when I know she’s not going to throw me under the bus. She really is going to help me.
One of them emits a low, menacing growl, instantly recognizable as Maddox. I can picture him now, arms crossed over his chest, muscles bulging as he scans the room for any signs of me.
“You wouldn’t mind if we stick around a while then, would you? See for ourselves who’s hanging around tonight?” asks Ricky.
“Knock yourselves out,” she responds with way too much confidence for someone who is knowingly hiding the girl they are looking for. She’s so ballsy. “I could get you a table in our VIP room if you like. Why don’t you fellas enjoy a drink on me, check out some of my new girls.”
“The bar is just fine,” Alessandro mutters, not sounding impressed. And my heart does a little flip-flop thing. He doesn’t want to ogle other girls. Or at least he’s making it look that way.
“I’ll clear my best table, and Viv here can make you all a drink.” She pats my arm.
“Three Macallan 18’s,” Alessandro agrees.
As soon as I hear the order, I grab for some glasses, the clinking sound of ice fills the air as I quickly fill three tumblers with ice, then reach up to find their preferred drink on the shelf above me.
“Sally,” Sloane calls over our manager. “Show the Morettis to our best table in the back,” she directs her, and I know it’s because she’s trying to get them as far away from me as possible.
With trembling hands, I carefully pour the liquid into two glasses, trying not to spill a drop. As I reach for the third glass, my hand jerks suddenly, causing it to slip from my grasp and fall on the ground, sending ice flying in all directions. Fortunately, the tumbler remained intact, saving me from a messy cleanup. I bend to pick it up.
“Here let me help you,” comes a deep voice from beside me. Maddox had the same idea, and he makes it to pick up the glass before me. As I extend my hand for it, our eyes meet with such intensity that I can’t help but gasp. For a split second, I think he recognizes me. He blinks back at me, his forehead creasing in confusion. His eyes run down the length of me then back up to my face. He looks so damn fine in a pair of dark jeans, a T-shirt and a leather jacket. His blond hair is all messed up on top in a way that makes me want to run my fingers through it.
My heart races wildly. Those hazel eyes just broke my heart all over again. “Thank you,” I whisper, turning away from him and dropping my head before he has the chance to work it out, if he hasn’t already.
He steps away from me, joining his brothers as Sally arrives to lead them to their table.
I carefully arrange the three drinks on a tray for Sloane. She walks around to my side of the bar, leaning in closer so only I can hear her. “Sorry, didn’t want to kick them out of here and make it look more suspicious.”
“It’s okay. I don’t think Maddox recognized me,” I whisper under my breath, my heart still racing from the second of panic when he could have.
“I’ll take these over to them. While they’re distracted with me, sneak into my office and hang out there until they’re gone. I’ll come find you. Unless you want to test your disguise?” She shrugs, a wicked smile painting her lips.
I look her over, sweat trickling down my spine.
“I know what you were about to say before we got interrupted. You want to trick Enzo into thinking you’re one of us and giving you the work so you can get close enough to him to do what you need to do. It’s not a bad idea. And this is a good test. The brothers won’t kill you if they work it out, will they?” She’s seriously asking me that.
I look her over and shake my head, knowing they wouldn’t ever hurt me. “They will be mighty pissed and might just lock me up and throw away the key, but they won’t hurt me. Least I don’t think so.”
She smirks, a twinkle of excitement in her eyes. “Dramatic. Just act normal then. Deliver their drinks and play it cool. Then come back to the bar. Test it out, if your new look works on them, we can try out your plan on daddy.”
Bile rises in my throat at the use of that name. I give her a disgusted look. “Don’t call him that, it makes my stomach turn.”
“Sorry, sis, but that’s what all the girls call him. It’s kind of a thing, and if you want to be just like the others, you might have to get on board.”
A shudder runs through me, an image I try to block from my memory resurfacing of Pia and Enzo. I shake my shoulders, trying to banish it so I can focus on the shit show in front of me currently. She’s right, if I’m really going to be able to get close enough to Enzo, I can’t do it as myself. I need to prove this new look is going to work. I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath.
“You’ve got this, Viv.” She holds up the tray, and I take it from her, willing my hands not to tremble and give me away.
The walk across the room feels like it drags on forever, but I stride with confidence, and as I arrive at their table, I place the drinks down in front of Ricky.
He momentarily looks at me and mutters, “Thanks.” But he doesn’t look directly at me, he’s engrossed in something on his phone. I catch sight of the vibrant red of my hair and know it’s me he’s looking at. Photos we took together lying on their sofa when I didn’t feel like going out. My heart sinks. He’s looking at photos of me. Fuck, I’m the worst.
