Page 65 of Shadow Operative

A long line stretched along the sidewalk outside the club.

Waiting in that would take up a lot of their valuable time.

Gage seemed to read her thoughts and strode to the front of the line.

Cal, the bouncer from earlier, stood there and recognized them right away. “You two again? Think you can get a special favor just because you talked to the boss earlier?”

“As a potential investor, I need to check this place out so I can understand the vibe,” Nia said.

The man stared at her and grunted, unconvinced.

She stepped closer. “And you know . . . when I have a say-so in operations around here, I plan to give everyone a raise. Cost of living has gone up, and employees deserve to be better compensated. The boss shouldn’t be filthy rich while his employees are barely scraping by.”

Something flashed in his eyes. Then he nodded and stepped back.

Relief washed through Nia, but she maintained her composure.

Her ruse had worked.

Cal moved to the side and let them in.

She released the air from her lungs and held onto Gage’s arm tighter.

“Good job,” he whispered as they paused on the other side of the doorway.

“Thanks.”

“Now we need to find Brittany.”

They scanned the massive club. The place was packed—with probably two hundred people at least. The dance floor was crowded with people swaying and bobbing to loud music. Lights flashedoverhead.

It would be hard to find anyone in this place.

“We could split up,” Nia said the words loudly in order to be heard over the music.

Gage’s jaw tightened as he shook his head. “Bad idea. We stick together. No matter what.”

Nia knew he’d mentioned that in the car, but she wondered if he might change his mind.

He didn’t. That was fine because being with him did make her feel a little safer.

She studied the sea of people in front of her, glad she wasn’t in this scene anymore. It had seemed like so much fun at the time. But looking back, those days had left her with a sense of emptiness.

Now, she’d much rather stay in for the night, play a board game, and have a nice dinner.

Things could change in such a short amount of time.

Just then, a familiar face caught her eye.

But it wasn’t Brittany that captured her attention.

chapter

thirty

As Gage studied the crowd,Nia grabbed his arm and pointed to someone across the room.

“I can’t be certain,” she muttered, “but isn’t that . . . Cormac?”

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