Page 53 of King of the Cage

Aldo nodded and flashed one last brief glare of annoyance at me, only just hidden beneath his smooth veneer. I had the feeling that if I pushed a little harder at his nice-guy act, it would shatter.

“Hey, what happened with the girl you took to Ren’s wedding as a date? The escort?” I asked Aldo out of nowhere.

Sol gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth, shocked at my rudeness.

Aldo paused and narrowed his eyes at me, and then chuckled.

“Nothing happened. We had a nice evening together, and she went home.”

“She was all bruised up,” I went on.

“Giada…” Sol pulled at my arm, clearly dying of mortification.

“An unfortunate side effect of her profession, I’m afraid. I never laid a hand on her.”

His placating words were at odds with the hard look in his eyes. He was pissed off.Good.I was, too. I didn’t know what his game was, but I wasn’t playing it.

“And how come a guy like you needs to pay for company? Can’t get a date?”

Aldo raised an eyebrow. “If you’re asking if I can bring someone from my social circle at short notice to a mob wedding in New Jersey, the answer is no.”

Silence fell between us. Aldo and I glared at each other. Sol grabbed the invitations from his hand and waved them in my face.

“Look how pretty they are! We will definitely think about it.”

“No, we won’t,” I maintained, breaking eye contact to stare meaningfully at Sol.

She shoved the invites at me and took my hand.

“We should go. Giada needs a drink, and I’m sure you have lots of other people to see.” She tugged me away.

Aldo nodded, watching us until we were swallowed by the crowd.

“What the hell are you doing? That was super embarrassing!” Sol lamented.

We reached the bar at the other end of the gallery.

“So what? That fucker is dodgy.” I threw down the invitations on the sticky bar top. “You’re not going to that party.”

“You’re not the boss of me,” Sol replied tartly and grabbed an invitation, reading the text aloud. “‘You are invited as a plus-one to the party of the year. Leave your inhibitions at home to experience a night of illicit rapture and adventure, right here in the heart of the city. Only the fearless may attend.’Oh my God, is this a swinger party? It sounds like anEyes Wide Shutscenario!” Sol gasped, clearly amused by the idea.

I picked up the other invitation and stared at it. Something in particular had caught my attention. Cold slid down my spine. I took in the intricate detailing on the expensive card.

The words were in spidery calligraphy, and underneath, an embossed seal was pressed into the creamy card stock.

A round emblem that I recognized immediately.

The brand.

14

GIADA

As soon as I got home, I sat at my laptop and researched the hotel where this party of Aldo’s was taking place.

The Tartarus Hotel.

I was no expert on Greek mythology, but even I knew what Tartarus represented in ancient stories. The abyss beneath the Underworld. The lowest level of Hell.

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