Maddox relaxes back in his chair, taking his drink off the tray and downing it. He doesn’t look at me again, though. I might as well be invisible with the way he ignores me, and I’m so grateful.
Alessandro’s suit can’t hide his scruffy appearance as he looks me over with a discerning gaze and a half smile playing on his lips, waiting for me to hand him his drink. I collect it off the tray and pass it to him, wanting to get out of here. Our hands brush, and for a second, I think my heart might just stop.
I take the tray then I quickly step back and begin to walk away, needing to be as far away from his magnetic pull as possible. All of theirs. I don’t know what it is about these boys, but they make me crazy. Geovani once said they are my weakness, and I would have to agree with him. Just the sight of them makes me weak at the knees.
“Miss,” Alessandro summons me back to the table.
I stop dead in my tracks and close my eyes to get my composure before I turn back to him. “Yes?” I smile sweetly.
He tilts his head to the side. “What’s your name?”
My heart kicks up a beat. Is he on to me? “Viv,” I mutter, wondering why the hell it matters what my name is.
“Viv, as in Vivian?” He tests it out then lifts his mostly empty tumbler. “Tell Sloane to keep ‘em coming, Vivian.” There’s a cockiness about him that tells me he has no clue who I am. He wants me to be impressed by his power, that my boss will just give him free drinks all night. That side of his I haven’t missed so much.
“Sure.” I give him a quick nod and exhale the breath I was holding on to, marching back to the bar as quickly as I can. My heart is in my throat.
“How did it go?” Sloane quizzes, her eyes wide.
I grin back at her. “You don’t see them starting a riot, do you?” I glance back over my shoulder just to make sure, but the three of them sit quietly talking.
Her lips turn up at the sides. “Good, then maybe your plan will work after all. I’ll book in a little girls’ trip to the casino for later in the week.”
“Sounds perfect.” I move around to the same side of the bar as her and watch them, wondering what they’re talking about. Ricky is still on his phone, but the other two are discussing something that has their expressions serious and Alessandro running his fingers through his hair. I would kill to know the details.
“You don’t know anyone who could help me get inside their house and club, do you? I want to know what they’re saying,” I ask, sounding like the master stalker himself, Geovani.
She wraps an arm around my shoulders. “You missing your boys already?”
I sigh heavily, feeling like the weight is on my shoulders. For the last week I have been able to get through the day because I could pretend they didn’t exist. But seeing them in the flesh makes it all so different. “Did I tell you how I came to be in their possession?” I ask her.
She raises a brow, waiting for me to go on. “No, we never did have that chat.”
“Their fucking guard shot me. And while I was out of it and hopped up on pain meds, they locked me up in their mansion, like quite literally chained me to the bed and stuck a fucking tracking device in my arm so I couldn’t escape.”
“Kinky.” The look of terror on her face as she stares at me makes my heart sink. I know how bad it sounds. They are all fucking psychos, but they’re my psychos, and I want to know what they’re up to so I can protect them. “I know just the guy who can help you.” She picks up her phone. “Hey, Mal, can you give me a hand with something down at the club tonight?”
I love that about this girl. She doesn’t sit around talking about what she can do to help, she gets right on it. I watch her as she fills her brother in on some details without giving away too much over the phone.
Catching sight of Alessandro motioning for me to bring them another drink, I get to work, this time managing not to drop anything, and take them over to their table as Sloane chats to her brother.
I place the drinks down for them with a confident smile. Again, Alex makes me hand his drink to him. Asshole. This time, though, he captures my hand in his before I get the chance to give him the glass.
He stares up at me, a curiosity coming over him. “How long have you worked here, Vivian?” Alessandro asks me, his eyes running down my body and back up to my eyes with keen interest. Is he fucking checking out some other girl while he’s supposed to be all cut up over me leaving him? Fuck him.
My glare intensifies, too icy. “Not long,” I snip, ready to throw his drink right over his gorgeous fucking face. “Just moved to Ravens Hollow,” I add, trying to make my story look legit.
Ricky shows me his phone. “Have you seen this girl around?” It’s an image of me from the engagement party, and my skin goes all clammy. He’s so desperate to find me.
I shake my head. “Sorry,” I whisper. “I hope you find her.” I cringe internally at my own words.
He drops his head, looking so disappointed it crushes me. Alessandro finally releases my hand, and I walk away with a heavy heart, knowing I’m doing this for them. One day, he will understand. I hope.