Chapter 15 Cade
Chapter Fifteen
CADE
The owner of the Dungeon is cagey.
Earlier in the week, when I thought I was meeting him, something was off when I walked into the restaurant. He’s the kind of uber rich mogul who stays under the radar and loves his privacy.
If I didn’t have insider information and I wasn’t a hacker, I’d have exposed my lies on the spot.
But I knew the man introducing himself as Thomas was his PA.
In what, I never asked, but I let him know quietly I understand vetting, but that Thomas and I have some mutual acquaintances, so I know what he looks like and while I’m happy to pass any tests, my privacy is important to me, too. For obvious reasons.
No one ever has to explain further than that when we’re talking clandestine sex clubs.
Apparently, I passed that test, and tonight is the real deal.
Even if Thomas Allistair did make me wait at a bar across the road from the restaurant.
But one text to my burner has given me the actual meeting place.
A known bar and restaurant on the Upper West Side, Barrel and Glass is usually jumping, but as I push in through the door, the place is empty.
Most people would be shocked. I’m not.
Someone like Allistair is the type to rent a place out for a meeting when he wants privacy. It’s a way to flex.
Thomas, the billionaire property mogul who has fingers in a lot of pies, sits at a table near the bar. Two of his men stand at the bar. I know that’s who they are. They have the look of security about them.
Which interests me.
Even after passing his test to meet him, there’s security.
Then again, perhaps the man travels with them wherever he goes. Like a security blanket.
He’s trying to get a read on me.
Thomas thinks I’m loaded.
My burner phone announces the same thing.
The background on my persona is solid and boring, and will hold if anyone decides to go through it.
Question is, now I’m face to face with him, is that the best course of action?
“Drink?”
“Whiskey.” I’m aware of the slip, and it’s only very slightly unintentional.
“Sit.”
And we wait.
A beautiful girl comes over. She’s in black, skintight jeans and top, and he orders the drinks.
“I never meet with prospective members personally, but you intrigue me, Max.”
The girl comes back with the drinks and as she sets them down, I see the infinity tattoo on her inner wrist.
Sometimes, it’s numbers, or a barcode, other times it’s a name or some kind of symbol. I haven’t seen this one before, but I know what it is.
A brand.
A mark she’s bought and paid for.
He brought property with him. And I get why I said whiskey and not the single malt Enzo and I chose for Max to drink.
Max is rich, very rich. Some people have shell companies. Enzo and I have shell personas, shell lives. Ones we can inhabit and twist and use how we wish. We don’t do it often.
Hackers by nature are behind the scenes. But our jobs do take us into situations like this.
Hiding in plain sight.
Max can be very rich or just rich. And I doubt that Thomas did more than take a cursory look at what he could see as my bank accounts.
The moment the girl moves back to the shadows, Thomas picks up his glass.
I hold up mine too. “I highly doubt someone like me could intrigue you. I have…kinks, tastes, things I like.”
He’s waiting for something. For me to slip, to try and trap me, but as I sit here, I don’t think I want to be a member. Not really.
I don’t think it’ll get me what I want.
“But that doesn’t interest you, just like your kinks and tastes don’t interest me. I’ve no interest in watching you bang.”
He doesn’t smile. “Maybe I get off on watching others.”
“You might like the power of doing that and you get off on the power, but not, I think, the act.”
My rules of play are out the window. I trust my instincts, and they’re leading me down this path.
He smiles now, widely. “I’m intrigued by what our mutual friend had to say about you, Max. And I’m curious why my club, why the sudden interest.”
I know exactly what was said to him, that I’d be an asset in more ways than one. Less is more, and it gives leeway.
He’s suspicious, which is good. He’s showing it, which is even better.
I can use that, but I also need to be careful. I need him to trust me. Because if I’m to have any chance at finding Gianna and this man is somehow involved, then I definitely need his trust.
“I’ll lay it on the line for you. I’m an asset to you. But I’ll make no bones that my interest is completely selfish. I want to enjoy your club, sample what’s on offer, but more so, I want to work for you.”
Thomas laughs and shakes his head. “I don’t need some CEO wanting a taste of the good life by offering banal skills to me. I don’t care if you’ve made a billion.”
“I have.” I’ve made far more than that. For other people. I could do the same for myself and Enzo could too.
We charge a lot. But we don’t go to those heights. We don’t need to.
We’re rich enough, and through our skills we can get whatever we want.
Let these other fuckers fight over making another billion. I don’t care. I just want to make sure everything that’s mine is taken care of, protected, and that includes Violet. It even includes my idiot brother.
