AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The decision was easy when I sent the text, but going shopping with Ivy brought back emotions I’d rather pretend didn’t exist. Spending time with her this afternoon was like participating in a reality game show where you get to see the prize you could have won before your chance of winning gets snatched away.
But Ivy’s a killer. I keep repeating it over and over. She’s a killer. It becomes a mantra. She’s a killer. She’s not the girl I fell for. The girl I saw a future with died along with Daisy five years ago.
Going to the Auditorium is still a risk, though. I should have told the others where I was heading, but I wanted to protect them. If I’m walking into a trap, I’m not going to take them down with me. I’m their leader. A leader who will do anything to protect them.
Of course I’m armed. I’m not an idiot. I’m ready with a gun and knife that I retrieved from the house’s secret stash. The Dukes don’t know it, but our new hide-out belongs to an old buddy of mine, Zane O’Shea. We worked together when I started my arms business. The last I heard, he was on the run, livingsomewhere abroad, but he kept the house in case he ever needed somewhere to return to… and made the mistake of telling me where to find the spare key.
It’s just past ten, and the queue is still short, so I’m not waiting long to be admitted. The Auditorium’s interior is sleek and modern with white leather booths, a black marble bar top, and illuminated contemporary art hanging on the walls. I recognise a Raptor piece and make a mental note to bring Bram to see it another time. He’ll appreciate seeing a new painting from his favourite artist.
Around me, over-eager party-goers sip pricey cocktails while a DJ tests the sound system. When he takes to the decks, there’s a flurry of excited squeals followed by a rush to the dance floor. Scantily clad bodies writhe to the bass-filled beat that’ll give me a headache if I stay for too long.
I check my watch. One hour to go. Arriving ahead of schedule gives me the chance to scope out the venue, but as I turn to do a loop, I see her. A leggy blonde sitting at the bar, swishing her hair and flirting with the bartender.
Stephanie.
Fuck, she’s already here. My jaw tenses. Her eyes sparkle as they meet mine from across the room. Her inflated lips stretch into a clown-like smile as she curls her finger to beckon me closer. I don’t move straight away, resisting being treated like a sailor summoned into crashing rocks. She winks, showing she knows exactly what I’m thinking, and pats the stool next to her.
I grit my teeth and march over.
“Good evening,” Stephanie says, standing to greet me. Her black, strappy satin dress barely covers her arse, giving her no opportunity to hide weapons. However, she holds her clutch bag tightly to her body. She notices me looking and leans to plant a kiss on both of my cheeks like we’re old friends, then whispers inmy ear, “Don’t worry, babe. If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead.”
“Where’s your boyfriend?” I ask.
Alaric, her tattooed boss, would stand out in a place like this.
“Why don’t you sit down?” she suggests, waving over the bartender who can’t disguise his disappointment at my arrival. “My friend would like a drink.”
“I’m good,” I reply stiffly, reluctantly taking a seat at her side.
Dying of dehydration would be preferable to accepting a drink from a monster.
“You’re not going to let a lady drink alone, are you?” Stephanie titters, then orders another for herself. “I’ll get a dirty Martini with extra olives.”
“Absolutely!” He scurries away to prepare it for her. From his determined expression, I expect he’ll return with a whole jar of olives to please her.
“I’m here to talk,” I say.
“You still have a lot to learn. Didn’t anyone teach you it’s bad manners to get straight down to business?” she replies. I see why she’d make a great asset to the Killers Club, using her charm to seduce men before carrying out gut-wrenching acts. “You haven’t even thanked me for our latest gift. I thought Sebastian would have been particularly grateful.”
She’s pushing for a reaction, but I won’t give her one.
“He liked your note,” I reply bluntly.
“I always like to add a personal touch to my presents,” she says, opening her clutch bag. My hands jump to my pocket, but she only giggles and takes out a lipstick. “So, Mr James…” Stephanie applies a generous coat of red and smacks her lips together. “I believe you have something of ours.”
“Something that’ll come at a high price,” I say.
Her eyes narrow. She pretends to be an airhead, but she has brains too. “What price do you have in mind?”
“Immunity. A truce, of sorts,” I say. “You leave us to continue running our security operations, and we’ll return Ivy.”
“Why would we agree to those terms? We’re an unstoppable machine with endless resources and a bank balance that you can only dream about. I think you’ve overestimated the value of your item and how much we’d be willing to pay,” she says, disregarding Ivy like she’s nothing. “But I have an alternative offer. You and the Dukes can work for us. You provide us with weapons, and we let you all live.”
“We will never work for anyone else,” I spit. “Especially not you.”
Over my dead body will I let the Dukes become the Killers Club’s bitches. It goes against everything we stand for.
“I’d urge you to reconsider.” She shrugs, flashing me a dazzling smile. “You’ve stepped on our toes for too long. This offer is generous.”
