Page 49 of Filthy Devil

And it flows through me as I move behind them.

One step, then another, and another.

Until we’re at his office. The door is closed, and when Bugsy throws it open, the room is empty. There are no lights on anywhere. Together, the three of us silently check out every single crevice of this club, including private rooms, dressing rooms, anywhere and everywhere.

“Where is he?” I finally ask when we end up in the dance area, standing near the stage, alone.

Bugsy and Rev share a sideways glance, but I can’t read the message they’re trying to convey even if I wanted to. Instead, I begin to panic even harder than I was before. My breathing comes out in short pants, and I reach out behind me for a chair, tugging it out from the table, and sink down.

Only then do the men stop to look at me. They watch me for a moment, then Bugsy closes the distance between us and crouches down in front of me. Slowly, my gaze lifts to meet his.

“We will figure this out. First of all, there is no sign of a struggle, no blood or anything like that. Which is good.”

“What do we do now?” I ask.

It’s Rev’s turn to clear his throat before he speaks. “First thing we’re gonna do is call King and the others. See if they’ve heard anything. Second thing we can do is put our ears to the ground, and the third is wait.”

Well, I hate that idea. So, I tell them just that.

“I hate all of that. Something has happened to him. I know it. We need to find him as soon as possible. What about surveillance cameras?”

Again, they share a glance that I cannot read.

“The only ones on are the ones outside during the day. Nothing inside until the club opens.”

There will probably be nothing outside, but thankfully, Rev says that he’ll check anyway. I watch as Bugsy pulls out his phone and starts aggressively tapping the screen before he holds it to his ear.

“King,” he murmurs. “We got a fuckin’ problem.”

Those words. They make my whole heart sink. I don’t listen to anything else, mainly because my mind replays…we got a fuckin’ problemin my head over and over again. My hands begin to tremble in my lap. Holding them together, I wring them in my lap as I try to keep from shaking.

I’m seriously worried, like,beyondworried. Something has happened to him, and I have a feeling it’s because of me. Because of that stupid, stupid fucking contract. I hate myself for ever signing it. I was stupid and scared, but mostly stupid.

“King and some men will be here by tonight. Let’s get James back to the clubhouse, and I’ll pull the footage from the club's perimeters,” Bugsy announces.

“I already got it uploaded. Nothing in or out. Just fucking nothing.”

“Great,” Bugsy barks.

Wordlessly, the three of us walk out of the strip club. Them with heavy stomps and me with trembling thighs. I knew something was wrong hours ago. I just felt it. It’s been too long now to even try to find him.

We step outside, but I turn to face them. “Wait,” I cry out, and I know that my voice sounds as panicked as I feel on the inside. But I don’t care.

“What?” Bugsy asks, but thankfully, he doesn’t seem annoyed with me.

“Nash’s phone,” I state. Then my gaze flicks to Rev. “Didn’t you say that his location pinged here? If that’s so, where is it?”

They share a glance. Then I watch as Rev digs his phone out of his pocket and starts to touch the screen at a flurried pace. Then, without another word, he holds his phone to his ear and spins around, heading back into the club.

Bugsy and I follow behind him. Rev stops when he reaches the middle of the dancing area, holding his hand up for us tostop and be quiet. All three of us strain to hear Nash’s phone. If it’s in here, it’s probably on silent because you could hear a pin drop it’s so quiet.

Then I hear something. A faint buzzing sound.

Dropping to my knees, I start to crawl around on the floor, trying to hear the buzzing better. Moving forward, I stop a few feet from the stage, and there it is, flipped over so you can’t see the screen, but it’s buzzing.

“I got it,” I call out.

Picking the phone up, I stand and hurry over to Bugsy and Rev. Bugsy reaches for it, gently slipping it from my fingers, then looks at Rev and hands it over to him. Clearly, Rev is the IT guy for this club. When he takes it, I watch as he moves his fingers over it but then shakes his head.

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