Chapter 4
Dean
Ican't believe ourlives have come to this. I did not expect much from my father as a parent, but I thought he would at least have been a smart businessman, no matter how dirty the dealings. You would think with everything they did to get to where they were, they would have been a little wiser.
Everything makes a little more sense now that I know why they were so eager to hand over their company to us and leave town. They knew that at some point everything would be going to shit, and apparently, they would rather we be the ones left to pick up the pieces, while they live god knows where, with at least a few million to survive on.
With them having ruined every partnership they ever had, legal and underground, we’re now left with no other option than to seek out help from this Queenie woman. I’m surprised I haven't heard of her, but I’m not surprised at all that Neo has. The twins and I like to be professional. Neo, on the other hand, well, there's no hope with the professional aspect. Neo’s a wild card who says everything and anything that comes to mind and tends to venture outside our little group, so he has all kinds of friends, from all over town that are more his speed.
When we took over the business, we noticed right away that this was not something Neo seemed interested in. Even though this was what we were raised to do, he’s not the kind of guy to sit still in a boardroom and talk business. And the last time he tried that, he cost us a contract due to the way he was staring down the group of men we had the meeting with. Afterwards, we decided it would just be best to leave Neo to do his own thing.
Don't get me wrong, he’s a smart guy, but with his ADHD, sometimes it's like herding a cat. He’s anywhere other than the place you want him to be, specifically his mind.
I, on the other hand, like control. Ineedit. Since our fathers left us in charge, and we were finally free of those toxic men, I promised myself that no one would ever control me again.
Having to go to someone we don't know and never had dealings with before leaves me uneasy. Asking for help makes me feel weak, and Ihatefeeling weak. But we have no other choice; if Queenie can’t help us, we are done for. Even if we sold everything we own, it still would not be anywhere near enough to pay off the amount of debt we are in.
We need this money; we need to save our company. Not for me, and not for the guys, but for the little girl who has me wrapped around her little finger. Rosie. From the moment Cass told us about her, our purpose has been to make sure that little girl has everything she could ever need. As we are right now, if Cass can't pay Rosie's mother, Brianna, she has threatened to try and take Rosie away from him, from all of us. I won't allow that to happen. Cass would be destroyed and to be honest, so would I.
Rosie is the only thing that’s made him happy since I ran off the love of his life... of all our lives.
I don't want him to go down that rabbit hole again, so here we are, headed for Evolution, a burlesque club owned and run by Queenie. We have an appointment with her in an hour, but Neo wanted to come beforehand to check the place out.
The club is located at the edge of LA. From what I gathered from the research I did on the place, this area was meant to be built into a new housing community, but it was all bought out and taken over by an anonymous buyer. Guess we know who that was now.
We pull up in front of the big black building with big gold neon letters that read“Evolution”above the blood-red diamond-shaped padded doors. The only thing I can see around for miles is this club and what looks to be a heavily guarded community located behind it.
Everyone but Axel gets out of the car and stands in front of the building, checking the place out, while Axel drives off to find a parking space. The valet offered, but we don't trust just anyone, and I'm not risking my silver Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupe.
Neo lets out a low, appreciative whistle as he takes in our surroundings. “Damn, this is a nice place. A hell of a lot more ritzy ditsy than I expected for a burlesque club.”
“Burlesque is more modest than stripping, and even though they both take talent and skill, with burlesque, you're normally not fully naked. At least not at Evolution or any other clubs owned by Queenie,” a voice says from our right, coming around the side of the club. The guy from which the voice came is tall with short black hair and a solid build. Tattoos cover every inch of visible skin on display below his face. As he walks towards us, I feel Axel taking his place at my side.
“What can I do for you?” he asks. Two other men come around the same corner, taking a spot on each side of the red doors and crossing their arms.
“We have a nine o'clock meeting with Queenie,” I answer with my guard up as I take these men in. They don't look like the type who are looking for trouble, but they would surely be able to take care of it, if some found its way to them.
The black-haired guy looks back at the other men. They both gaze at us intently, then shift their eyes to their friend and nod. The black-haired man looks back at us with a slowly growing smile.
“You must be the Pentagon cousins,” he asks.Pentagon cousins? That’s a first.
“If you're referring to the fact that we are cousins, and we own Pentagon Industries, then I guess yes, that would be us,” I state, crossing my arms, lifting my chin as I narrow my eyes. I don't get what is so funny and why he is smiling like the cat that caught the canary.
“A little early, are we? Your...meetingisn't for another hour.”
“We were hoping to come in and enjoy a few drinks, watch a few dances beforehand,” Cass answers with a casual tone, but I know him well, and I can tell by the clenched hands that he hates not knowing what these guys are thinking or planning to do next.
The men study us for a moment. “Alright, I guess I can allow that. My name is Lucas, and I am the head of security here,” the guy with the black hair says.
“Are you Queenie’s personal security guard?” Cass asks, wanting to get as much information from him as he can to file away for later.
Lucas looks back at the other guys, and they all burst out laughing. My cousins and I stand there, confused about what is so damn funny. After Lucas calms down, he looks at Cass. “Ahh, no,” he smiles, shaking his head slightly. “Queenie has no personal guards. We work to keep the women safe, keep the peace, so to speak.”
“To run a billion-dollar empire and not have anyone watching your back doesn’t seem to be very smart, or safe for that matter,” Axel grumbles more to himself than anyone else, but the guards at the door hear him.
“Trust me, buddy, if anyone can handle their own, it's Queenie,” one of the guys by the door says.
“Anyone sane wouldn't dare fuck with her anyways,” the other one says.