Chapter 2 Blair
T oxic Tonic was a popular bar located northwest of central Las Vegas.
Bells loved it because of the local bands and the exotic drinks they served.
We came here often since it was one of our favorite spots to hang out.
They hung twinkling white lights outdoors, and when it grew dark, they lit up the dance floor and surrounding tables with a pretty glow.
A few weeks ago, I would have entered and headed straight to the bar for a Dirty Little Virgin or a Lick My Pussy Shot. Bells always preferred a Buttery Nipple or Sex on the Beach. Tonight, though, I had other plans.
The crowded bar provided the perfect opportunity to show Bells’ picture and ask if anyone had seen her since the party we attended three weeks earlier. Someone had to know something.
Sure, Las Vegas was the City of Sin, and some would agree that what happened here stayed here, but I knew better. Las Vegas dealt in secrets, the taboo, gambling, porn, and money—lots of it. If you had enough, it opened all doors.
If you didn’t, you were shit out of luck.
I caught a guy at the bar eye-fucking me from across the room. He seemed harmless enough in his polo shirt and jeans. He was a little preppy, but that probably meant he didn’t worry about his bar tab. If he offered me a free drink, I wouldn’t refuse.
When I sat beside him, he introduced himself right away.
“I’m Nick. Who are you, beautiful?”
“Kim,” I lied. I never gave any real information to anyone I met at a bar. Years ago, I had a guy stalk me for months. I had to change all my personal information and move. It was a nightmare. Now, I played it safe.
“What would you like to drink?”
“A virgin Strawberry Daiquiri.”
“Virgin?” he laughed. “Alright.”
We flagged the bartender and put in my drink order.
“So, what do you do for a living? Are you a model?”
Uh, no. Models were six feet tall and size zero. I was five-eight and size ten. No comparison. I didn’t tell him that, though. “Nope. I run my own business.”
“Nice. What products?”
“Candles and soaps mostly. I enjoy combining fragrances together.”
“Sounds rewarding.”
“So far, yes.”
The bartender passed me my drink, and I sipped it while I talked to Nick. After we made it through all the pleasantries, I decided to hit him up about Bells. “I’m actually looking for someone tonight.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. She’s missing.”
He frowned. “Shit. A friend of yours?”
“One of my best friends,” I admitted. “You mind if I show you her picture? Maybe you’ve seen her around. She loves this bar.”
“Sure.”
I swiped across my phone and pulled up my photos, tapping on a recent shot of Bells at this bar. It was taken the night before we went to the party at The Venetian. The same night she never returned home.
“I’ve seen her,” he admitted, “and yeah, recently. A few weeks ago at The Venetian.”
Finally, someone had information. I was beginning to give up hope.
“You saw her at the party?” I asked, shocked that he remembered Bells. Since the night she disappeared, I had shown her picture in various bars and hotels all over Las Vegas.
“Yeah, I remember her. Pretty blonde. Lots of expensive jewelry. She was with that cocky bastard, Mateo Ruiz.”
Almost everyone knew Mateo or his reputation. Either people loved or hated him. There didn’t seem to be any middle ground.
“What were they doing?”
“Drinking at the hotel bar.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I remember because I saw the ad for her family’s new perfume earlier that day on social media. All the Louvage family were included in the photo.”
I forgot the ad appeared the same day as the party. Was it a coincidence that Bells disappeared hours later?
Bellisara Louvage was heiress to several retail corporations, one of which created luxury fragrances.
She shared that wealth with her four brothers.
It irked me none of them tried to get ahold of me after the first forty-eight hours after her disappearance.
The family had shut out the media, but I was her best friend. It hurt that they shut me out, too.
“She was a fucking knockout in the black dress she wore. Every guy in the bar was envious of Mateo.”
Yeah, I guess that would be easy to remember.
“Did you see her leave with him?”
He took a sip of his drink. “I think so. They left the bar together, but I don’t know if he took her to a private room or outside.”
“Thanks for your help.”
“Are you famous too?”
What? I shook my head. “No. I knew her a long time ago when we were kids. That’s all.”
His gaze swept over me. “You sure? You look familiar.”
Shit. I backed away from the guy and picked up my drink, turning to the room when I saw Mateo enter the bar—double shit.
“Have a good night. Thanks for the drink,” I called over my shoulder as I hustled through the crowd and entered the dance floor, gyrating my body to the music that thumped my chest as it flowed through a nearby speaker.
I finished my drink and set down the glass, keeping an eye on Mateo the entire time.
He didn’t seem to notice me. After a few minutes, my ears began to ring with the noise, so I headed toward the bathroom, finding a long line outside the ladies’ room.
“If this takes any longer, I’m gonna pee my pants,” the girl in front of me giggled.
“Right? I’m tempted to enter the men’s restroom.”
“Only if you can take the stink and mess.”
Truth.
I almost considered it when I heard someone getting sick in the women’s restroom. The sounds of their retching nearly made me gag. I tried to tune it out, but it wasn’t working. Even the music didn’t drown the awful groans and spitting. Yuck.
I left the line and returned to the dance floor, pushing through the crowd to reach the bar. Nick must have left. I didn’t see him.
