“Mr.Janson has a foursome in the green room.Lord Hoover has his mistress and another couple playing whist in the pink room.The four tables in the portrait room are full.And the burgundy room is booked, but Mr.Clay and his guest have not arrived yet.”
“Give them another half hour to claim his reservation and then open it to other players.I can’t afford to have the room be empty with so many people here tonight.”Matthew pulled out his watch.“The show starts in an hour.”
Rob nodded.
Once the show started, the gaming rooms would clear, and the staff could take the hour to count money and IOUs.Only the most inveterate gamblers would miss the show to keep playing.These were exactly the players Matthew would personally offer loans from the house bank.His sharp gaze roamed the crowd once again.
Oh, hell no.
He spotted the one person he truly hated in this world.The one person he would never allow to step foot inside his world.“Do you see that man?”He pointed.“Tall, lean, greased-back black hair and dressed as Caesar.Get him out of my club.”
“Yes, sir.”Rob descended the steps and went over to Val to lean in and tell him what the boss had ordered.
Val walked over to the man and then looked up to where Matthew stood for confirmation.
He nodded.Then he watched as Val grasped the man’s arm and spoke close to his ear.The man jerked back with a look of affront.But Val was not one to be messed with, and his grip tightened as he pulled the man back to the front door.Matthew folded his arms across his chest and took no small pleasure as his worst enemy was removed from the club.
Rob returned to his side.“Never seen him here before.Who was that, boss?”
“Just someone from my past.He is never to step foot into this club again.Fucking toffs,” he muttered.
“Done.”
Why had Jonas been here?This wasn’t the typical exclusive club that he normally frequented.Had the bacchanal gotten so popular that even the snootiest of toffs deigned to come see what it was about?Matthew straightened the blue mask he had donned in deference to the masquerade theme.It covered the top half of his face and had slashing black eyebrows over the eyeholes and two molded horns rising from his temples.Tonight was a night for revelry and vices.Like the devil himself, he was happy to profit from the imprudence of others.
He continued to watch the door, on edge now at who might walk in.Why did Jonas still have this effect on him?He was no longer ten years old, soft and trusting.Life had hardened him into a man most others feared and respected.Had Jonas been looking for her?Panic solidified in his chest like ice.No, Jonas probably didn’t have any idea whose club he had walked into.It didn’t matter; Matthew would always protect her.Restless with his thoughts, he firmly put Jonas out of his mind and started down the stairs.
The front door opened again, and a woman in a ruby-red dress stepped inside.Her mahogany hair, long and loose, blew around her shoulders.Matthew paused in his descent, his attention stolen by her curvaceous form in the low-cut gown.She wore a mask covering the top half of her face in the same deep red as her dress.Nestled in all that thick shiny hair was a pair of devil horns, painted red with black tips.She glanced around curiously before a man stepped up beside her.He was thin as a reed; he reached up and straightened a simple white eye mask with trembling fingers.The lady smiled up at him and tucked her hand through the crook of his arm, giving it a little pat.
Matthew smiled.It was a rarity to see a woman dressed as a devil.Usually, the man was the devil and the lady on his arm, an angel.The unusual pair turned left to walk into the gaming room, and Matthew flat-out chuckled as he spotted a pair of small, white angel wings pinned to the back of the man’s jacket.The two wandered off, their heads together as the lady spoke in his ear.
He continued down the stairs and followed the pair, not because he was intrigued by the lady in red.He couldn’t be distracted by beautiful women, despite what his sister encouraged.No, it was time to make the rounds and see what kind of money was here tonight.
*
“Nigel, stop worrying.We are not here to gamble.We are here to investigate, remember?”Elizabeth said softly.
“Yes, boss.But my mother would kill me if she knew I was in aden of iniquity.”He whispered.
Elizabeth bit back a sigh.Nigel was an excellent employee, the best writer she had, but he was more mouse than man.In a place such as this, a woman dare not arrive unattended.She had needed a male escort, and…well, Nigel was one of the few men of her acquaintance she could trust.
“Listen, let’s go get a drink.Remember our main purpose.We are looking for Mary Beth.She has ginger hair, freckles, and is tall and lithe.We are here to help her if needed.Keep your eyes open for her, but don’t worry.I will do all the interacting.”
Elizabeth’s longtime neighbor had come by earlier in the week, distraught because her daughter had run off and hadn’t contacted her for several weeks.She had asked Elizabeth to use her connections to help find the girl.
“Mary Beth is so stubborn-headed, like her father.She wants to sing on the stage.”Mrs.Kelley had wrung her hands.“We fought, and her da kicked her out.I know he regrets his harsh words.I just want her to come home.Where it’s safe.”
Earlier tonight she had tried to reassure Mrs.Kelley.“Don’t worry.The tip I got that she is working at the Blue Angel came from one of my most reliable sources.Tonight, there is a large annual masquerade there.It will be the perfect time to go in unnoticed and fetch her out.I promise, if she wants to come home, I will make sure she can leave.You have my word.”
Mrs.Kelley nodded, but the worry in her eyes reflected what Elizabeth was thinking.She tried to reassure the woman.“It may be that she just found a job cleaning or serving at the club.”But she knew she and Mrs.Kelley shared the worry that Mary Beth was earning money on her back.
Elizabeth had squeezed the older lady’s hand.Mrs.Kelley had been a good neighbor for twenty years.She owed it to her to find out what had happened to her daughter.Elizabeth understood better than most what it was like to make mistakes when one was young.She had plenty of sympathy for Mrs.Kelley’s worry and would do her best to bring Mary Beth home.
“You are an angel for helping us.”
Elizabeth’s lips twisted into a wry smile.No, tonight she would be a devil.She would fit in far better at the infamous gaming hell, where vice and debauchery were no doubt celebrated.
She adjusted her red-beaded mask as she observed the crowd.The big room was full of people standing around talking and drinking wine.Laughter rang out from her left.Elizabeth turned to see a small group of men, all dressed as pirates.One man punched another in the arm, and all three laughed loudly again.
