Club Lex, where shady deals are made by shadier people.
I swear it should be their slogan. Thank God I don’t much care whose name is on my paycheck that is for damn sure.
Walking into Lex is a bit like stepping into an alternate world when one false move on my part and I might not come back.
Owned by Chicago’s most powerful man—Sylan Ward. Alpha, badass, arrogant and all male. Just the name has my skin heating. The dark-eyed, muscular mobster knows how to wear a killer three-piece. Ruthless and unforgiving as the winter is cold. Brutal to the core and as deadly as a hidden rattlesnake in tall grass.
And just as gorgeous.
So are his two partners. Grey Hudson and Drake Montgomery.
All my father’s enemies.
All three run their operations with a steel grip and iron-clad rules. Nothing in this corrupt town happens without their approval.
In my time here I’ve come to learn they are three of the most gorgeous cutthroat motherfuckers who frankly scare the hell out of me. And most shockingly of all, they have one guilty pleasure many would call a weakness—sharing their women.
Other than that I haven’t quite figured them out yet. What makes them tick, I mean. Why they do what they do. Perhaps I never will. Doesn’t matter really. But deep down, I can only imagine what it would be like to be a woman standing among them receiving their full attention.
An abrupt heat flares across my skin at the idea.
Not that any of that matters. All three have hawk eyes that never miss a detail. That is what matters and why I keep my head tucked. They get what they want and for that reason alone I work hard to remain anonymous.
I pocket my paycheck and focus on the plan which is getting as far away from anyone who knows the name Kane as I can get. Rio for starters and then maybe the beaches of Spain.
Both are places I can stretch my wings, take surfing lessons, operate some small mom-and-pop ice cream shop. Sell coconut juice for God’s sake. Anything that would take me away from the bitter cold of this city and I’m not talking solely about the weather.
As the taxi driver rolls to a stop outside of Club Lex I pay my fare and shove the day’s ordeal from my mind. Standing outside the luxurious palace with its spires and plush black carpet, it’s like moving from one world to the next and my mind shifts from the nobody Kat to the flawless Katriona who makes sure wishes come true for the patronage within these walls.
Sex, drugs, alcohol. It’s all on the menu. Six days a week I make sure everyone has fresh drinks and that the right girl meets up with the right client. And for the exclusive members of the Attic, I escort them to the third floor. A section of the club so hush-hush even I wonder of its existence, though I’ve seen the steel door that sections it off from the rest of the club.
And I tell myself every night that I don’t need to know what goes on in the Attic. Stay with your easy shadow work and then go home, is the motto I repeat nightly.
My phone pings and I pull it out of my bag.
Nikki pops up with a message written in all caps:
HEADS UP, TRIO JUST WALKED IN AND THEY LOOK PISSED
Shit. The trio means all three owners. But that’s not right.
Another ping.
They’re asking for you. Do I stall?
I take in a harsh breath and clutch my phone tighter. Sweet Jesus, what would they want with me? I contemplate resigning on the spot. No one ever wants to be on their radar. My thumb hovers over the reply button as I consider my options. If I want Rio and freedom, I need money. Simple mathematics.
My blood chills. They weren’t due at the club for another week. Like clockwork. They never change their routine. What is going on tonight? Not even Mercury in retro had this kind of power to stir up chaos.
On the nights they make their rounds at the club I keep my head down. Apparently, I really suck at the whole stay invisible thing. I don’t advertise I’m the daughter of a rival slash mobster for obvious reasons.
I work hard at being just another girl serving drinks. Lots of people share my last name. They probably just want to see their employee. Get a personal feel for the people they pay.
My inner voice of reason screams for me to run and not look back.
I hit reply and shoot out a quick ON MY WAY.