“I hadn’t really thought about it at all,” I mumble, and he shakes his head, a smile of amusement on his face.
“You are so fucking adorable.”
“I have a lot of other shit on my mind, so sorry if I don’t really think about my henchmen’s lives,” I snap defensively, still feeling guilty about the fact that I don’t know anywhere near as much as I should about the men paid to put themselves between me and a bullet.
“Hey, easy.” He slides the hand closest to me onto my knee, giving it a squeeze. “It’s okay. I know, and they know too. They know you love them, even if you don’t show it.”
I wrinkle my nose at the sentiment. “I don’t love them. They are an unfortunate necessity,” I grumble, and he gives my knee another squeeze.
“Okay, keep telling yourself what you need to hear, but you can’t hide it from me, Tori Russo. I know you care about them. You’re secretly a big ball of marshmallow, all squishy and sweet.” I grimace at his description, wondering if he even knows me at all. I’m not squishy and sweet. I’m a hard ass, ball busting bitch. “That’s why you assigned them that specific job. It allowed them to see Lacey without needing an excuse.”
I shift uncomfortably in my seat, hating that he’s pointing out my somewhat flawed sentimental nature. “That’s not true. Iwant them at the top of their game, and if a few orgasms with a pretty woman can help them focus when they are with me, then I support it.” I cross my arms stubbornly as we pull up to the parking lot behind the building reserved for staff. I grimace when I see Candy’s beat-up Honda Civic in the lot, knowing things are about to get dramatic.
I sigh before steeling my spine and climbing out of the car. I look down at myself and wince. I didn’t really dress mob boss appropriate this evening, wanting to keep a low profile on the plane. I’m wearing leggings, knee-high leather boots, and a slouchy, off the shoulder sweater. It doesn’t really inspire fear in anyone who looks at me. I look at Sage who is dressed somewhat similarly. He has on a pair of ripped jeans that do wonderful things for his ass and is wearing a hoodie with a band logo on the front and a pair of combat boots. We look like a couple of college students ready for winter break.
I grab my gun out of the glove box and tuck it into the back of my pants before pulling the sweater down over the top. We aren’t going to be able to carry weapons on the plane, and we made other arrangements for when we arrive in Seattle, so I’m not wearing my usual holster. It’s thrown into my bag for the following days. I pass Sage his as well, and he tucks it into the back of his jeans before gesturing to the back door.
“After you.”
Bracing myself, I adopt my mafia boss resting bitch face and head for the back door, punching in the code on the scanner next to it. It beeps and turns green, and I watch the door open to allow us entry. We walk into a dimly lit hallway, which leads to the front of the club. I pass by the girls’ dressing room, but slow down as I catch sight of Lacey.
“Hey, Lace, how are things?” I lean against the doorframe, smiling at the gorgeous dancer. I don’t know her very well, butif my boys are interested in her, then I should probably make an effort to be polite.Take that, Suzy. I can be friendly.
She startles and looks up in surprise. “Ms. Russo, I didn’t know you were coming in tonight.” She looks nervously over my shoulder before returning her gaze to me. “Does Candy or Melissa know you’re here?”
A prickle of warning trickles down my spine, and I push off the frame, becoming more alert. “Melissa? Who the fuck is Melissa?” I ask the girl who stands up and crosses her arms, glaring at me. My eyebrows jump in surprise. The girl has a backbone. Maybe I do approve of her and my boys being together.
“Melissa, you know, the girl you hired to shadow Candy instead of me? Francis and Nico said I should just speak to you about why you replaced me. What did I do wrong? I thought you were happy with my performance.” Her last words are filled with such sadness that I almost flinch.
I blink, confused by everything that just came out of her mouth. Sage pushes me aside and steps into the room. “Hey, Lace,” he says before looking at me and noting my confusion.
“Francis and Nico are Sam and Dean,” he mutters out of the side of his mouth.
Oh my fucking god. How could I forget those aren’t actually their names? I shake my head and turn my attention back to the girl. “I’m super happy with your work. You are an excellent stripper, and you’ve picked up management like it was meant for you, or so the boys have told me. I have no complaints at all despite your personal relationship with the boys. They would have told me if you were bad at it,” I reply, not pulling my punches.
He lips purse, and I watch her struggle with the information I just shared. “So why did you hire someone else? Candy toldme I was to stick to stripping and the new hire was learning the ropes.”
I growl and turn to Sage. I bet Lorenzo has his hooks in Candy. I could see the bitch jumping at the opportunity to undermine me. Damn it, I was sure she didn’t have the guts to betray me. “And this is why I can’t have nice things,” I whine to Sage, who just watches me with amusement in his eyes.
“Well, I guess our flight to Seattle will be delayed. It looks like you have to clean house again.”
“Lacey, are there any more new hires apart from Melissa? Or any unusual patrons who have seemed a little sketchier than normal?” I ask her.
She tips her head to the side as she thinks before she shakes her head. “No, not really, but Lorenzo has been here quite a lot, and he, Candy, and Melissa all disappear into the basement for long periods of time. We just assumed they are all fucking in the rooms down there.” She shrugs her shoulders and shudders at the thought of fucking Lorenzo. I don’t blame her. My father was a handsome man, but Lorenzo is a pale imitation who’s weaselly and greasy looking.
“The basement? This place has a basement?” I look at Sage, and he appears as surprised as I feel. “How did we not know this place had a basement? What rooms are down there?” I hate being blindsided by things I should have known. It irritates me.
“The are left over from when the Russo family used to run skin auctions.” Lacey frowns, screwing up her nose in disgust, and I’m surprised at her knowledge. I think I remember hearing Sam and Dean say that her family has been associated with the Russos for generations. “I’ve heard rumors that tunnels run under the city to the port. They say this place was left over from Prohibition, and that they used to use them to transport bootlegged liquor to avoid authorities. They converted some of the rooms below to bedrooms and allowed buyers to try beforethey bought.” She pales at the thought, and I don’t blame her. I can’t imagine the kinds of atrocities that may have taken place below our feet.
Sage and I exchange a loaded look. Well, this is certainly new information, and it’s very fucking helpful. I can tell he’s thinking the same thing I am, and maybe this sweet little stripper just assisted us way more than she could possibly know.
I grasp her hand and give it a squeeze. “Lacey, I was going to transfer Candy up to San Jose to cover for Stella while she recovers from a car accident we were all in a few days ago, and I was going to promote you to manager here. Is that something you are interested in?”
Her eyes widen, and I see the interest in them before they dull again, and she shakes her head, pulling her hand out of mine. “There’s no way Candy will go, and if she hears you want me to replace her, then she will kill me.” She sounds terrified, and I see her glance around the room like she’s expecting Candy to jump out and shove a knife between her ribs.
I growl, annoyed as fuck that I haven’t paid enough attention to what’s going on here. I let my personal shit get in the way of family business. Fuck, this is just too much for one person to handle. My anger at Gio flares again. If he was pulling his weight, then none of my responsibilities would have slipped under the cracks.
“I promise Candy and Melissa will be no problem. Are there any other issues? Are any of the girls giving you a hard time or any of the security?” I ask, wanting to make sure Lorenzo hasn’t interfered anywhere else.
