Page 54 of The Veiling

“I don’t give a shit what you like.”

His smile diminished, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.

Joseph glanced at William. “You and Marco take that one,” he lifted his chin to the blacked-out Mercedes G-Class SUV furthest away, “and we’ll be in that one.” He pointed at an identical SUV parked nearest to Hayden’s car. “And you,” he narrowed his gaze on him, “better not fuck us over or you die along with them.”

“I know.” He rolled up the window.

Joseph handed a key FOB to William, then stepped over and opened the back door for me. Ignoring him, I strode around to the front passenger side, yanked the door open, and slid in. The back door shut shortly after, and Joseph got into the front seat. Shaking his head, he glared at me.

“What happened to knowing protocol?”

“I said Iknewprotocol. I didn’t say I would follow it. I don’t think riding in the front seat is going to get me killed.”

“Joe,” Noah chimed in from the back seat, “he’s moving.”

Joseph focused ahead and tailed Hayden. The three of us remained silent as we drove to the club. I glared ahead, happy it was all just about over, and Isabelle and I could live in peace. Well, peace from him, at least. My lifestyle would never change, but there would never be anyone as evil as him who would come along to hurt her.

Thirty minutes passed, and Hayden slowed to a stop on the side of the road. Seconds later, he jumped out of the car and jogged over to Joseph’s door. The window lowered.

“I’m going to park around back and walk through the club and meet you out front. Park close to the side of the building. It’ll be easier to put Felipe in the back. Oh, and please, while here, refer to it as adiscoif anyone asks. Also, I handled anyone out front who might present as a threat to tonight’s mission.”

“And what about your dad?” Joseph asked.

“Let’s just stop calling him that. My ties to him are about to be severed forever, and that prick is anything but a dad.” Hayden propped his hands on the door, gripping it. “Can I have the pleasure of killing him?”

I cocked my head.

Joseph glanced at me.

I nodded. “One of my guys will confirm he’s dead.”

He nodded. “Fair.”

Even though my plan was to take them both out myself, ensuring they were dead, I knew he had some built up anger toward his father. If he wanted his own revenge, I would not rob him of that. It went against my business policy, but I was willing to compromise, since my target was Felipe. Jesse was just a bonus in the game.

Joseph rolled up the window. Hayden sprinted back to his car, got in, and closed the door. As he pulled away, Noah muttered something from the back seat. Though I did not understand him, I was sure he was saying what I was thinking. We were undoubtedly being set up, but Hayden was our only chance to get inside.

Fists clenched, I gnawed the inside of my cheek as Joseph drove into the crowded lot, parking near the side of the building as instructed. I skimmed the surroundings. The exterior of the building appeared futuristic with bright, flashing lasers. Bubble water displays circled to the rhythm of the music blaring from inside.

There was no line of patrons waiting to enter. Only a bouncer stood to the side of the doors, smoking a cigarette. I expected more security on the premises since Felipe was meeting inside with someone just as important as him.

Marco stepped over next to me. “I’ve waited so long for this moment.”

“You and me both.”

Joseph and Noah took the lead, guiding us to the main entrance. William watched from behind. The bouncer did a double take, then dropped his cigarette to the ground, scuffing the sole of his shoe across it. His expression turned passive, and he crossed his arms high on his broad chest.

Before he could speak, Hayden came through the door, exchanging a nod with him. He held out his hand and Hayden shook it, slyly transferring a rolled wad of money into his palm. As we stepped through the entrance, the bouncer made eye contact with me. His head skewed ever so slightly for a moment, which told me he knew exactly who I was. Offering me a nod of understanding, he slid the money into the inside pocket of his black leather jacket, then turned his attention to the parking lot.

Fog machines and lasers danced through the crowded club, which would have made it difficult to navigate if we did not have Hayden guiding us. Observant of my environment, I studied each person we passed. A woman smiled, dancing toward me. The moment she got too close, Marco, being the closest person to her, grabbed her wrist and threw it back with a scowl. Too intoxicated to process what had happened, she danced away with no further incident.

We passed a roped off area, coming to a guarded door. Hayden paused and spun around. He bent toward Joseph, whispering.

Joseph then pivoted toward us, leaning between Marco, William, and I. “This guy thinks you’re here for the meeting, but he’ll need to be taken out if shit goes down back there.” He spoke in Italian to minimize the chance of anyone understanding him. He twisted back around.

The guard opened the door, nodding at each of us as we breezed through. Once the door closed behind us, the music became muffled and suddenly seemed far away. Noah and Joseph turned to us once again, exchanging a silent understanding.Soundproof.

Hayden led us down a long hallway, taking a left at the end. The corridor led into a large, black metal door guarded by two armed men. The same he mentioned before. Hayden held his arms out to the side.

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