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“Get that”, Levi muttered.
He swallowed bitterly at Chance’s soft mention of his own shit. Nobody but Chance knew about it. Well, perhaps Big Al. But his brothers remained in the dark. Everyone linked to Hellfire knew Levi fucked off when things got too bad. None of them pushed for a why, only because Chance was okay with it. Fuck, none of them even knew where he went, and he’d no interest in telling them.
But if he got involved with Madisen, how could he pull those same stunts? Levi’s mind felt like it would blow, and he would lose all control. He’d become what he hated the most… a monster. He’d sworn an oath as a teen never to unleash the beast, and his trips were often much needed. But lately, they’d been more frequent. Chance hadn’t said anything, but Levi had the urge to escape more.
A little voice piped up. But when he’d been with Madisen, he’d felt nothing but calm. There was no lingering darkness, no spiralling, no urge to kill. Levi knew what Pyro was and who his alternative persona was. He was one of the few who did know and accepted Pyro for what he was. But even so, Justice claimed justice… just not at the rate he had been doing. Janey accepted that. And still was able to love Pyro.
Could Madisen be his Janey? The one to calm the savage beast and keep it at bay? Or would he flip out on her? There were questions Levi couldn’t solve but needed answers to.
“Brother,” Chance prompted.
“My shit gets so dark that it even swallows the night, Chance. If Madisen is as clean as you say, then I’ll contaminate her,” Levi stated.
“Like I did with Clio? Bear with Thalia? Diesel and Alice? Levi, the problem is half of us accept our dark; the rest, like you, run from it. Time will tell if your dark eats you or you beat it. No matter what, you do you, and we’ll support that. But think about your options and what you want. Because sometimes, brother, what we want isn’t actually what we really desire,” Chance said sagely.
Levi snorted. It was rare for Chance to offer words of advice. But when he did, they were worth listening to.
Chapter Four.
Madisen
Istood at the entrance of the club. The sign above the doors outside blinked the name, The Midnight Hour, which is what we’d decided to call the building. The doors were opening in minutes, and I was as nervous as hell. Despite the fact that Brandy had stuck her head out of the door and assured me there was a long queue, nerves still struck. As we were opening on a Friday night, I’d pulled in every single member of staff we’d hired. They would be needed to fill in application forms for the speakeasy downstairs. I was determined it would be membership only.
Our marketing package had gone out two weeks ago, and we’d drummed up lots of interest. Tami’s shop had opened a week earlier and had been a roaring success. The moment it’d opened, she’d not been able to sit down as people came from neighbouring towns, all interested in the club. The online memberships had gone through the roof for the private area, which we’d named The Parlour. We hoped to quickly check the membership cards with their photo ID against those turning up with further ID and then hand them their memberships and let them in. Of course, some would arrive today who hadn’t signed up, so the extra staff would be needed for them.
The VIP memberships had nearly sold out, which amused me to no end. Every single person signing up had been informed it was period dress and VIP. Member or not, they would be refused entrance should they not be fashioned correctly.
“You better let them in,” Brandy called as she approached. As usual, she wore a suit cut with a woman’s flare. On her side, in a gorgeous flapper dress, was Cami.
“What if we flop?” I gasped, suddenly feeling panicked.
“By that queue outside, we’re not going to. But we may get a riot, so open the doors!” Brandy snapped.
I shook myself and nodded to the four bouncers.
They opened the double doors and then stood in front of them. There were two sections, one for VIPs and members and the other for the general public wanting to party. They began to slowly let individuals through. The entrance where they bought tickets and left coats was quite large, but this weekend, we were doing something different with it.
We’d set up tables in cubicles for people to sign with memberships or VIP memberships. Those who just wanted the club would be processed by the ticket office on the right-hand side. A girl waited to take coats and shawls and give out tickets for receipts. It was a little cramped, but it would have to do. We did have a private room for people to sign up in, but it wasn’t feasible for opening night.
A limo pulled up, and I heard gasps as five ladies climbed out, escorted by gorgeous men. One man had two women on his arms, and Brandy muttered ‘lucky guy’. He was older than the women, and his face stern, but he marched them up to the VIP door.
“Washington and party,” he announced.
I moved forward instantly.
“Mr Washington, how nice to see you on our opening night. I am Madisen, the owner of The Midnight Hour. Please, come in. Your memberships have been prepared, and we just await comparing them to an identification you were requested to bring. Come this way,” I said.
“This looks wonderful!” one of the women gushed, looking so excited. “I’m Kate Washington, James’s wife, and this is my sister Tammy. Everything’s so authentic, like we went back in time!”
“Thank you. That was our plan!” I responded with a smile.
I stepped behind a desk I was manning and opened a lock box. Inside, I pulled the cards for the Washington party, which consisted of James, Kate, and her sister. There was a large, threatening-looking guy called Adam and his wife Rina. Jaime Bryant and his wife Mandy smiled as they held out their extra identification, and finally, Jaime’s sister Francesa and her husband Jason. This was a huge coup for me. James Washington was famous across South Dakota. The crime lord who got clean and became a major power player. I could see flashes of light from the pictures the paparazzi were snapping.
A second limo pulled up, and James cocked his head and then snorted.
“Oh, I can’t wait to see this.” James laughed as several more arrived behind it.
Clearly, James knew something I didn’t, and I craned my neck as a tall man exited the car. He was yanking on the tie around his neck and glowering as a beautiful woman exited.
