"Yes, sir."
"There any cuties out there than can come keep us company?" Crosby asked.
This time, my eyebrows lifted. "Jefferson will kill you," I whispered.
I was positive of it.
Crosby snickered as he leaned toward me. "He knows what I'm doing. I explained it to him before we left home, and he understands this is just for show."
Maybe so, but I still wouldn't want to be Crosby when he got home.
"We have to play the game if we want to get your friend out of here."
I knew that logically, but I was still having a hard time getting into the party headspace. I tried to look casual as I checked the place out, not as a man looking at the hotties all over the place but from a security point of view.
Besides the thug at the entrance to the VIP area and the two at the door, I could spot three more littered about the room. They weren't hard to spot. They all wore black suits and had earpieces in their ears.
That could be a problem.
I also suspected that the entire place was under surveillance, even if I couldn't see anything. If Brasov really was in the sex trade business, it would make sense that he was in the blackmail business as well. It was probably how he kept the authorities from busting him.
Clark was back faster than I thought he'd be. He had a tray in his hand, which he set down on the low table. He opened the bottle of scotch and poured four glasses before setting it down and grabbing the stack of twenties to hand to Crosby.
"I'll be right back with your menus and some company for the evening."
Once Clark walked away, Crosby handed us each a stack of twenties. "You're going to need this."
"Why?" I had money of my own. He didn't need to give it to me.
"We want to be seen, remember? The quickest way to do that is flash some cash."
Knox's phone dinged. I glanced at him when he pulled it out, expecting him to receive a message from Newt to let him know he and Sergei were in place. I wasn't expecting him to laugh and put his phone back into his pocket.
"Brasov ran my credit card," Knox said.
"Good," Crosby said. "He already knows who we are. I have no doubt he recognized our names and researched us before we arrived tonight. Now, he knows we have lots of money to back up our reputation. He'll be salivating to get his hands on it."
"It feels as if you guys have done this before." They were too good at it to not have done something like this before.
"Not this situation exactly," Crosby replied, "but we've dealt with people like Brasov before, and they are all after one thing. Money. Our money. Money they didn't earn honestly. And they are willing to do just about anything to get it except put in an honest day's work."
Peachy.
“Oh, here comes our entertainment," Knox said. "You might want to text your friend and let him know we're in the building and Sergei will be coming for him soon."
"Yes, of course." I pulled out my cell phone and quickly tapped out a message to Dalton before putting my phone away again. I got it back in my pocket just in time for a cute little blond in a pair of skimpy electric-blue boy shorts to slide onto my lap. "Hello."
The guy undulated against me while licking his lips. "Hello, handsome. I'm Donny."
I think I showed great restraint by not rolling my eyes. It took everything in me to plaster a smile on my face instead of dropping this guy on his ass. He was not the one I wanted sitting in my lap.
"Can I buy you a drink, Donny?" I asked.
I think that was what we were supposed to do.
"Clark," Knox called out. "A bottle of your best champagne and glasses for all our new friends."
It was only then that I noticed the others had guys on their laps as well.
