Page 44 of Secrets of Euphoria

“Why don’t you join them, then?”

She peeked down at Kira, then looked over at Dylan. “I’ll ask Ian if he minds watching them a little longer. He’s working from home tomorrow morning.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “Of course, he won’t care. He loves every chance he gets to spend time with them.”

“Ty, Luke,” Ian’s voice came from his open office door, and we whirled around to the sound, “Come on.”

Tyler took Kira’s hand in his and bent over, blowing a raspberry kiss on her cheek before we strode toward the office. I turned to the kids. “Maddie and Jackson?”

They lifted their gaze to mine.

“Will you please help with the little ones tonight?”

“Yes, sir,” they replied together.

“Thank you.” I offered Jenna a quick glance with a wink. “Hope that helps. We’ll make sure the kids are well taken care of while here soon. But we need to figure out their sleep situations. They need normalcy.”

“Look at you, being a dad!” she cooed, and I rolled my eyes. “But you’re right, and I have a few nannies coming for interviews the day after tomorrow.”

“Good!” I pivoted toward Ian’s office, striding in, closing the door.

Ice Man was seated on the sofa against the wall, concentrating on a laptop. Lifting his troubled gaze, we made eye contact, offering one another a nod. He was acting strangely as well. What the fuck is wrong with everyone? I sighed. He lowered his attention back to the screen.

Ian waltzed behind his desk, sitting. Elbows propped on the surface, he nodded to the two chairs in front of him. “I need to talk to you guys.” Yanking out the top drawer, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one. His habit was worsening by the second.

Tyler and I exchanged a curious glance before we did as asked, sitting at the same time. He rested his arms on the armrests, tapping his finger repeatedly as he bounced a knee.

Ian took a long drag from his cigarette, his eyes darting between us in silence. He exhaled the smoke forcefully and reclined in his chair, crossing his ankle over his knee. His gaze locked onto mine, and I could sense that he was about to deliver some unsettling news.

There were only two times in my life where I remembered Ian’s face looking like that: when he told me my ex-wife had been unfaithful and when Jenna was kidnapped. This moment didn’t bode well for me. Steeling myself, I waited... and waited... and waited. Just as I was about to speak, he finally parted his lips.

“Dante Mascioli is out of prison.”

The world stopped. I blinked several times, wondering if I heard him correctly. Surely, I misheard. I had to have misunderstood. Swallowing hard, I muttered, “I’m sorry. What the fuck did you just say?”

“I realize I’ve been acting bizarre, and it was because I heard he was released, but I had to confirm.” He took another drag of his smoke, glimpsing Ice Man. “And it wasn’t until a little while ago that I got confirmation of his release.”

“His release?!” Reality finally hit me like a ton of bricks. Leaping from the chair, I snatched the pack of cigarettes and lighter off the desk. I slipped one out and put it between my lips, lighting it. “How the fuck is he released, Ian?! I just don’t understand! What did Jade say?!” I inhaled a deep drag.

“I didn’t tell her yet because I wanted to talk to you and Ty first.”

“I’m a little confused why I’m in this meeting,” Tyler commented. “I’m all about being here for moral support, but does this have anything to do with my services?” He looked up at me. “No offense,” he shifted his gaze back to Ian, “but bro, this isn’t info I want. Jade will murder everyone when she finds out this shit was kept a secret.”

I scoffed. “He’s not wrong, Ian.”

“I need you to do some digging because, for some reason, he didn’t want me to know he was out. When I got wind of his release, I made several calls. Three people hung up on me, and the others wouldn’t give me any information. I got on several websites and couldn’t find anything there either.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Tyler’s brows pinched together. “It’s public information.”

“Exactly, which is why I’m slightly concerned about his whereabouts.”

I breathed in the vice, then lowered it to my side. “So, what you’re telling me is that motherfucker is coming here for my girlfriend and daughter.”

“He’s not going to get near them,” Ice Man’s voice carried through the room, causing us to all turn toward him. “Despite what it looks like, this place is locked down and you guys know as well as I do no one, and I do mean no one, is getting into this club unless they have our permission. Especially with Luxe coming.”

I threw my arm out to the side at the audacity that he would even say such a thing after all we’ve been through. Yeah, the place was locked down and there were armed guards inside and outside the club. Some even blended in with our nightly customers. But we’d been in too many horrific situations for me to chance anything else happening. Especially to Jade or Maddie.

“I do know one damn thing,” I pivoted back to Ian, “if I see him, I will not hesitate to put a fucking bullet between his eyes in front of everyone if he steps foot near this place or my girls.”

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