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Locking it away, I bolted the door of who I was, slamming it shut. “Yes, Dare.”
“There’s my pretty pet. Now, go and clean that up. We have an important meeting to get to. Make it quick.”
Scurrying to the bathroom, I turned on the tap, not even feeling the cold water as it hit my skin. It was hard to feel the temperature when everything about you was already frozen.
The red washed down the drain, and I prayed more wouldn’t be shed before the night was over. With Darren in a mood, it was always a possibility.
* * *
Sitting in the booth,my knee bounced as I looked around the club I’d come to love over the past year. Illusion had been more than just a place to work; it had become my home and family. The people I worked with were around me, but I couldn’t talk to any of them. No one recognized me though, and I counted my blessings.
Mostly because Lark was here.
I’d seen her the instant she walked in, my body responding to her immediately. Her golden hair was down, her curves on display, and even with the mask covering her eyes, I knew every inch of her body. She appeared to be working the floor tonight, bringing drinks and appetizers to people as she flitted from one table to the next. My favorite nights were when she worked inside the club with me. Though, also the most distracting, as I always watched her more than the customers.
The glass slammed down on the table, and I jumped, turning back to Darren. He’d been irritable the whole way here. I’d thought it was me, but now, as I tried to decipher his mumblings, I was beginning to realize it had nothing to do with me.
“Everything okay, Dare?” I rubbed his arm, hoping to soothe him some.
“My partner’s late. I don’t like being this exposed in a Mascro establishment, but he insisted, and now he’s dared to stand me up! He’s being more and more demanding, forgetting I’m the boss.” Spit practically flew across the table as he ranted, and I wondered who he was referring to.
“I’m sorry—” I started but was cut off by a man.
“Quit the whining, Double T. I had an errand to run.” He sat down, but he had on a full face mask, obscuring any sign of who he was. His eyes flitted over to me briefly before dismissing me.
“Why’d you bring the whore?” he asked, and I stiffened.
Darren didn’t like the comment, despite referring to me as such at times. His arm went around my shoulders, pulling me to him. It was at that moment our waitress walked up. Except it wasn’t Kristina like it had been for the past half hour.
“What can I get you this evening?”
Her voice sent shivers down my spine, the musical quality painful to hear when it wasn’t directed toward me. I turned, our eyes meeting, and I saw the moment she recognized me. Lark paused, swallowing, but turned back to the men. It was a slap to my face, crushing my splintered heart. Sucking in a breath, I tried to slow the pounding in my ears, the tunneling of my vision, and the way it felt like the world had been swept out from under me.
Darren pinched me, causing a gasp at the sensation, but it was the grounding I needed to focus back on where I was. When I blinked, I found Lark looking at me with pity, sweeping her eyes over me one more time before she left to grab whatever they ordered. Turning back to the men, I tried to focus on what they discussed to distract me from my heartbreak.
“Patience, Darren. We have him where we want him.”
“From my standpoint, I’m on the brink of losing everything. He’s brought up the brotherhood code!” He leaned forward, whisper-hissing it.
The man scoffed, dismissing him with a wave. “Atticus doesn’t have the balls to enact it. You’re fine. We’re only a few weeks away from having everything we planned. You just need to be patient. When the Masked Kingpin opens, we reveal ourselves to the underground and take the mantle as the top dogs of Chicago. By then, Mascro will be nothing but dust under our feet. Mark my words. Atticus will fall. He’s nothing but a weak, pussy-whipped, pretender in a suit.”
“You better be right, old man. I haven’t sacrificed and labored for years to become the boss, only to fail now. I want what was promised to me, or I just might call up our favorite Mascro and tell them a secret.”
“There’s no need for threats. You’ll get what you’re after, Two Tricks.”
Drinks were set down in front of us, and I jumped, having forgotten our surroundings, the conversation swirling in my mind. I moved my arm to take the water, and Lark grabbed it, holding it still.
“You’re hurt.”
I looked down, forgetting, and pulled it back, hiding. “It’s nothing. A stupid accident.” I turned away, not wanting to see her pity again.
“You’re bleeding.” I hid it under the table so she couldn’t see, willing the tears back. “You’re gonna let her bleed like that?” Lark yelled accusingly at Darren. I peeked from the corner of my eyes, looking at him. He turned his head, glaring at her, and I wanted her to shut up and stay out of this. I’d been trying to protect her from him, and here she was, putting herself right in his path.
“I’m fine, Dare.”
He looked down, his jaw tensing. I watched as he nodded to someone and a soft touch met my elbow. Turning, I found Stocke lifting me out of the booth, and I let him direct me to the bathroom. Stepping into the space, I wasn’t surprised when she followed.
“Thisis what you want, Cams? It’s like I don’t even know you anymore. You don’t even look like yourself.”
