CHAPTER 17
Jaxon
“How did he do last night?” Donatello asked as soon as I’d stepped from the Corvette. He scanned the street before buttoning his jacket, ensuring there wasn’t a risk. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you when being roasted by Don Prince.”
Roasted.
I was lucky Alexander hadn’t skewered me right there. I’d seen the flash of anger in his eyes, something I hadn’t seen since our father’s murder.
I’d also seen concern.
Even without hearing his name, Zorro knew he was being discussed. I didn’t have a chance to go to the passenger side. He was already in my seat, eager and willing to help. As soon as he jumped from the seat, his entire backside began to wiggle.
It seemed I learned something about my employees every day. Even under the ugly fluorescent streetlight overhead, there wasno mistaking my second-in-command’s joy at seeing the pup once again. I almost felt guilty for taking him away from the man.
Almost.
“He acts as if he owns my place already.”
The two soldiers assigned to come with us were equally enamored, one of the two men pulling a treat from his jacket pocket. I couldn’t help but to shake my head. An eighty-pound dog had literally turned monstrous men into fawning, fumbling adults eager to please. No woman had that kind of power.
Mmm… Well, not most women anyway.
“Good to hear. Don’t forget that he needs his heartworm and flea and tick pills on the twentieth of every month.”
I grabbed Zorro’s leash before studying my Capo. We’d gone from discussing the best method of handling difficult interrogations to healthcare of the fur baby.
My father would be rolling over in his grave.
“I won’t forget. Come on, boy. We have work to do.” Zorro was more than eager and happy to be prowling the night. He’d even slept in my bed the night before, which would take some getting used to, but I’d enjoyed the company more than I thought I would.
With the days growing shorter as winter approached, darkness had already settled in by the time we made our way toward Club Indulgence.
Within an hour, the doors would open and the club would be filled with pretty people requiring a night away from theireveryday lives. They’d dance and drink until the wee hours of the morning, tourists in costumes as if every day was Mardi Gras, and locals harboring in the darkest sections of the expansive space, wishing the tourists would find another club.
They’d come from every walk of life. Rich. Poor. Powerful. Weak.
Athletes. Politicians. Musicians. Actors. Businesspeople. Students.
All mingling together in a free for all of testosterone and feminine wiles.
And almost everyone seeking what few would achieve, the perfect night of passion.
That’s what Indulgence offered whether behind these walls or those of the private club upstairs where only the rich and ruthless were allowed to play.
I’d long since been bored of the club scene yet every night brought certain challenges, which was why the bouncers hired were fervent musclemen. They had to be.
They’d been advised as to the concerns with illegal drugs being sold in and around the property. While I had absolute faith in them, it was my job to ensure the person responsible for allowing the drugs into Indulgence was reminded of his place.
The thought alone shifted my attention away from where it should be to Anna, the lingering desire that refused to fade. She was a wild child, her acts of defiance something I wasn’t used to dealing with. Maybe I was angry that she’d turned me down cold. While I’d initially had no intention or desire to court her as Alexander had all but ordered me to do, now that she’d pushed me off as if bothersome, it was all I could think about.
To my detriment and that of my basic business routine.
Both the sinful Italian and my sister had been cagey, treating me as if I didn’t deserve to know whatever secrets they kept between themselves. Maybe I was wrong in my assumptions, but there was something entirely secretive about Anna’s actions and the phrasing she’d used.
“You’re certain Damien is our man?” I asked as the four of us strode in through the back doors. I rubbed Zorro’s neck as I did.
Donatello immediately handed me his phone. “I uploaded a video. I don’t think his involvement could be any clearer.”
