Page 84 of Devil's Tulip

The valet is at my elbow as soon as I get out of the car. “Don’t take it too far,” I tell him, handing over my keys. “I’m not staying long.”

As I turn towards the entrance, the bouncer catches my eye and pulls the rope back. But I wave him off, opting for the sidedoor instead—no need to announce my presence and potentially spook my prey.

I step into the deafening club and wince as the wall of sound hits me. The place bursts with bodies—dancing, smoking, drinking, grinding. I scan the packed room with distaste. Christ. Hard to believe this used to be my scene. Ever since I saw Gianna’s picture, my whole fucking world shifted so drastically it’s like looking at a stranger’s former life.

Despite choosing the side entrance, heads turn the moment the door closes behind me. Several familiar faces wave, beckoning me to their tables with promises of drinks and companionship I no longer crave. I decline each invite with a curt head shake as I make a beeline straight to the VIP lounge where Lorenzo is waiting for me.

As I close the lounge door, the loud music fades to a muffled throb, and I blow out a breath of relief. Finally. This area is mercifully less crowded since only a select few are allowed in here, so it’s easy to spot Lorenzo.

I make my way to his booth and slide in across from him. As soon as I’m sitting down, he pushes a clear package containing a white substance towards me. I don’t need to ask him what it is.

Frowning, I unseal it and rub a small pinch between my fingers. Powdery smooth. I let it slip back into the package and dust off my fingers with disgust. “How did this get in here? This is Rafael’s territory.” With how tightly he clamps down on things like this, it should be impossible.

“It was smuggled in by one of ours,” Lorenzo answers, reclaiming the package and pocketing it carefully. That’s our evidence.

I tap my index finger against the tabletop, a rhythm matching my rising irritation. “Who?”

“Don’t know yet. But if your intel is correct, they should be here right now.”

“My intel is always correct.” I’m not even bragging—it’s just a fact. My sources have learned through painful lessons not to feed me half-baked bullshit. Most who’ve sent me on wild goose chases typically end up losing their tongues—or worse—for wasting my valuable time. “Do we know what’s mixed in there?”

“I had it tested at a lab,” he says, leaning forward. “It’s a mixture of our opioids—morphine, codeine, oxycodone—with Kali Kush. Dangerous stuff. A few dead bodies surfaced last night, and I suspect they’re linked to these drugs. They all OD’d.”

My hands form fists on the table. This isn’t going to slide. Not on our turf. We need to catch these motherfuckers, and soon.

“Let’s go check the security cameras. I’m suddenly very eager to see whose neck I’ll be snapping for releasing this shit into the streets.” I get to my feet, my blood already pumping with anticipation.

We leave the lounge and make our way to the security room at the back. The men stationed there step back for us and bring up the feeds I ask for.

As my eyes scan through the security feeds, my veins are flooded by an adrenaline surge.He’s somewhere here.I just need to be able to recognize him.

“There!” Lorenzo points at one corner of the screen.

I follow his direction and spot a group of four men huddled by the bar, heads close together, whispering urgently. Then, as if sensing the heat on them, they stiffen, glancing around with obvious fear.

They know.

They’re going to run.“Stop them from leaving. Get the bouncers on them now!” One of the security men grabs his walkie-talkie and barks rapid orders to the floor team, but my gut tells me it’s already too late.

I watch with burning frustration as the men quickly push through the crowds and disappear through the back door,seconds before the bouncers can reach them. “Goddamn it!” I slam my fist against the desk, the equipment rattling under the impact. I came all the way here, left my furious wife alone at home for this bullshit?

“Do you know who they are?” I demand of everyone present. No one answers, and I don’t need to look back to know they’re all shaking their heads.

“I’ve never seen any of them before. They’re not ours,” Lorenzo confirms.

“Rewind the feed.” My command sends one of the security men scrambling forward to obey. I pause the playback at the moment all four men glance around the bar. Only two faces are clear, but that’s more than enough to work with. I take out my phone and snap photos of their faces to run through my identification software later.

“Let’s get out of here,” I say, dropping my phone back into my pocket. My patience is gone. I have an angry wife waiting for me at home—a different kind of explosive situation requiring my attention.

24

GIANNA

I pace the room, heart hammering, as several wild scenarios of me pregnant and giving birth flash through my mind. The room spins. My lungs contract.I’m not ready. I swallow hard against the rising panic that threatens to push me into a full-blown meltdown.

“Breathe, just breathe,” I whisper to myself, but my lungs refuse to cooperate.

I can’t believe that bastard actually got me to beg for him to fuck me, to give me his cum like some sex-crazed lunatic. An electric tingle rolls down my spine as I recall that moment. God, I was so far gone, so completely enslaved by pleasure that the thought of getting pregnant with his child had felt hot as hell.

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