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“So, we have two girls who not only worked for the same entertainment agency but have been inside both clubs. It sounds like we narrow down the names of who holds memberships in both clubs and we give that to the police.” Jameson was always the voice of reason.
“I doubt it’s that easy,” I told him. “My gut tells me there’s a strong possibility that the club is being used by the murderer to cover his tracks. If he’s a member at all, I’d be surprised.”
“So you’re buying Davidson’s innocence?” Grant asked.
“For the murder, maybe. For a list of other atrocities, absolutely not. This underground of people controlling the city. Bullshit or not?” I asked Gregory.
He lifted his glass. “I know it exists. My Pops used to tell me about it. In fact, when he was in full control of Club Darkness, the original members were considered the most powerful men in the country.”
“Any still alive?” Jameson threw in.
“I’m sure there are, but they certainly don’t come into the club any longer.”
“Do you know anything about it?” I had doubts he did.
“Not a fucking thing. My father was very private, but during the days where the mafia ruled on one side, this group on the other, my father was somewhere in the middle and very secretive. He took those secrets to his grave.” Gregory laughed. “However, I don’t doubt that in the bowels of both our clubs, members of this ruling ring of power thrive. I’d be very careful if I were you, Lachlan. Sometimes it’s good to let sleeping dogs lie. If you know what I mean.”
I knew exactly what he meant. “The chief of police? Why was he in here with Senator Winston?”
“To be honest with you, I have no idea. Don’t worry. I have him on a long leash.” Gregory took a sip of his drink.
Both Jameson and Grant laughed.
“While that’s good to know, I don’t like where this is going,” I hissed. “I am curious. Do you know the names of the two individuals who brought the victims to your club?”
“I wondered if you’d ask me that.” His grin indicated not someone I’d expect. “Samuel Worthington was one. In case you don’t know him, he’s the new CEO of the tech company that moved to Arlington, Virginia last year. Some say he’s the next up-and-coming computer whiz. He’s only been in the club a couple of times so I doubt he’s a contender.”
I took in the information, and although I recognized the name, it meant nothing to me as he wasn’t a member of the club. “Who else?”
Gregory leaned forward, placing his drink on the table. “I just picked up on this tonight. And it’s someone you might find interesting.” He hesitated then smiled. “Trent Abbot.”
As I glanced between the men, I took a deep breath. The underbelly of the city could be on the verge of collapsing, which made them desperate to keep their secrets locked away.
That also made them extremely dangerous.
And I’d put Lark in harm’s way.
* * *
Lark
I’d watched Lachlan walk away and almost immediately a strong sense of loneliness had driven deep into my core. Maybe that’s because until now, I’d never fully enjoyed spending time with a man. There was no need for me to overanalyze what was happening between us. This wasn’t love yet it wasn’t simply our electric connection either.
“Would you like another scotch?” the sexy bartender asked.
“Please.” I continued observing as Lachlan had mentioned doing, my thoughts drifting to my past and my childhood.
When I was very young, my life wasn’t dissimilar to anyone else’s in our fashionable neighborhood. My parents owned an upscale home, yet it certainly wasn’t a mansion by South Florida standards. I’d been allowed to be a kid, attending a public school, enjoying a few friends who often visited the house. Then my father had been elected to the local schoolboard, quickly becoming president. I’d sensed everything was different soon after, his moods becoming darker.
Suddenly, no longer was there laughter in my house, my friends increasingly unwelcome. As his career blossomed, my world shrank, more rules imposed, the punishment for infractions harsh. My father’s friends changed, the old ones tossed to the wayside. We moved into a larger home, one with gates, men hired for security. For a time, I hadn’t been allowed to leave the house without one of my father’s hired men trailing behind me.
The days had seemed normal. Only when I’d been sent away to school had I flourished, although not without days spent sobbing, uncertain what I’d done so wrong to deserve being banished.
I wasn’t certain why memories of my ugly past swept through my mind as I sat at a beautiful bar sipping an expensive glass of scotch. Perhaps because I’d been left behind. Or because I’d likely made a mistake accepting a position in the same city my father could assert his bastardized control in.
As the bartender placed the fresh glass in front of me, I shifted toward the bar, the blue-hued lights on the mirrored wall allowing me continued reflections of comings and goings. I hated that I felt so uncomfortable in my own city, but the vibe inside the club was entirely different than in Carnal Sins.
I swirled my finger around my glass.
