Page 33 of Toxic Things I Love About You

He was silent for a minute.

“I already lost, didn’t I?”

ELEVEN

roman

I walkedinto one of my smaller clubs. It was older and one of my first takeovers years ago when I was proving to my father that I could indeed run my own business. I’d take over the family fortune, sure, but I was better than that. I was bigger than it. I was Roman Demarco, and I’d made a name for myself and now someone was pissing me the fuck right off using my club as their headquarters.

My fucking hair was still wet as I stormed my way to the bar. The night was young and the lack of bodies at this time of night was a blessing if shit blew up.

Music thumped and lights danced across the floor, setting a far better mood than I felt. I made a stop at the bar, the eyes and ears of this club.

“Did Gage fill you in?”

The bartender, Eli, nodded. He’d been here for as long as I’d owned this place, and I paid him well for his loyalty.

“Yes, boss. The purple room in back.”

I nodded and slid him a few extra bills.

“Any word on who set this meeting up and with who?”

He slid me back a bit of paper. Wonderful. I’d look at it shortly because at the moment I didn’t have time to take them down to the basement. All my clubs had a holding cell or two, and I would get to that nasty business next. I needed to see this meeting for myself. Before I left though, I had another thought.

“If this woman comes through at any point, make sure everyone watches her.”

I showed him an image and airdropped it to his mobile. I couldn’t predict Emilee anymore, but I sure as shit could anticipate her.

“Yes, boss. Where should she be?”

I couldn’t stop the laugh that followed that ridiculous question.

“At home, but she listens as well as me.”

Eli didn’t laugh, but the fucking amusement on his face told me that he would listen, and he was certainly judging me.

“Don’t ask,” was all I said and walked toward the back.

I nodded to the two men at the door at the back as they let me in. Club Sin had been my labor of defiance, and it still was one of the hottest clubs in town. Exclusive clientele flocked here for its upscale neighborhood and its strategic layout. All together, it made it really fucking hard to kill someone while in here. The cops that worked here got their cut to shut their mouths, and that was probably the appeal of the Lords’ meeting. How the fuck a meeting had been set up under my nose had me wondering what the fuck had happened.

I pushed the door open, and although I walked into a room that was empty, I slid my hand along the trim and found the button to the false wall. It wasn’t exactly foolproof, but if cops came sniffing around, I had a few rooms like this for special visits. A section of the wall popped open and allowed me access.

Several new faces glared back at me, and I smiled.

“Welcome to Club Sin. Do you have everything you need?”

My brother turned around and glared.

“What the fuck, Roman? How did you—”

I stopped him.

“How did I find out that there was a meeting at my club for some shady fucking business dealings that I was not invited to? Wonderful question, but maybe look at who doesn’t show up and figure it out from there.”

My twit of a brother started to count heads.

“Who the fuck counts heads, brother?”

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