Flipping him the bird, I turned my back on him and was glad when he went back to the rest of his buddies. A moment later, I looked up as an out of breath Rayden came running through the service entrance. Dread immediately settled in the pit of my stomach.
“What happened?” I asked then waited as he gulped down some water before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “What’s wrong, Rayden?”
He stared at me, and I could see he was contemplating his next words then leaned closer. “I just saw them kill a man.” He whispered in my ear.
I gaped at him wide-eyed. “You’re shitting me, right?”
He shook his head before glancing over his shoulder as if he expected someone to come after him. “No. Fuck, Zee, you weren’t kidding. Lorenzo just killed a man in cold blood like it was nothing.”
“Did they see you?”
“I don’t think so,” he mumbled. I didn’t trust the break in his voice.
“You have to get out of here, Ray. Go.” I shoved his arm, turning him toward the entrance.
“What about my friends?” He stopped to peer over my shoulder to where Austin and his buddies sat.
“You don’t have time and they’re drunk. Go now. I’ll tell them you got a call or something. Please, Ray, just go. Get an Uber and get the fuck out of here.” He nodded and as he turned to walk away, I stopped him and reached up to drop a quick kiss to his lips. “I’ll see you at home, okay?” He nodded and was heading toward the exit when I noticed Dario, Lorenzo’s bodyguard, come through the service entrance followed closely by Remo. His expression all the confirmation I needed that they’d seen Rayden. “Shit.” I’d not only dug a deeper hole by sending Rayden down to fetch the drinks, but I also just covered us with sand as well. Grabbing my jacket and purse from under the counter, I turned to the other girl helping me behind the bar. “Hey, Georgie, cover for me please, I need to use the ladies.” I didn’t give her a chance to respond and flew after Rayden. Only, Dario’s firm grip on my arm stopped me. I swallowed, trying to hide my anxiety behind a huge smile. “What’s up, Dario.”
He didn’t return the usual smile he gave me. “Boss wants to see you and your friend. Where’s he?”
“Um, which friend,” I stalled, trying my utmost to act natural.
“Don’t play dumb, bitch,” Remo came up behind me and snarled in my ear. “Where the fuck is your lover boy?” Even if I could fool Dario, Remo was a harder nut to crack.
I shivered at the deadly tone behind his words and prayed Rayden was already on his way home. “I’m not sure,” I squeaked. While Remo was usually aloof, he always returned my smile with a smirk that could be labeled friendly for a man like him.
“Take her outside and ask the men to do a sweep inside and out. I want that fucker found.” He instructed Dario.
“If I were you, I’d phone your friend and tell him to meet you outside, Zena,” Dario muttered as he walked me toward the exit. “Lorenzo is pissed and we both know that’s not a good thing.”
Yep. I’d heard stories of the man’s wrath when things didn’t go his way. Lately, there’d been a score of hits on other clubs and rumor had it, Lorenzo was behind the chaos, looking for information. No one could tell me what kind of info and I stayed away from the girls that played guessing games. I was the newest among the employees even if six months was still a long time, in this place. Loving the whole club scene, especially where I got to practice my skills as a mixologist, I was beyond excited when Antonio made me head up the bar under him. Hence keeping my nose clean had become an art.
When we exited the club, Dario dragged me toward the alley at the side where they parked their cars. He stopped at the black Escalade and opened the rear door. “Get in.”
“Zena!”
I spun sharply almost colliding with Dario as Rayden ran toward me. “Shit, Ray, I told you to go.”
“Let her go.” He glared at Dario.
Even though I admired his bravery, I shook my head. “Ray—” I balked, looking over his shoulder. Remo and Lorenzo headed toward us. “Dammit, Ray, you should’ve gone,” I mumbled as he turned to take in the two approaching men.
“How do you plan on getting out of this one, boy?” Hands in his pants pockets, ankles crossed, Lorenzo leaned against the trunk of his silver sports car. His gaze roamed over Rayden before shifting to me. “Any ideas, Zena?”
Vomit and fear spewed up in my throat, but I forced it down with a hard swallow. “Please, Lorenzo, let him go. He’s just a kid—”
“I’m not a fucking kid,” Rayden snapped.
My mouth went dry, and I was more shocked to see Lorenzo smile. It was a small one, an actual smile, nonetheless. Maybe he was impressed with Rayden’s boldness, but I knew it would get him killed if he insisted on being stubborn. “Jesus, Ray, this is not a freaking movie,” my heated whisper caught Remo’s attention.
“What did you see down in the basement?” He stepped toward Rayden.
Shit.Theyhadseen him. Rayden visibly blanched. I could see he was more afraid of Remo than Lorenzo and I found that mildly surprising, not that Remo wasn’t a scary badass. I just thought Lorenzo being older, was the worst of the two brothers. He appeared too calm to decipher his moves, literally unreadable. While Remo wore his badass as a medal of honor, you could see he was about to go apeshit on someone, a mile away. And I never trusted the quiet ones.
“You killed a man,” Rayden muttered.
Remo’s laugh was eerily calm. “I’m going to ask you again and if I were you, I’d take a moment to rethink your answer.”
