Page 13 of Jersey

"Catalyst," Hemlock says.

"Better than Twilight Tease," Lark mutters, recalling the name from the last time the club was open.

"It's operational again," Hemlock says, a hint of disgust in his tone. "We're two-and-oh on the owners there. They have a grand opening tomorrow night. As former patrons, Tom Hightower and Clancy Sutherland have been invited to attend."

Not ten minutes ago,I was fighting the urge to go there on my own, knowing it would be a direct betrayal of the warning Jericho issued. Hemlock ordering it makes it a job, and who am I to argue with the boss?

"The last reopening was a masquerade theme," Lark says. "Is this one as well? I have a huge phobia of being around people whose faces I can't see."

I don't make fun of the man. We all have our own shit to deal with.

Hemlock blinks at him as if he's waiting for the man to grow a pair of balls.

"Do I need to find someone else?"

"No," Lark answers quickly.

"Good," Hemlock says. "It's an exclusive, invite-only party. From what we gather, they're only allowing people who have been there before to attend. Sort of a way to smooth over any bad feelings people may have from previous owners."

My pulse kicks up. Caitlyn might have also gotten an invite.

I open my mouth to explain the relationship between Caitlyn and the club, but I hesitate. It's almost as if I feel like I need to protect her, and from the annoyance in Hemlock's tone about the club in the first place, he doesn't seem too keen on the idea of the club's existence at all.

I opt to stay silent. If the man is as thorough as I know him to be when vetting the people he works with, then I have to assume he's well aware of Caitlyn's attendance at the facility. His opinion of it must not be as bad as I thought it was because she has still been able to show up here and work with Eli.

"Do you have a question?" Hemlock growls, his eyes drilling into me.

I swear the man is going to hate me forever for how we met.

"No, sir," I say, giving him the respect he deserves as my president.

I'm no threat to him or Zara, but to Hemlock, everyone is a threat.

I wonder how many times he has imagined tying me up and torturing me just to find out how I truly feel about his woman.

"Let me know what you find tomorrow night," Hemlock snaps.

"Yes, sir," Lark says before nudging me toward the conference room door.

Chapter 5

Caitlyn

I've been here before, five times, in fact, but tonight feels different.

Tonight, it's less about the anxiety of what I'm facing and more about the possibility of who I might see.

Before, it was nameless faces, as if the people circling me and pressing their fingers to my bare skin were figments of my imagination. It was less real than the possibility of what I'm facing today.

I can't seem to turn off the ignition in my car, and I doubt I can make it to the club's front door without falling because of the tremble in my knees. The parking lot is packed, and seeing all the expensive cars makes my skin crawl. I know it's not okay to judge anyone else for being here when I'm preparing to walk through those doors as well. Maybe this is a form of therapy for others, and they may not even know it.

Dr. Moore set up this appointment. It seems there's a new owner, and tonight's entry is free. With the expense of pay-per-visit fees, I'd be a fool not to take them up on their offer.

As much as I fought against ever doing this again, I know I have to continue therapy if I have any hope of having a more normal life in the future.

I haven't fully decided if running into the man Eli called Jersey would be a good thing or a bad thing. I haven't heard from anyone at the cabin, and my appointment this morning was fine. There was no mention of what Nolan was told, but I'm not foolish enough to think everything is perfectly fine.

Gathering all of my confidence, which could fit in a shot glass right now, I turn off the ignition of my car and shove open the driver's side door, letting the cool night air hit my face before I can change my mind and drive back home.

---