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25
Bexley
Despite wishing time would slow the fuck down to give Mia and me a chance to find out what's really going on, the days just seem to disappear.
I sit in the back of one of the Electi's SUVs as it speeds across town toward the church where this whole fucking mess started.
But tonight isn't a ceremony or even a meeting. Apparently, it's a party. A party to celebrate Cade's upcoming Coglio. Literally the last thing in the world I want to be celebrating right now, but according to the king himself, attendance is mandatory.
My stomach is in knots as we pull up to the old gothic building which already holds a host of more than forgettable memories, but I keep the blank expression on my face. The others were tight-lipped about what we could expect from tonight, but I'm more than aware that secrets never lead to anything good where Quinctus are concerned, so I'm trying to keep an open mind while preparing for the worst.
We're dressed head to toe in black—a requirement, apparently—but unlike when we went on that job, this time, we're wearing dress pants and button-downs.
"Right then. It's party time, boys," Cade announces, rubbing his hands together while his eyes sparkle with wicked intent. It does nothing to settle my unease about tonight.
The second we come to a stop, someone opens the door for us, and we climb out in turn before Alex and I trail behind the others toward the main entrance where two men are standing—also dressed all in black.
Cade nods at them and they greet him by name—as if he's actually someone worthy of it—before we all file inside. The hallway is deserted as usual, and I breathe a sigh of relief as we pass the ornate double doors that lead to the room where my initiation began. Instead, we continue forward, past the door we walked through for the meeting with Q and farther down into the darkness before a door opens for us by another security guard to reveal a set of stairs.
The small, enclosed space is lit with only candlelight, giving it that eerie look that Q seems to be obsessed with. Cade once again nods at the man who opened the door for us and we descend, going deeper into the darkness.
"Well, this isn't creepy at all," Alex whispers to me a second before the sound of men talking and low music hits our ears.
As we turn the corner and the room reveals itself, I can't hold in my gasp of surprise.
Laid out before us is a state-of-the-art casino, complete with every kind of game imaginable. But it's not the tables or the wealthy men sitting around them in their finest suits sipping vintage whiskey that catch my attention… because that would be the women.
I didn't need to ask to know tonight was going to be a male only event. I guess I should have guessed there would be a reason, because the women walking around are only here to serve one purpose.
With every woman I spot around the room, their outfits get smaller as they walk around with trays in their hands, delivering drinks to the men who shamelessly eat up every inch of them.
"Whoa," Alex mutters, clearly as taken aback as me by what we've walked into.
"Trust me when I say it only gets better," Ashton says with a hint of excitement. "You think these women are good? Look up."
Reluctantly, I follow orders and tip my head back to find a series of suspended ornate cages hanging from the ceiling, each containing women who are dancing to entertain the men below. There are also podiums with long poles, barely-dressed women twisting and twirling their slender bodies around them.
It's every man's fantasy, and I'm hardly surprised by any of it, seeing as Quinctus and the Electi seem to be full of depraved and twisted men.
"Right then, boys. Let's get this motherfucking party started."
Cade, Ashton, Tim and Brandon head off into the room. Cade is immediately called over by an older, important looking man at the blackjack table, and I watch as he shakes the man’s hand as if they’re in a business meeting.
"It's something, right?" Channing says, hanging back with Alex and me.
"It really, really is."
We stand there watching as thousands of dollars get won and lost on the tables and even more get poured into fine crystal glasses.
"Why do I get the idea that Ashton's warning is only the tip of the iceberg?”
"You’re a quick learner." Channing laughs, but it sounds strained. "This place is a playground for the rich and powerful. Anything you want tonight, you can have. Literally anything. Every drink you could possibly imagine is behind the bar, and every drug you could desire is somewhere in this room. Any girl you want is yours. There are side rooms set up ready—or, as you'll soon learn, you can just make the most of the voyeurism.”
Alex stands beside me with his mouth hanging open. "So Cade's little sex fests back at the house…"
"Are nothing compared to this," Channing finishes.
“Is that the commissioner?” Alex asks, nodding toward another group of men.
