Page 36 of Cruel Dreams

I’m glad he’ll be there, and I would have told Ash to invite him if he hadn’t been.

“I talked to Nathalie,” Mel says, raising her voice over our chatter.

We give her our full attention, but the manicotti I’m eating curdles in my stomach.

“She’s contacted a couple of the women she used to work with. There’s word on the street Ash’s cleaning house. Nathalie says when he decides to turn over his girls, nothing good happens to them.”

“What does he do?” Stella asks, clutching a glass of red wine to her chest.

Nathalie swallows a bite of shrimp fettuccini. “The girls who stop earning their quotas are cut loose. Some of them get too old and turn undesirable, some of them get hurt and can’t work. One job broke a woman’s jaw, and Ash didn’t let her have medical treatment. She didn’t heal properly, and she went missing. Sometimes big jobs get tired of their regulars,” she says, her gaze flicking to me and then away, “and request different girls. If that happens too many times, she’s done. Ash deals in high stakes. Ifhis girls don’t earn their keep, they disappear, but I could never figure out where they go.”

“We need to find out what Ash is planning and intercept it,” Mel says, holding a glass of wine, too. “This goes beyond simply running an escort service.”

I tense. I don’t like where this is heading.

“Nathalie and Stella are going to Ladies and Gentlemen tomorrow night to see what they can find out.”

Slamming my hand on the table, I burst out, “No! Everyone knows Nat’s my fiancée, and Stella won’t be safe waltzing into L and G, even in a disguise. Max can sit at the club for an hour, or Quinn’s feeling better. She can go.”

The refusal of my alternate plan is hot and thick. A lot of it coming from Stella because she’s determined to be a part of this, determined to put Ash away herself. Zarah’a startled gaze flies to mine. She doesn’t want Max to leave the hotel. Yeah, I know how she feels. Quinn squeaks, thinking I want her to go alone. That’s not what I meant. Maybe it was. Fuck. I don’t know what I meant. All I know is I don’t want Stella going to Ladies and Gentleman.

Mel nods, used to my emotional outbursts. “I agree, to a point. People are used to seeing Nathalie there. If Ash sees her, she can say she wanted to say hi to her friends. Quinn and Stella can tag along, and the three of them will look like they’re out for a night on the town. Some women enjoy that lifestyle and going to a strip club looking for some fun isn’t unheard of.”

“Zane,” Stella says, rubbing my leg, my muscles rippling with the desire to jump off my chair and take her as far away from all this as possible, “it will be okay.”

I purse my lips. I knew Stella would want to help. I knew she wouldn’t be completely safe, and without her involvement, we wouldn’t be as close as we are to sending Ash and Clayton to prison...for the rest of their miserable lives. “Fine.”

It’s anything but fine.

“We’ll put a bug on Stella again, and Quinn can keep an eye on her. Nathalie knows her way around the club. They’ll get what they need, then head out.” Mel tries to reassure me, but I wave her off. There’s no use arguing with a woman, never mind four of them.

I fill them in on my impending meeting with the FBI, and afterward, we eat dessert in uncomfortable silence. Quinn, Stella, and Zarah drift into a bedroom to play a board game. Mel, our mother hen, cleans up remnants of our dinner. Max writes an article, and Douglas invites Denton and me to play cards.

Nathalie wanders off, alone, as usual.

I should bring her back to the penthouse. Every minute we spend at the hotel when we don’t need to be here puts everyone at risk. Work and his gala seem to be keeping Ash busy enough, but that doesn’t mean he’s not interested in what I’m doing.

I accept Douglas’ invitation and he deals me in, but unable to concentrate, I play a couple of hands only to fold half an hour later. Nathalie’s on the rooftop, and she’s staring over the Renegade to the hotel where we had our engagement party. She’s still wearing the ring I gave her that night. Living in a fantasy that will never turn into reality, she may never take it off.

“Ready to go?” I stand next to her, and she leans into me. She turns and presses her lips to mine, and I stifle a sigh and push her away. I’m tired of having to continually rebuff her. She keeps trying like one day she’ll change my mind.

Sheisgorgeous dressed in denim shorts and a blouse that slides off her shoulder, revealing bare skin. The late September breeze is warm, and her hair blows around her face. If Ash hadn’t damaged her beyond repair, if I hadn’t irrevocably hurt her, she would’ve made any man a fine partner. But I’m afraid between Ash and me, she may not have the option of a healthy relationship.

I brush my lips over her forehead. “Come on. It’s late.”

Stella and Quinn went to bed, and I push back a frustrated sigh of disappointment. I wish she would have stayed up long enough to let me tell her goodbye and kiss her goodnight, but whenever Nathalie and I have to do something as a couple, she hides. Zarah and Max joined Denton and Douglas and they’re playing poker. She’s always loved cards, and it’s nice to see her having fun. If they’re playing for money, she’ll sweep the table...if she remembers how to play.

Half rising out of his seat, Douglas offers to drive us, but I decline. He’s having a good time and there’s no need to interrupt that.

Mel lifts a sympathetic hand in goodnight, knowing I’m in a foul mood and the reason why, and Nat and I step into the hallway.

She’s silent in the car and digs her cell out of her purse. Opening her Messages app, she quickly types out a text, her screen glowing in the dark.

I frown. “Who are you talking to?”

“A couple of the girls at the club. I’m letting them know we’ll be stopping in tomorrow night and to reserve us a table. You want this to look real, don’t you? It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah.” It’s natural for her to set up a time to meet her friends, and I try to let go of my distrust and instead, mull over what I want to talk to Special Agent Banks about.

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