Page 121 of The Innovator

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking horrified as she cleaned up the mess.

“No, I’m sorry. I should have paid more attention.” I picked up the tray and a few glasses, bringing them behind the bar to the counter.

“Are you okay, sir?” the bartender with the short hair asked, looking at my stained jacket and pants.

I waved a hand. “It’s fine. Do you have napkins I can use?”

He offered me a clean towel and went to serve three customers.

I bent down to wipe my pants and hid a bomb under the liquor cabinet. Once I was done, I got my Kamikaze and walked around several gambling sections, making sure the Rolex got various angles.

One table had three women chatting. They weren’t playing cards or anything. I wanted to put a bomb under the golden table, but there was no way I’d get close to it without being questioned. So the next option was to find something close by.

These women were probably with the men gambling with Robert Conner.

“It must be nice to be playing at that shiny table.” I gestured to the empty seat. “Is anyone sitting here?”

“Go right ahead, handsome. I’ve never seen you here before. I’m Bridgette.” She had long, red hair and looked like she was in her twenties. Younger than the other two ladies.

“I’m Shauna,” said the brunette with the puffy black dress.

“And I’m Crystal.” She had curly black hair and blue eyes, but not as beautiful as Natalie’s.

“It’s lovely to meet all of you.” I offered them a nod. “I’m Grayson.”

“I haven’t seen you at Club Diablo.” Bridgette surveyed me.

“I’ve been traveling in Europe and recently returned. I needed a break so I decided to accompany, Rafael, tonight.”

They looked over at Rafael who was winning something from the look on his face.

“Oh, you’re with Rafael. He’s adorable.” Crystal’s eyes sparked, revealing that she and Rafael had some kind of relationship I didn’t want to know about.

“I’ll definitely return more often.” I slid my hand under the table, trying to find a groove for the bomb. Finding one, I carefully inserted it into the tiny groove, and my body relaxed back into the chair. “How often do you ladies come here? Are your men playing at the golden table?”

The conversation with these women revealed more than I anticipated. Robert and Linda Conner came to every event. Linda Conner was the heir to some oil mogul in Texas. She came from money and was probably the direct link to the organization.

Ten minutes later, I excused myself to use the bathroom and escaped out of the club, walking up past the first-floor restaurant and into the parking lot. Rafael came in his own car, and he knew I’d be leaving without him.

As I drove away, I chatted with my friends on the phone.

“Did you recognize anyone there?” I asked.

“Only Robert Conner,” Remi said.

“Where the fuck did you pull that story about some sea goddess?” Arrow asked.

The other boys laughed.

I told them Uncle Derek had given me a couple of secret questions.

After a few more minutes, we ended our conversation, and I headed home to review the videos to see if I missed anyone suspicious. The bombs were set to explode tomorrow around the same time. The restaurant would be closed for the club’s special gambling event.

I didn’t know how much damage the bombs would cause, but it would sow some chaos and have the organization wondering who was fucking with them.

Perhaps this attack would force them to retreat a little, giving me and my friends more time to destroy them.

I reached out to the PI, asking him to remove all videos of me around Club Diablo, including all the street cams within the vicinity. It was probably safer to go beyond the nearby streets. I didn’t want to leave any breadcrumbs for these people.

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