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“Randy always forbids any of us from going to your club,”Cain mused, as he looked out the window at the city passing by.
“It was our deal,”I said.
“Why did he even abide your arrangement? He’s so much bigger than he was a few years ago. You guys have no idea,”he said.
“We have some idea. Gideon has always kept tabs on him and the way the organization was growing. We know he has all sorts of connections in law enforcement and at least one legislator in his pocket,”I replied.
Cain’s eyes flashed over to me, surprise on his face. Interesting, I thought to myself. It seemed Cain didn’t even know the full extent of Randy’s growth.
“We also didn’t want the drugs in the club,”Jaxon added quietly.
I nodded.“We have too many liabilities owning these clubs. Having that shit in there and letting people use, or worse, overdose, would only put us at risk.”
“We understand why you didn’t leave,”Oliver added, clearly concerned that we were offending Cain.
The man in question held up his hand and shook his head to stop Oliver.“I’ve stayed where I had to, so I could survive. I didn’t have a group like you four. I’ve been alone with my Dad,since Mom died. I don’t know anything else, so I do what I know. Doesn’t mean I don’t hate it, or don’t understand where you’re coming from.”
I could tell Oliver was feeling uncomfortable, but our limo was pulling up to the back of Club 4.
“Cain, let’s keep you on the owner’s level. In case Lyle is Randy’s man, and Missy is working with him, we can’t risk her knowing who you are,”I said.
Cain nodded, and we all climbed out of the limo together. Gideon lead the way, but Cain knew his way after coming to see Jaxon in our club offices. When we pushed open the door on the owner’s level, the music flowed over us and I shuddered, thinking about how we were coming to the club while Brooklyn was being held by her nightmare. Even if I knew we were doing it to try to find her, it felt wrong.
Jaxon motioned to the booth furthest from the stairs, where Cain could sit and be the most unnoticeable. Anyone coming near him would have to be blind to not notice the blue hair and tattoos. I could imagine he had no problems with women, with his chiseled looks and the ease with which he wore the tattoos that covered a lot of his exposed skin. The lip ring was a surprise to me, though.
Gideon motioned for me to meet him at the railing. Standing next to him, I surveyed the packed dance floor. If Missy was down there, it would be hard to pick her out among the writhing bodies.
“I’m going to put the team on alert, get her picture around to them. Tell them to just notify me if they see her and not to give her any indication that they were watching her,”Gideon said.
I nodded absently. Watching the people dancing only made me ache for Brooklyn even more. She loved to dance, allowing her self consciousness to fade away as she flowed with the music. It was a beautiful thing to watch. In the two dances I had sharedwith her, having her body move near mine was more than I could handle.
Oliver took Gideon’s place next to me, his hands wrapping around the banister as he looked out over the club.
“Do you think she’ll show?”He asked.
I really didn’t have an answer for that. Missy exuded confidence and self importance. However, I didn’t peg her for being completely stupid. Showing up just days after our woman was kidnapped could be too obvious even for her. I just wasn’t sure she could keep herself away from what she really wanted and that was us.
Our waitress, Vivian, was busy flirting with Cain, but she brought all of our usuals and I took a break to sip from my scotch. Oliver didn’t move a muscle as he watched the crowd. Jaxon had chosen a seat with Cain, whether to keep an eye on him or keep him company, I wasn’t sure. A thought came to me, but before I could really debate the topic to myself, Gideon approached the table.
“I have her picture at the door. I’ve talked to the team. If she is here or comes in tonight, we’ll know,”he said, pointing to the ear piece he was now wearing.
I nodded and scrubbed a hand down my face. It was hard not to think about the last time I saw Brooklyn in the club. She had come from our offices, her skin flush and beautiful, all of my brothers around her with satisfied looks on their faces. When I saw her, I wanted so badly to take her into my arms and be the reason she looked so happy.
Instead, my brothers froze, and Brooklyn became enraged at the scene in front of her. A tiny piece of me could find comfort that she cared at all after our tense miscommunication. Miscommunication was the nice way of saying my fuck up. Brooklyn cared enough to be angry about Missy at my side. Butthat was the first straw that started to take down our house of cards. My brothers blamed me for that. Fuck, I blamed myself.
I finished my scotch, but when Vivian appeared beside me, always the attentive waitress, I waved her off with a small smile. Drowning myself wasn’t working. I didn’t even like the way it made me feel and I wasn’t forgetting any details about Brooklyn that drove my nightmares. Whatever happened after we found her, I didn’t want to lose the memories I had of her skin, her taste, her breathy moans.
Jaxon appeared and slid into the booth with us. I looked over my shoulder and noted Cain was missing.
“He got a call, maybe a lead. He was going to grab a cab,”Jaxon said.
I nodded and turned to watch the stairs that allowed entrance to our level. One of Gideon’s team was there, watching the crowd below. I knew he’d allow Missy by if she appeared, but I continued to stare as if I could make her materialize.
The four of us rotated from the booth, to the railing, to our offices and back. We were all on edge, uneasy with being able to pull off any sort of farce. The idea made me wonder if I should start drinking again. I was sure I could pretend much easier if I was drunk. Missy being anywhere near me made my entire body shudder. Nevertheless, I was willing to do whatever was necessary to find Brooklyn.
As the final call was being broadcast by the DJ to the still full dance floor, desperation clawed at me. I couldn’t sit still. Descending the stairs, I began to search the crowd myself. The rational part of my brain knew I was being ridiculous. Missy wouldn’t come to the club and not try to get to us. She wouldn’t be in the middle of the sweaty mass of dancers. My body just needed the movement, something to focus on.
An hour later, the last of the drunken party people had been poured into cabs and we were left with the employees as theyclosed up. My brothers and I hesitated on our level, slumped together in our booth.
