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The walk back to the hotel was slow and brisk. The weather was pretty warm, but the breeze that was hitting me held a certain chill.
Or maybe that was just my imagination.
Maybe I was hoping for a blizzard of some sort.
The bar just off to the side of the hotel lobby was packed full. There was a sign outside that read there was a conference being held there that day and the room was full of wealthy-looking businessmen with their ties loosened.
I stopped for a second to watch them. They laughed and joked, bustling from one group to another—mingling.
They looked like the only care they had in the world was where to go on their next holiday or for some, which of the respectable but seriously sexy women in the bar were they going to take to their room.
The handful of ladies that joined them wore beautiful floor length dresses that dipped and hugged in just the right places. They were beautiful, exquisite. Some of the men eyed them like vultures as they tossed back their expensive whiskey.
Just a couple of years ago I would have been envious of all of them. I would have dreamed to have their money and be a part of their little gathering. But since moving in with the DePalmas, I had discovered quickly that these people weren’t always what they seemed. Which one of them had ties to the drug trade, which one of them married into a rich family just so they could have it all, which one of them was being paid to ignore the dark and disgusting things that were happening within their business?
You just never knew.
People were never what they seemed, I should know that well. I’d lived it.
I found my feet carrying me toward the bar but it wasn’t these dressed up deviants that was attracting my attention. It was the lady who I’d briefly encountered on the stairs early that evening. She was sitting with a group of men. They had MC cuts on and while I should be running from anyone in this town who wore anything that resembled a motorcycle club, the need to know who they were was so strong that I couldn’t stop myself.
They sat in a crowded booth, leaned together and talking quietly as they sipped at their beer. This wasn’t the usual place that people like them would hang out, I knew that for sure. One of the men stood and I caught a glimpse of the patch that filled his back.
Satan’s Sanctuary.
They weren’t Brothers by Blood.
There was a small table that sat behind their booth. It was shorter and they couldn’t see me over the top of it.
Adrenaline soared through me as I slid into the empty seat and signaled a waitress.
“What would you like, hun?” she greeted me with a smile. She hated being there. I could tell from just the forced enthusiasm in her voice.
“Vodka and orange,” I replied quietly, shifting in my chair so it appeared that I was turning toward her, but actually, I was positioning myself so that my ear was turned in the direction of the booth. She nodded quickly and disappeared into the crowd of men.
“I need her back.” I heard the lady’s voice say. She sounded sad, beaten down.
My heart wanted to reach out for her, the pain so real I could feel it from just those four words.
“We’re going to get Lane back, Jackie,” a smooth voice rumbled. I made a mental note of the names they were talking about.
“What if Blizzard says no? What if the bridge is just too worn for him to cross again?” My ears perked up and for a second my heart stopped.Blizzard.
“He won’t. He might be an asshole, but he can’t push this aside,” another deep-voiced chimed in. “We need to get someone in there. Get someone to see if she’s okay. If she’s still alive.” The man choked up on the last words. Whoever it was they were talking about, you could tell from just the emotion in his voice that this was hitting him hard. It took a lot for a man to show that kind of caring for a woman, and I instantly admired him for being able to be so raw.
“You think they’d risk one of their own for us?” someone scoffed.
I heard a small sniffle and with that my heart almost broke. “I just don’t know anymore.”
“Hey there, beautiful.” I startled, looking up to find one of the businessmen staring down at me with a drunken grin on his face. I wanted to roll my eyes, clearly he’d had too much, and more than likely struck out with the more classy women who were here. So here he was, attempting his lame shit on me, the girl hiding away in the corner wearing a hoodie and jeans.
Turning my body away from him, I politely replied, “Not interested. But thanks.”
Clearly not getting the hint he moved in closer, the smell of alcohol and bad life choices just radiating off him. “I’ve got a room upstairs.”
Lame.“So do I. It’s what usually happens at a hotel.”
I heard a small chuckle come from the booth behind me, and I realized that I needed to get out of there, and fast before I drew too much attention.
