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Chapter Thirty-One
“Shit,” Wrench cursed as he jumped in the SUV.
Harlyn murmured quietly in the backseat but soon fell back asleep. She’d been that way for the past fifteen minutes. We’d gone to have dinner with Wrench’s sister and her boyfriend and had just stopped on the way back to the club because I was craving ice cream.
The last few days had been quiet. I’d gone to work at the shop with a prospect sitting outside, watching my every move, and now things were out in the open, my chest was feeling a lot lighter. Like the pressure of my lies had been stopping me from inhaling deep enough and now my lungs were full.
It was good to be able to spend time at the club again, to rebuild those relationships that I’d managed to severe and have people actually understand who I really was. The girls hadn’t been shy about asking questions, their curiosity and how they wanted to understand me made my heart full. Not to mention the fact that Wrench and I didn’t have to hide any longer.
I knew Op still felt strangely about us, but he was warming to the idea, and that’s all I could have asked.
“What?” I whispered, my eyebrows raised.
He started the engine and pulled out of the lot, heading in the opposite direction than we’d been going. “One of the girls from X-Rated was found dead at her home, and Deacon said the detectives who we’ve managed to avoid so far are making a beeline for the club, with a fucking search warrant.”
This wasn’t good.
We made the few blocks to the strip club in record time, the tires skidding as Wrench threw the car into park. “I’m gonna check it out and then I’ll be back. You may need to take Harlyn home, and I’ll get a ride, but I’ll let you know.”
I nodded. “It’s fine. Go,” I said ushering him out.
He jogged for the door, stopped for a second to talk to Ham who was waiting outside with a couple of the bouncers, and then ducked inside. Ham made his way over to the SUV, and I climbed out, rounding to the driver’s side to talk to him.
“This is gonna be messy, isn’t it?” I asked as I leaned back against Wrench’s car, my stomach turning nervously as I imagined the stress that was going on inside there at that moment. The strip club, as far as I knew, was completely aboveboard. But if these people had a vendetta against the club, which it seemed like they did, they were going to tear it to shreds until they found something.
Ham nodded. “Second girl we’ve lost this year… first Haley and now this. Ruby was a sweet kid, too. Young, pretty—”
“Did you say, Ruby?” I asked, my brows knitted.
He nodded. “Yeah, Ruby was the girl they found. Didn’t sound like it was pretty either.”
“What’d she look like?”
His eyes looked upward as though he was searching for a picture of her inside his brain. “Short, slim, long blonde hair…”
“Tattoos?” I couldn’t get the question out without my voice shaking.
His nose crinkled. “Yeah, a few… back, stomach, one on each shoulder, and she had something written on her hand.” His hand moved to touch each of the places on his own body as he ticked them off.
My feet suddenly moved of their own accord, carrying me toward the building. “Watch Harlyn,” I called over my shoulder to a confused looking Ham.
Ruby.She was the same girl that had shown up at Peter’s house looking for drugs. It was obvious that they were close, that she knew him, and that she’d been there before. It was also obvious that she was an addict, and as I rushed inside my brain started piecing together the puzzle. Someone had tipped off these detectives that the club had something to do with the pills they’re calling ‘Manic.’
Peter was obviously supplying that young girl, and she was working here.
Coincidence?
Hell no.
If they find drugs on the premises, the club was fucked.
They’ll shut this shit down and go to hell trying to prove that the club is dealing or whatever crazy shit they could pin on them in order to pull them to the ground. They’ll get search warrants for the clubhouse, they’ll pull whatever shit they have on the boys to do with probation requirements and sentences, and try and put them away.
All because of Peter.
As if he hadn’t hurt me enough, now he was taking the people I cared for down with him too. Just as I reached the doors to the club, flashing lights behind me caught my eye, red and blues.
“Crap,” I hissed, ducking inside and searching wildly for Wrench. When I couldn’t find him, I headed for the hallway off to the side that led to the offices and dressing rooms.
