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Removing my phone from my back pocket, I looked at the time and swore a blue streak. I’d only slept for half an hour. I dried off with the brand-new black hand towel and hung my head. It felt wrong to be here without her. A low cry escaped me, and I balled my hands into fists. I had to keep my shit together. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to get information from Tim. I’d miss body language and signs like I had earlier.
On second thought, staying at the penthouse probably wasn’t the best idea I’d had. With no one else around, I’d allowed myself to fall apart, but I needed my friends.
I tapped out a text on my cell to our group chat.
Need company. Let’s meet at the bar?
My phone pinged, but it wasn’t from who I expected. I ran my fingers through my hair as I read the message from Pierce.
Chapter Seven
I’ve been able to confirm that Tim and Logan are on the FBI’s radar. Play it cool when you see him tomorrow.
I typed out a quick reply.
Thanks for the heads up. Glad someone is aware of his activities.
I wasn’t used to Zayne reporting to Pierce, but more than that, the facts were now in front of my face. There wasn’t any more doubt about who Tim was. Chills darted down my back. Even though Pierce hadn’t said why they were on the FBI’s shit list, I assumed Brynn’s information, along with mine, was accurate.
My phone pinged with more messages. Jace and Brynn were on their way to the club. Chance was already downstairs.
Most nights, I showed up at 4 Play dressed in an expensive suit and shirt. At the moment, I didn’t give a fuck what I looked like, so jeans and tennis shoes were the outfit for the evening.
I grabbed my keys and wallet and shoved them into the appropriate pockets. Minutes later, Zayne and I were on the elevator heading to the main floor. Once everyone got here and ordered food and drinks, we’d move to the conference room. The playroom couches would be more comfortable, but the room had just been thoroughly cleaned. Hiring someone to remove ass prints and jizz off the furniture was bad enough. I wasn’t going to mess it up with food crumbs that night. The guys were pretty messy eaters.
Zayne remained quiet as I made my way to the bar. “Take My Breath” by The Weeknd pumped through the speakers. The club was packed, which was a good sign since it was a Thursday evening.
My mind raced with memories of the first night I’d brought River here. I was terrified she’d walk away from me. Us. Owning a sex club along with her past weren’t the best ingredients to a lasting relationship, but she’d shocked the crap out of me. Over the months, I’d had the most amazing sex of my life with her. It wasn’t about me. It was about making River feel safe, loved, and valued. Her life had been hell, and I wanted to give her so much more. I wanted to show her sexuality could be a loving, positive, and fun experience.
Dread seeped into my veins. Where had I gone wrong in protecting her? A tidal wave of fear and grief slammed into me, and I sank onto the barstool while I waited for my friends.
I ordered a Dr Pepper and my focus bounced over the crowd. I’d always loved to watch people. They were fascinating most of the time.
“Hey, man,” Jace said, joining me.
“Hey. Thanks for hanging out. Once everyone is here, I figured we’d get some food and drinks and hang in the conference room where we can talk privately.”
“I’m starving, so that sounds good. Did Chance work tonight?” Jace ran a hand down his burgundy button-down shirt. He’d tucked it into his dark wash jeans and paired it with black dress shoes. Jace always looked put-together. The dude could roll out of bed and head straight out the fucking door, and no one would ever know. I was pretty sure that’s exactly what he did the first two years of college, too. We all had partied hard and fucked harder, but by then, we’d established the club, so sex was available any time we wanted it. Jace and Chance even lost interest in chasing other women.
“You should figure out how to blow off some steam.” Jace propped his elbows up on the bar while he remained standing.
“Got any ideas other than using Tim’s face?” I took a drink of my soda, the tiny bubbles tickling my nose and moistening my upper lip. I wiped my mouth as my mind wandered back to River. Was she hurt? Was the baby okay? I squelched the stormy thoughts. I had to remain positive and hang onto hope. River was strong. Feisty. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. If she did, she’d come up swinging with a plan.
Jace arched a dark brow at me. “Are you still pissed at him for leading a double life, or did you get some news?” Jace signaled to the bartender, then ordered a Jack and Coke.
“Not much, but some. It’s more confirmation than anything. I’ll update you upstairs. You never know when someone is listening.” I glanced at the row of people to my right. No one looked like they gave a fuck what I said, but I couldn’t risk it. The minute I yelled over the music, it would stop, and everyone would hear me.
A gentle touch came from my left. “How are you holding up?” Brynn asked, kissing my cheek.
“Shitty. You?” I stood and hugged her. She didn’t look well at all. Her skin was still pale, and her hands shook slightly. I’d never seen Brynn this stressed, but we’d never had someone we loved kidnapped either. “Are you coming down with the flu?”
She gave me a sweet smile that didn’t reach her green eyes. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. You have way bigger things to deal with. We all do.”
Before I could answer, she’d turned her back to me and kissed Jace on the cheek as well. Although I sensed there was something off with Brynn, I wasn’t sure if it was concerning River’s disappearance or something else. I’d talk to Jace and Chance to help me find out what was going on.
One thing was clear. We were all worried about River. Brynn had even joined us in boyfriend jeans and a faded Jeffrey James concert T-shirt instead of her usual classy blouse and black boots. None of us gave a shit about what we looked like. We just wanted River home.
Everyone ordered food and drinks, then we made our way to the conference room. Zayne remained in the hallway, staring at the elevator. His job had to be boring as hell some days.