“But not the way you think. I’m no CEO. And while I have money, I want more. I want to help you protect and grow your assets and fortune.”
“And how would you do that?” Thomas shakes his head, laughing. “So, you’re poorer than you seem on paper. You wouldn’t be the first or the last. Do you really think I just throw out jobs to anyone? You’ve got a solid pair of cojones on you, I’ll give you that.”
“I do. Big, solid, titanium ones. I’m worth the risk.”
He doesn’t have a laptop, and it’s my best bet, but I could do this on a phone, too.
Then again, I don’t think he was sitting here shooting the shit with his guards for the half hour or so he made me wait for.
I glance at the men.
One of them has a briefcase. And it looks expensive.
I hook a finger through the air. “Computer?”
“Maybe.”
“I need a laptop or a phone. My phone doesn’t have enough to do anything on. And you should take a low IQ phone with you when you meet with people, too.”
It’s the right thing to say, because he turns his phone to airplane mode and gives me a hard look. Then he motions to his man to bring the case.
Thomas takes out his computer and wakes it, then slides it over to me.
“I work with tech,” I say, as I do my thing.
It takes me five minutes to hack into Thomas’s accounts for the Dungeon. I could have gone with his personal ones, but I decide to let him think it’s covered.
His real baby is the Dungeon, I can tell by just how much money is in the accounts and all the questionable flows of cash.
But I drain half the cash into another account and show Thomas. “See? Just like that, I robbed you blind.”
Thomas stands, moving behind me.
And I just exposed a lot of dodgy money flow, too.” I’ll transfer everything back.”
“I have someone who does IT.” Thomas takes his computer and sits back down, opposite me.
“This isn’t IT. This is high-tech, high-level maintenance,” I don’t want to use the word hacker. “I’m so far above IT I’m a fucking maestro. I can build you a safer system, one no one can touch, and more than that, I can hide services that aren’t above board.”
“I don’t hire—”
“I’m not a fucking CEO. I created that. Shit, our mutual friend has no idea what I can do. He thinks I’m a CEO, he just knows I bring cashflow to the table. For you, I’m willing to go the extra mile.”
He narrows his eyes. “Are you willing to break the law?”
“I have no problem with that, I do it all the time. And best of all, I can make you even richer and hide the illegal parts of your club.”
He studies me for the longest time. I’m aware his men are moving silently behind me.
I will myself to stay calm and steady, and I pick up my drink and take a sip before just sitting back, the picture of relaxed.
“Want to know what I think?” Thomas asks quietly.
I shrug. “I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
“I think this sounds a little too good to be true. You come in here out of nowhere, Max—”
“Cade,” I say, because to do this, I have to play this as close to the bone of honestly as I can. “My name is Cade. There’s a fact most don’t know. Just for you. Guess I should have brought a silver platter to serve it to you on.”
“You think your name is going to help?”
“It’s a start.”
“You come in here from nowhere and expect me to accept your offering to help out of the goodness of your heart?”
“No. I expect you to get I’m coming here from nowhere, asking for a job for a selfish reason.”
“Which is?”
“Money. I want a substantial monetary reward to keep you out of trouble, rich and with a clean slate. But let’s be honest. There are a lot of jobs and people I could do that for. And do. You have something else I want.”
“What?”
“Your club. I want full, unlimited access to everything the club offers.”
It buzzes in the air, his acceptance.
I might want a way in, but he wants what I offer. Money, a get out of jail free card, and probably a way to get more girls without fear of getting caught. But the risk is high, especially if he likes to buy girls like Gianna.
Or have others keep them until he’s ready to finalize the purchase.
I can taste it.
“I think—” His eyes narrow as they shift from me to the door behind me that opens.
The men have moved, and I turn.
I can’t breathe.
Fuck.
Violet is strutting into the restaurant in a coat—why the hell’s she wearing a coat?
And then I take in the rest of her, and I might be the first man in history to be in the middle of a moment between life and death who has a raging hard on instantly.
Because Vi’s in a coat. Heels. Stockings.
I know exactly what’s under that coat.
Nothing at all.
Her eyes widen, and it’s all over her face. The realization I’m not with Enzo but in the middle of something else.
And Thomas clearly clocks we know each other.
He motions with his hand as she tries to turn and hurry back out.
But those men move fast.
One of them grabs her.
The other closes and locks the door.
Thomas waves his man to bring her closer. “I think you better sit the fuck down. Little girl.”