Page 71 of Take Me Darkly

“Non. And I have no intention of returning his call. I don’t entertain tabloid parasites,” Madeleine said haughtily. “However, his message pointed me to New York, Monsieur Romano. Rather than waiting in Paris for answers, I contacted Caterina, we boarded a flight, and here we are.”

I glanced at Zeke. His eyes met mine, confirming the same math I was running in my head.

Owens hadn’t just sniffed out the story—he had tracked Serena’s inner circle across continents. He had been monitoring Madeleine. Which meant from the moment these two women boarded a plane in Europe, they were likely being watched.

I had three choices.

I could put them in a secure suite at a hotel, bring Serena to them under heavy guard for a few hours, then put them on a private jet back to Europe. A hotel was cleaner because there was nothing connected to me.

That was what Zeke would tell me to do. That was what I should do.

But meeting anywhere outside the club meant pulling Serena out of the one place she was safest, parading her through Manhattan to satisfy a reunion. That was a risk I refused to take.

The second option was worse. Sending the two intelligent and motivated women away unsatisfied, knowing I was hiding Serena somewhere in the city, was a recipe for disaster. They’d be furious, and all my efforts to keep Serena safe could unravel.

The third option was to bring them to Serena. Bringing them to the apartment at the club was the only move that gave me leverage, but that also came with risks.

I hated every part of the calculation.

In the end, Serena was the only variable that mattered.

“I need a minute alone with Zeke,” I said to Madeleine and Caterina. “Please wait in the corridor.”

They exchanged a look. Then Madeleine inclined her head and led Caterina out without comment. The door clicked shut behind them.

Zeke didn’t wait.

“No,” he said immediately.

“Zeke—”

“No, boss. I know what you’re thinking. Bringing them to the club is a bad idea.” His voice was low and flat, the tone he reserved for the rare occasions when he was prepared to say something I didn’t want to hear. “We can bring them to the Waldorf. I can have a suite cleared in forty minutes, and we can bring Serena to them.”

“What if Madeleine refuses to leave? Or maybe Caterina goes to the press because she thinks I kidnapped Serena or that she’s being kept under duress. The whole situation is fucked, and I don’t trust these women to be careful.”

“I don’t deal in what-ifs. I can address issues when or if they arise. Bringing them to the club risks exposure—not only to you, but to every member who pays for discretion.”

“I think there’s more to lose if we send them away angry.”

“I don’t agree,” he pushed, vehemently shaking his head.

“They will see only what I allow them to see,” I snapped, my tone cutting off further debate. “Run full security clearing. Have Myla lock down the administrative floor and sweep the private elevator corridor. No members, no non-essential staff.”

Zeke let out a long, heavy breath through his nose. He held my gaze for a long moment. I watched him run the same loop I had, looking for the version of this where the math came out different.

“You’re really going to do this?”

“For her? Yes. It’s about more than the two women outside that door. It’s also about Serena. She needs this. Now, you go on ahead of me. Get with Myla about my instructions. I’ll take Ms. Toussaint and Ms. Bianchi in my car.”

“All right. Full club lockdown it is. Every member out, and every staff member who isn’t essential gets reassigned. When you bring the women in, go through the rear service entrance, and go right to the apartment.”

“I’d already planned on that.”

With a nod of resignation, he opened the door and motioned Madeleine and Caterina back inside.

“I’m taking you to Serena,” I began slowly, ignoring the wary look Zeke shot in my direction. “But my rules are absolute. You do not ask questions, you do not wander, and you never speak a word of where you were taken. Those aren’t requests.”

Madeleine looked at Caterina, and some form of silent communication passed between them.