Page 53 of The Collector
"It is—," he said," I call it Head in the Clouds; I'm glad you like it. But do keep in mind that too many will have you on your ass in no time. I figured you might need a little something to calm your nerves."
Ryan fidgeted with the rings on his fingers as he looked lovingly at Roman. "Yes, do be careful, darling; his drinks are asalluring as he is but pack quite the punch." He blew him a kiss, and Roman went back to his work.
"You two are cute as can be," Destiny said.
"When you've been together as long as we have, you always keep that slow simmer ready to jump into action," Ryan replied. "Now, back to business, ladies. Mynx, you're opening the show on the main stage—it's your debut. We open in about forty-five minutes, so head back to the dressing room for your final outfit and makeup check. I noticed I didn't receive your extras list. Are you still deciding, or what should I tell our members when they ask about your services?" he continued.
"To be honest, I haven't given it much thought. Other than private dances, I'm not sure I'm willing to engage in much else," Mynx replied.
"Well, that's hardly fun," Ryan said. "Besides, it isn't going to help you clear your debt any faster. Why not check out the fourth floor tonight and see what some of the others have negotiated for their services? You might consider adding a few options next week. Not every act here involves physical intimacy—you know, it's about finding what truly fulfills you. For some, that might be cuddling, massages, or even bondage. The sky's the limit, really."
"I'm not in a rush to dive into all that. I want it to mean something, you know? With someone who actually feels like mine."
"On that note," Destiny said, lightly nudging her shoulder to get her attention to the fact that Raven was crossing the room, headed for his VIP box with an older man at his side. They looked alike. If Mynx had to guess, she'd say it was his father.
"Set your sights on the elusive unicorn—have you"? Ryan giggled, watching the brief interaction between the two women play out. "Good Luck, darling. The woman who bags Raven will not only have to be perfect, but she will also need a spine of steel. And enough perseverance to get past the castle walls he keepsaround himself. Twenty years, and I still don't know the man well enough to call him a friend."
Destiny nudged Mynx toward the curb. "Come on, let's move," she said, tossing her hair over one shoulder. "You might be dressed to kill, but I've still got a few last-minute touches to throw on before I'm ready to turn heads."
She smirked. "Can't let you have all the fun tonight." Mynx nodded.
"Ryan, a pleasure; see you later?
"Darling, I'll be available to you all evening should the need arise; break a leg."
Chapter 15
Raven
Raven sat across from his father in the booth, studying the man who'd shaped him and scarred him in equal measure. The resemblance between them was impossible to ignore—same chiseled jawline, same stare that could slice through steel—but age had thickened Hector's frame, softened the edges of what used to be lean and lethal.
That softness didn't reach his soul.
Raven knew better than anyone what lay beneath the grandfatherly façade. Hector wore civility like a mask, but his heart had never known tenderness, aside from his mother. To outsiders, he appeared to be a wise patriarch. Raven had spent years searching for warmth in his father's eyes and found nothing but cold calculation.
He tapped his fingers against the tabletop, waiting for Hector to speak first. The man had a habit of showing up when Raven least wanted him—like now, with the FBI breathing down their necks and the Kings under scrutiny for the murders. A father-son catch-up felt less like bonding and more like a trap.
Hector leaned in, voice low and sharp. "So, you're telling me you have no idea who the FBI's looking at for these killings?"
Raven held his gaze, refusing to flinch.
"You expect me to believe something that incriminating—something that could tear down the King's entire organization that puts us under the microscope of the FBI—just slipped past you?"
Raven clenched his jaw. Hector didn't ask questions unless he already knew the answers. He didn't blink. Didn't back off.
"You don't miss things like that," Hector said. "Not unless you're choosing to."
Raven felt the accusation settle between them like a loaded gun. He didn't rise to it. Not yet. But the weight of it pressed against his spine, reminding him that in Hector's world, silence was never neutral—it was strategy.
Raven kept his voice steady, but the edge was there.
"I didn't overlook it, Dad. Someone buried it deep—so deep I didn't even see it until it was shoved in front of me."
He leaned back, jaw tight. "If you're looking for negligence, look somewhere else. Missing a serial killer in our midst wasn't carelessness. It was precision on the killer's part."
Green shimmer flickered under the overhead lights, tugging Raven's attention from the conversation like a whisper in the dark. His gaze locked onto the source—Mynx, moving through the crowd with the kind of grace that made everything else feel loud and clumsy.
She didn't walk. She glided.
