"I hope so." Leo finished his drink. "Because we're taking a risk bringing you in. The Malatestas have been here for years. Displacing them will have consequences."
"I appreciate the candor."
"Just making sure we understand each other." He set his empty glass on a passing server's tray. "Now let's get back to thedetails. Gray and Sofia should have the route maps finalized by now."
I started to turn back toward the booth, but something caught my eye on the main floor below.
Red hair. Not natural, but the kind of dark crimson that caught the light.
My entire body went cold.
No. Not here. Not now.
But it was her. Ivy moved between tables with practiced ease, balancing a tray of drinks like she'd done it a thousand times. She wore the club's uniform, a black dress that hit mid-thigh with the venue's logo embroidered on the chest. Professional but flattering.
What the hell was she doing here?
I'd asked her about work earlier. She'd mentioned getting off around two in the morning. I'd assumed she worked at some late-night diner or maybe one of the smaller bars across town.
Not at a Donati-owned club. Not atthisDonati-owned club.
My heart hammered against my ribs. This was bad. This was so monumentally bad I couldn't even begin to process all the ways it complicated everything.
Ivy delivered drinks to a table near the stage, smiling at something one of the patrons said. She looked comfortable, at ease. Like she belonged here.
How long had she been working for the Donatis? Did she know who I truly was? Was she getting close to me to get information?
No. That wasn't possible, because if she had been, why had she tried to get away from me for the most part. No. It was a coincidence. It had to be. But if she worked for them, perhaps she knew the truth of them. If that was the case, then…
Perhaps she would be open to the real me. But that was wishful thinking.
I watched her collect empty glasses, her movements efficient and graceful. She knew the space, knew the rhythm of the crowd. This wasn't her first night here. Maybe not even her first month.
And I'd had no idea.
Leo was saying something about distribution schedules, but the words barely registered. My entire focus had narrowed to the woman moving through the crowd below.
Then she looked up.
Our eyes met across the distance, across the divide between the VIP section and the main floor.
Her smile dropped immediately.
The tray in her hands wobbled slightly before she steadied it. Even from here, I could see the shock on her face. The confusion. The beginning of something that looked a lot like betrayal.
She knew I'd said I had a meeting. She didn't know it was here. At her workplace. With her employers.
That quick of a reaction told me she had made the connection. Which meant she knew the truth of the Donatis, or enough to know my conversing with them wasn't just standard construction business.
"Eric?" Leo's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "You good?"
I forced myself to look away from Ivy, to turn my attention back to the man standing next to me. The man who apparently employed the woman I'd spent the last twenty-four hours reconnecting with.
"Yeah," I said, surprised my voice came out steady. "Just thought I saw someone I knew."
Leo glanced down at the main floor, following my previous line of sight. "One of our servers?"
"Maybe. Hard to tell from up here."
