Page 16 of Room One Hundred and Six

My sister will have a fighting chance. All I have to do is walk away with whatever Jasper plans on fencing this evening. It’s not my fault he trusted a thief in a sex club. With this I can secure a place on the Belladonna crew and cover every hospital bill that comes my way.

Stella needs this.

“If you want to stay on the premises, you will need to sign, yes.” The hostess tries to look around the men, but they block her at every chance. I inch into the darker corner of the booth. The low light and their instinct to protect me from prying eyes gives me the out I need. I slip out of the opposite side of the curtain while the men face off with the club’s work staff.

I put my knees to my chest and keep moving through the crowd. I don’t stop to admire all the beautiful men and women pleasuring each other or the shows. I take the stairs to the first level where the orgy in the ballroom is still in full swing. Damn. These people have stamina for days. I bypass the elevators and head straight for the exit that will take me past the doorman. On the other side, I slam on the breaks. If I go down, they could catch me at the doors. I go up, there’s only a rooftop.

Shit!

“Ivy, you there?” I press a hand to my ear like they do in the movies. Not that it does anything but I feel like I really need to have her in my ear right now.

“Listening. That was a quick fuck for three men if you are done.”

“Change of plans.”

“I guess you don’t wanna be part of the crew then.”

I don’t know how I feel about that, so I push it aside for what really matters. “I need a fast exit strategy that doesn’t involve an elevator or a doorman stopping me.”

I get static and then a casual, “Why?”

I only get dead air over the earpiece.

Right. Ivy needs an incentive to help anyone.

“How does ten million dollars of diamonds sound?”

“Like you might become my right-hand woman, if it’s true.”

I knew she would see it my way. Money always speaks the loudest, no matter what form it comes in. “It is true.” I jingle the black velvet bag. Not that she can see or hear the delicate tinkle, but I can and it’s a mix of elation and fear that grips my insides with an iron fist.

“Get to the roof. There’s a helipad to the right of the rooftop lounge. I have a friend who owes me a favor. I need ten minutes.”

I’m already shaking my head. “Oh, no. Nope. I don’t know if I have that long. No. I KNOW I don’t have ten minutes to get out of here.” My heart is jacking into my ribcage so hard I’m seeing stars. My body still hums from the aftermath of their touches, too. It’s hard to think straight.

“You do or you will have to use the elevator. Your call.”

“Okay, but make it five because it won’t be long before I have three very pissed off men on my?—”

Metal crashes against a cement wall one floor down. I am stupid enough to look over the rail and catch the black eyes of those three would-be-lovers turn into the devil’s assassins.

I white-knuckle the railing. Shit.

The heat of their anger slams into me and wow. Shit. Yeah, okay. So that is what a murderous gaze looks like. Duly noted.

I haul ass up a flight and then another before I break through the exit door and back into the club. Thank God they don’t have alarms on those things.

The cold air grips my nipples and this time, the pinch is not as pleasurable as before.

Trying to keep the sides of my jacket closed while I step over writhing bodies is harder than it sounds. “Excuse me.” I stumble and knock into a man with a burly body and a face made of pure sin. Bratva, my danger radar calls out in my head. “Sorry. Oops. Here you go.” I pass a double-headed alien green dragon dildo I knock out of the mafia man’s hand and keep moving.

Don’t look back. Just keep moving. I can add that brief encounter to my list of shit I never thought I would do in my life.

I go down one hallway and to the other. I tuck behind a wall of leaves and dare to look back. Just once and sure enough all three barrels through the door I just left.

Keeping to the shadows and out of sight is hard when the walls are made of glass. Five paces in front of me is another door. One made of metal with a plaque on the front that I can't read in the low light. I don’t know where it goes, but at least it is something solid between me and them.

The only problem is, there is a keypad. “How are we doing on the exit strategy?” I hug the nearest wall and stumble my way through palm fronds and fat leaves I don’t know the name of.

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