Chapter Four
She made quick work to put some distance between her and the forbidden mafia men. From across the room, she dared one last look over her shoulder before shaking her thoughts clear.
She needed to keep her focus and her distance.
She was going to hell and not for the reasons one would consider.
Not for blackmailing a friend into helping her change her name to slip away to the last place on earth anyone would think to look. Not because she left her brothers to deal with the broken company their father left behind with his murder. And definitely not for the lies she fed them about the killer she hunted amongst the world’s most dangerous criminals as well as the world’s elite.
All frequented these walls with one goal in mind and it had nothing to do with asking for forgiveness.
No, Rhia had a one-way ticket to the devil’s fiery domain because she was weak and lusted for men she feared and fantasized about all in the same breath.
Rhia slid her empty tray across the polished bar and waited as the bartender made his way to her order. Peering over her shoulder, she caught a rakish smile teasing Matteo’s lips at something one of his partners said before slipping from the table and disappearing into one of the many shadowed exits. The others followed, leaving Sevastyan.
Thick black hair and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache drew the eyes of many, women and men alike, yet the stone-cold depth of his eyes and the formidable posture he took forced a wide berth around him.
The thought of tossing aside her alias, marching up to the man, and demanding answers crossed her mind on several occasions. Every second she toiled away with no progress felt like a vise tightening around her neck.
Life had blessed—and cursed—her with three brothers. Of which none of them would be sitting idly by for much longer and her luck was bound to run out sooner or later.
Five minutes later she flashed a quick smile of appreciation to the bartender and turned with her full tray.
Fellow hostesses maneuvered through the dim lighting, their trays filled with exotic drinks as the orgy wound down. With each step, their baby-soft leather skirts revealed hints of ass cheek and a leather thong, just like her own.
Several plush settees held entwined bodies for onlookers to marvel over, with curved booths along the outer portion of the room for the members who preferred privacy.
To the left, a single spotlight bathed a man with long raven hair as his lover kneeled in front of him. As she lavished a Viking of a man with her tongue, another fisted his cock from behind and glided the length through her juices before easing inside her.
The moans were instant. Her eyes widened at witnessing such an intimate moment. From the blissful expression on the man’s face and the loving way he gazed at his partners, they’d found their perfect match in each other.
And her heart twisted ever so slightly at what it must feel like to be that much in love. To trust another human being so openly.
Rhia’s phone buzzed and the sudden jolt severed the spell. A small nook stood off to the side and out of view from everyone. Safely hidden, she pulled out the device. A familiar name flashed across the screen. She cursed under her breath.
With a flick of her thumb over the smooth glass, she hit DECLINE. She didn’t know what pissed her off more. That her brothers thought she couldn’t take care of herself, or that they sent the youngest brother to try to sweet-talk her into telling them where she was.
“Hey, Seraphina.”
Rhia turned at the sound of her alias the second she stepped out of the shadows to the high-pitched and cheery voice of her friend.
“Maya.” Rhia leaned in and kissed her friend on each cheek. Wispy raven hair curled around her chin to frame a heart-shaped face. Every girl she knew envied the electric blue eyes that lured more than one man into the other woman’s web of sin on any given night. So she’d been told. Honestly, Maya had a big imagination and a bigger sense of humor on the worst of days.
I slapped her on the ass and gave her a hip bump. “Glad you made it back tonight, suga’,” Rhia cooed playfully. “Sorry I didn’t get a chance to check on you. Long shifts this week killed me.” She nodded toward the expansive room. “Is it me or have the number of members doubled?” She shook her head. “Good money though, right?”
Maya nodded.
Overhead, spotlights dimmed twice, a signal the main scene performed for the clientele was about to begin. “It’s going to be a big night. One orgy down I don’t know how many more to go. Glad for all hands on deck.” Rhia threw her friend a playful wink.
“Yeah, glad to be back, and don’t worry about coming to visit. I was down with the flu.”
Rhia’s eyes darted to the exposed shoulders and bare arms, noticing hints of fading bruises on her deep olive skin.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m kind of glad you were out.”
Maya blinked, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing. “Oh?”
Rhia slid down the bar and leaned in closer. “Yeah. Two of Haven’s clientele went missing. A detective came by, spent several hours questioning the hostesses and security. But the bulk of her time was spent questioning the owners than the hired help. I’m scared we could be next. Do we really know who we work for?” She couldn’t tell Maya the real reason fear crept over her or that she suspected the kings of murder. Adding a couple of missing girls to their list of crimes did seem far-fetched to her. So she kept with her lies and waited to see if her friend had any insight.