The bartender ticked his head in my direction. “I heard about your friend.”
We came in here often enough that most of the staff knew us. “Yeah. It sucks, Tony. Even the news isn’t covering it as much anymore.”
He shook his head. “Sadly, it’s probably because something else equally terrible is happening. Vegas never shuts down even when the lights go off.”
He was right.
“I know. I’m not going to stop trying to find her.”
“Good for you. Just be safe, okay?”
“I will.”
He passed me bottled water, and I thanked him, slipping from the stool to head outside. The cooler air swept across my skin as I left the hot bar behind. The outdoor lights weren’t on yet, and I thought it was odd but sat at an empty table, taking in the Las Vegas Strip and all the hotels.
As I thought of Bells, guilt nearly overwhelmed me. I should have stayed with her or insisted she come to the room with me. When I woke up the following day and realized she was missing, I panicked. Everything only got worse from there.
We never should have gone to the party that night. Mateo Ruiz was trouble. I sensed it when his gaze swept over Bells and didn’t disguise his lust. There was a possessive glint in his eye and something else, almost sinister. I should have trusted my gut and convinced her to leave.
Instead, we spent the evening with Mateo and one of his closest friends, Angel Mackenzie. They both creeped me out a little.
“I heard you’ve been asking around about me.”
Oh. Shit.
The growly tone belonged to none other than Mateo Ruiz.
My head lifted, and his dark gaze settled on me. “Mateo.”
“Not an answer, Chica .”
“You know I’ve been looking for Bells.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Of course.”
“I met someone tonight who said he saw you at the hotel bar after the party with Bells. He said you left with her.”
Mateo shrugged. “That means nothing.”
“It means more than that,” I contradicted. “What happened to my friend? Where is she?”
He stepped toward me, a snarl lifting the corner of his lip. “You don’t ask me questions, puta .”
“I’m not going to stop looking for her,” I replied, refusing to be intimidated.
His hand slipped from his pocket, and he lifted it, examining his nails for a few seconds before he flung his hand back and then struck me across the face. Hard.
Shocked, I didn’t move. I couldn’t believe he actually slapped me.
Two bodyguards stood behind him and watched, doing nothing to intervene.
“Hurting me won’t silence me,” I warned him, touching my cheek and wincing.
“Then I’ll have to convince you.”
Those words terrified me, but I wouldn’t cower. I had to fight back. Mateo wasn’t a big man, but he was muscular, with a good thirty pounds on me and an additional couple of inches in height. I was no match for him.
He bolted forward and grabbed me around the waist. I flailed and opened my mouth to scream when one of his men pulled a gun. It aimed at my chest.
Mateo dragged me to the side of the bar out of earshot, where no one would see us. The loud music would drown my screams even if the asshole holding the gun decided to lower it. I struggled and kicked my legs, shoved at his hands, and clawed at his wrists, but he didn’t release me.
Mateo laughed as he threw me down on the ground and descended like a ravenous beast, and I was the prey. I tried to shield my body, but he kicked me in the ribs first. Pain exploded along my side and in my head. No one had ever hurt me like that before, and it stunned me.
I gasped, trying to drag air into my lungs, but it wasn’t working. Spots danced in my vision.
Don’t pass out!
I formed a fist and swung but caught nothing, only air.
A fist connected with my jaw, and I jolted, cracking the back of my head against the concrete. The sharp, throbbing sting pulsed from my jaw to my temple. Another hit split my lip, and I felt warm fluid trickling from my mouth and nose.
Blood. My blood.
My fingers reached out so I could flee from the assault, but Mateo only laughed. The material of my shirt ripped, and terror seized me. The pain increased, and I grew dizzy. Disoriented, I couldn’t fight back.
I felt his hands yanking at my clothes. He wouldn’t hurt me like that. Right?
A cell phone began ringing. Mateo paused to answer it as I struggled to stand, swaying as I got to my knees. He spoke Spanish, and his words were too fast for me to comprehend.
Without a word or looking in my direction, he reached for the handkerchief one of his goons handed him. Mateo wiped the blood off and tossed it on the ground. He stepped away, and they followed. All three men dismissed me as if I were a cockroach under their boots.
God. Everything hurt.
I slumped over as my knees buckled. At least I didn’t show weakness until that asshole was gone. Right?
I had to move and get help, but I couldn’t seem to make my body obey that command.
My head tilted back and rested against the wall outside the bar. It hurt too much to lift my arm, but I managed to swipe some of the blood from my nose and mouth.
Fuck. I really messed up. How the hell would I find Bells now?
I had to get Mateo to trust me again. It was the only way.
But that meant he could do worse to me next time. I wasn’t that stupid. I needed help. But there was no one to ask.
Just when my faith in humanity was annihilated, a stranger approached me, lifting his flashlight to assess my injuries. His green eyes held concern when he saw that I’d been beaten.
I didn’t know how he found me, but this good Samaritan probably saved my life. I barely stayed coherent enough to answer his questions before the pain became too much to endure. My eyes fluttered, and I fell forward, terrified of what I would find when I regained consciousness.