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Driving through the city, Pueblo feels strange, but it reminds me how much I’ve missed the bright lights and the bustle of a city.
It suddenly dawns on me why Rafe’s so angry. He thinks bringing me here and dealing with whatever this problem is will make me want to run from him, and it hurts a little to think he could believe that after all this time.
We approach the outskirts on the other side of the city, and Rafe surprises me when he pulls up outside what looks like an old, abandoned nightclub. It looks far too run down to belong to him.
“Is this one of your properties?” I ask, trying not to sound shocked.
“Don’t ask questions, Riley, just stay in the fucking car.” He scrubs his hand over his face before he slams his palm angrily into the steering wheel. There’s a guard on the door who looks even bigger than Ricardo, and the building reminds me of the ones Liam warned me weren’t safe at night.
“Rafe, maybe I can help. Just tell me what’s happened,” I say, starting to feel really nervous.
“I told you, it’s just business.” He fails at keeping the anger out of his tone. “I won’t be inside for very long. But I need you to swear to me that you will not get out of this car.” The way his chest rises and falls makes it look like he’s struggling to find his next breath.
“I promise.” I place my hand over his to try to calm him.
“Okay.” He blows out a breath and soothes his hair back. “Lock the doors once I’m out of the car, and do not open them until I get back.” He leans over, pressing a tight kiss on my cheek before he gets out of the car. I wait until he’s slammed his door shut before I flick the lock switch. Then when he’s satisfied that I’ve done as he asks, he walks toward the nightclub door, nodding curtly at the guard who steps out of his way.
I sit and wait patiently for him to come back out, having no idea how much time has passed. Rafe’s determination to keep me from whatever's inside that building injects me with a dangerous dose of curiosity, as I watch the guard on the door press his radio piece closer to his mouth and say something before he turns to go inside.
It’s an opportunity, one I know I shouldn’t take. I promised Rafe I’d stay in the car and since he’s over-cautious, he’ll be scared that I’ll be recognized as a missing person. But I’ve never been to Pueblo in my life. I don’t know anyone here, and it’s been so long since I disappeared no one will be looking out for me. Whatever happened here tonight has upset Rafe. He’s always kept his work so distant from our home, but we’re a family now, and I want to ease his burdens.
I have a quick battle with myself over what I should do, and after reminding myself that Rafe can never stay mad at me for long these days. I decide to go inside and check things out.
The entrance isn’t guarded anymore, which makes it easy for me to step inside, and I quickly hide behind a cloakroom wall when I hear voices coming back down the corridor. It gives me that familiar rush I’d get when me and Liam would sneak through the back doors of grocery stores and steal from the stockrooms.
“He’s fucking pissed.” I peek my head a little around the corner to see one of the guards speaking to the other as he bolts the front door closed and heads into a room a few doors down.
I slip out of my heels, picking them up to carry them before I quickly rush down the long narrow corridor in search of Rafe. It doesn’t take me long to hear his voice, he’s yelling something in Italian furiously, and I check the coast is clear on either side of the hall before I look into the room through the narrow gap in the door. My hand slams over my mouth to hide my gasp when I see all the blood and a body slumped on the ground near his feet.
“What do you want me to do, boss?” a voice I don’t recognize asks, and I flinch when I witness Rafe violently snatch the man up in his fist and slam him into the mirror on the wall.
“I want you to explain to me how a stranger managed to get himself into one of my auctions, kill one of my clients and three of my men, and then leave with a girl he didn’t fucking pay for,” he yells, all his cool completely lost. Fear and betrayal all attack me at once, and I suddenly worry I’ll throw up all over the red carpet beneath my bare feet.
“Who the fuck was he?” Rafe bellows into the man’s face, who pales in pure terror.
“He had Alistair Stewart's ID and looked like him too. All the CCTV was down, so we don’t have much to go on, but the guys on the door didn’t question his identity. Whoever he was must have been a good match.”
“So if that wasn’t Stewart, where is he now?” Rafe asks.
“He was admitted to hospital earlier this evening, sir. He’s in pretty bad shape, apparently.”
“So this was planned.” Rafe drops the man from his grasp, pushing back his hair as he paces the floor in front of him like a caged animal. The guy’s body slides down the wall weakly before he attempts to scurry back up to his feet.
“The girl he took. How much did she fetch?”
“750,000, the money had already been wired.”
“And it was the one you trained yourself, the virgin you insisted on keeping for so long. You were fond of her, Pablo, were you not? How do I know this wasn't all a setup for your benefit? I find it hard to believe anyone here was stupid enough to provide an outsider with information.”
“It has nothing to do with me, boss. I wouldn’t betray you. We all know what happened to Enzo.” There’s more fear in the man’s eyes now, and it makes me wonder who Enzo is and what the hell happened to him.
“The other girls that were purchased tonight. Where are they now?” Rafe asks.
“All with their buyers, sir. Three had already left before it happened. The other one was escorted from the premises as swiftly as possible.” I hear Rafe’s slow, heavy breathing. It’s how he always calms himself when he’s agitated.
“I’ve got to get home. I've risked too much by being here tonight,” he says. “I’ve been in this business for seventeen years, and this is the biggest fuck up I’ve ever seen. Clean this fucking shit up, and speak to Gioele. I want him to know everything you told me so he can start figuring out who pulled this shit off,” he orders.
“How many women do you have in my house at Peyton?” he checks. I need to get out of here before Rafe notices me. I haven’t had a chance to process everything I’ve heard, but I already know that he’s been lying to me, and he wouldn't want me to be hearing this.
