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Keeping low to the ground, I made a break for Brandy’s SUV with the key I’d stolen from the bowl on the front table before I went to Delilah’s room. When it came to forgiveness, I could only hope that Brandy was like her sister. Valentina stole Cherry’s car once and drove it all the way to Mexico, and Cherry forgave her. At least I was only taking Brandy’s car across town and bringing it right back.
On the way to Antonio’s club, I kept looking in my rearview mirror, expecting to see a man on a chrome machine bearing down on me. But that never happened, and I let out a relieved breath as I pulled around back and killed the engine.
The sun had set on my ride in, and as I stepped out into the darkness of the parking lot, I halfway expected to beaccosted by one of Antonio’s goons. While the lot was filled with cars, nobody seemed to be around. Probably because they were all busy getting the club ready to open.
Gingerly, I opened one of the heavy metal doors at the back of the club and poked my head in. This part of the club housed cases of liquor, wine, and beer to make unloading easier. There was nobody back here at the moment, so I snuck in, softly shutting the door behind me.
From the doorway, I could hear voices farther down the hall, but if I hurried, I could make it to the ladies’ room and slip inside. Quickly, I closed the door behind me and pressed my ear against it. After the voices moved past the door, I waited a few seconds, and swung the door open, making my way down the hall.
This next part would be the hardest. The stairs. You could see everyone going up and down them, or at least their legs. All the staff wore black pants, and I had on jeans. There was nothing I could do about it now, so I’d just have to hurry up and hope nobody stopped me.
Halfway up to the third floor my luck ran out.
One of the bartenders from the private floor above smiled down at me. He was around my age, knew my favorite brand of beer, and collected muscle cars. That instantly made him my favorite. Damn. I hoped I didn’t have to shoot him and stuff him in a closet or something.
“Long time no see. Where have you been, girl?”
Trapped in a cage naked thanks to your boss. Get that new cylinder for the sixty-eightMustangyet? Yeah right. While I’d love to see the look on his face, I doubted honesty would get me very far.
“Just been busy over at the shop. Work piling up. You know how it is.”
The part about work piling up was probably true. With only Tweak there to hold down the fort, I could only imagine the mess he’d made of my beloved shop. I bet none of my tools were in the right place.
“Yeah, I’ve been too busy working to finish the Stang.”
“Damn shame.” I pointed upstairs. “Better get going, Antonio is expecting me.”
He got this funny look on his face, and I reached behind me for the gun I had tucked away in my waistband. Right when my hand closed around it, he spoke.
“He’s in his office.”
Dropping my hand, I said, “Thanks,” and ran up the remaining steps.
Antonio’s office was down the hallway, just off the stairs, so it didn’t take me long to find him. His door opened with a crash, the girl that was bouncing on his dick falling backward onto the floor, narrowly missing the coffee table. This fucker.
I pointed the gun at her, then used it to motion to the door as I walked into the room. “Out. Now.”
She grabbed her clothes and shoes off the floor, not bothering to get dressed, hurried past me, and closed the door on her way out. Wise girl.
Antonio sat there smiling with his wet dick still hanging out of his pants. His hands were spread out on the back of the black leather couch like he didn’t have a care in the world. He probably thought I was bluffing before when I told him I knew how to shoot.
“Stella,” he purred my name, and I wanted to cringe. Why had I ever thought fucking him was a good idea? “So nice to see you alive and well. When you disappeared without a trace, I thought my enemies had gotten to you despite my best efforts.”
“Save it,” I hissed. “I know you’re the one behind my descent into hell.”
His face transformed. Gone was the suave businessman and in his place sat the devil.
“You’ve been spying on me since breaking free, haven’t you?”
“You really should be more careful of the company you keep.”
“So, it would seem. Then you know Mateo, no?”
This was some kind of test. But why? I was the one holding a gun while he sat there with his fly open.
“We became acquainted when he shot Jules in front of me and then left his corpse to rot with me in a cell.”
He lifted his hand off the sofa, but when I took a step forward, he set it back down.
