Chapter 23
She was lying.
I knew it the moment the words left her lips, but I didn’t say a word. Not there in the closet or later in the car as we drove across Manhattan toward The Relic—Gabriel’s current favorite nightclub.
I wasn’t 100% positive I’d find him there, but now that I knew Sal was tapping the twins’ phones, I couldn’t risk a call or text. Still, seeing as it was a Friday night, chances were good Gabriel would be at one of the handful of SoHo bars he liked to frequent.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to waste any time searching other spots. Pulling up to the curb next to the massive queue of people waiting to get inside, I recognized the bouncer working the line. I lowered the window and asked him if Gabriel was inside. He nodded.
That was all I needed to know.
I cut the engine and tossed the valet the keys before helping Kiera out of the car.
“Stay close once we get inside,” I said, wrapping my arm around her waist. “I don’t want to lose you in the crowd.”
She didn’t say a word, but I figured she must have agreed since she didn’t pull away.
I led her past the line of waiting clubgoers and straight to the front door. The bouncer at the door—well over six feet tall and packed with enough muscle to strain the limits of his black cotton T-shirt—quickly opened it for us and inclined his head as we walked past.
Beside me, I heard Kiera give a disbelieving groan. “Holy crap, is there anybody in this town who isn’t afraid of you?”
“No,” I answered honestly. “Not if they know who I am.”
If she had anything else to say, it was swallowed up by the wall of sound that hit us the moment we stepped inside.
Thumping bass and booming rhythm shook the maze of half walls and columns that divided the fringes of the club into a labyrinth of semi-private booths and discreet nooks. The dim, almost nonexistent light made navigating the confusing floor plan even more difficult. Only the dance floor was wide open, but it was so packed with bodies, writhing and pulsating to the hypnotic beat, that it was practically impossible to cross.
Fortunately, I’d spent enough evenings here with my brothers that I knew the place like the back of my hand.
Pulling Kiera even closer, I led us toward the VIP section at the back of the venue.
Rounding one of the corners, I spotted Gabriel. Luckily, Matteo was sitting next to him. They both had girls on their laps—busty blondes with skirts so short I wasn’t sure why they’d bothered dressing at all.
The man guarding the entrance to the area saw me coming and unhooked the velvet rope to let us pass.
Gabriel raised his glass at our approach. “Brother! I wasn’t expecting to see you out tonight. Showing your lady the town?”
“We need to talk,” I said bluntly as I settled Kiera and I down on the empty loveseat across from Gabriel.
The twins shared a glance, their smiles disappearing the moment they heard the severity of my tone. After a second of silent communication, Matteo turned to the girls on their laps.
“Ladies,” he said in his trademark diplomatic tone. “Why don’t you enjoy the dance floor while my brothers and I conduct business? We’ll find you once we’re done here.”
Clearly, this wasn’t the girls’ first time dealing with the whims of the VIP crowd because they got up without a whisper of complaint and quietly left.
As they walked away, I noticed Matteo pointedly staring at Kiera.
“I’m sure Ashleigh and Darlene would love to have you join them,” he said.
There was a sudden flash of anxiety in Kiera’s eyes as she glanced over at me.
I squeezed her hand even tighter. “She stays with me,” I said. “She’s part of this now.”
Matteo arched a brow, his gaze shifting back and forth between Kiera and I. “You certain that’s a good idea?”
“Maybe not, but it wasn’t my call,” I said. “Sal dragged her into this when he broke into my apartment to confront me about Carlo Costa.”
Gabriel sat up in his seat. “How the hell did he find out about Carlo?”
“The same way he knew you two had visited Kiera and I earlier this week,” I answered. “He’s bugged your phones.”
“Shit.” Gabriel cursed under his breath. “You really think he’s that paranoid?”
“Without a doubt. The real question is why he’s paranoid,” Matteo answered his twin before turning to me. “We all know Sal doesn’t care about some low-level punk like Carlo. Did he give you any indication why he actually paid you a visit?”
“He said he’s worried about my loyalty,” I said. “He threatened Kiera over it.”
“Well, that was a mistake,” Gabriel said with a deep laugh. “You’d think Sal would know better than to piss you off like that.”
“Exactly,” Matteo quickly jumped in. “He does know better. He’s seen firsthand what you’re capable of, brother. There’s no way he’d risk your wrath without good reason.”
“But what could Sal possibly gain by pissing Dorian off?” Gabriel asked. Picking up his drink from the glass-top table in front of him, he swirled the dark liquor around the edges of the glass.
“It’s not as if he’s ever needed a reason in the past,” I said with a shrug.
“This is different,” Matteo said, shaking his head. “Sal’s always been rude when it comes to you, Dorian—even back when papà was alive—but he was always careful not to cross the line. But threatening your girl? That’s way over the line.”
Matteo was right. The more I thought about the way Sal had spoken, the more it seemed like he was deliberately trying to provoke me.
“You think he wants me to go after him?”
That didn’t seem like Sal. He could be cocky, sure. His position as head of the family practically demanded it. But there was a big difference between being an asshole and having a death wish.
Matteo thought about it for a second before coming to a similar conclusion. “More likely, he’s hoping to distract you from going after something else…like the real reason he wanted Bonetti taken out.”
“You think Bonetti was telling the truth about Sal?” I asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Matteo confessed. “But I find it very suspicious that he’s never shown the least bit of interest in visiting your apartment until the week you start calling numbers from Bonetti’s contact list.”
“That is strange,” Gabriel chimed in, leaning forward. “Has anyone talked?”
“Not to me.” I shook my head. “But it sounds like someone I spoke with ran straight to Sal.”
“Okay,” Matteo said, cocking his head to the side as he thought. “So, who did you call yesterday?”
“I was pretty busy, so only one guy,” I answered. “Vinnie Russo.”
Gabriel glanced over his shoulder at a hulking street soldier in a black suit standing guard at the edge of the VIP section. “Well, isn’t that a coincidence? Sal pulled Vinnie off his personal security detail to come out with us tonight.”
Bugging phones was bad enough, but now Sal was sending men out to keep tabs on his nephews in person. My gaze narrowed as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up in warning. That was the kind of move that went beyond paranoia and hinted at more sinister plans.
My eyes fixed on the man, I rose from my seat and straightened my suit. “I think another talk with Mr. Russo is in order.”
Before I took a step, though, Kiera tugged on my hand. Despite all her earlier objections, there was no denying the anxiety written across her face now that I was leaving her side.
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “I won’t be long. I’ll be back before you know it.”
She looked far from reassured.
“Please tell me you’re not going to…” Instead of finishing her sentence with words, she pointedly raised her eyebrows.
Out of my peripheral vision, I could see Matteo tactfully look away while Gabriel, clearly unamused, leaned back in his seat.
“I’m just going to talk to the man.” At least, that was the plan for now. Things might change depending on how Russo answered my questions. “Stay here. You’ll be safe with my brothers for a few minutes.”
She looked far from convinced. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” I said. “You three are the only people in the whole world I trust.”
I’m not sure that fact calmed her fears much, but she reluctantly let her hand fall from mine.
As I was walking away from the private lounge and toward my brothers’ security detail, I heard Gabriel say, “Don’t worry, Kiera. Matteo and I were hoping we’d have a chance to get to know you better.”
And Kiera answer back, “Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of.”