I didn’t know what I expected to see, but what I saw wasn’t it. When Castello said he owned nightclubs, I imaginednightclubs. Dark, gloomy, hard to breathe, loud music making your chest vibrate. But that wasn’t it at all.
We walked into a huge, well-lit lounge. There was a round bar right in the middle, two men wearing bow-ties working behind it. Black and red leather couches were placed throughout, with glass tables and granite statues of dragons that decorated the room. There were four pillars around the bar which were fish tanks, blue lights accentuating the colors of the tropical fish that swam through the bubbles in the water.
The floor was pitch black with shiny tiles, and the walls on either side of us were mirrors, yet the wall behind us red, and in front of us were floor to ceiling windows. Blue, red, and yellow lasers flashed through the window, and I walked across the room. Castello was right behind me; I could feel it.
As I reached the windows, I looked down, and then I saw the nightclub I had imagined. Dark, gloomy, hard to breathe. From here you could see every corner of the club. The DJ box was set to the right, two guys jumping around as they created magic with the world of sound. I couldn’t hear the music anymore, but I saw what looked like thousands of people dancing, entranced by the vibe and music.
“What do you think?” Castello moved in next to me.
“I think you’ve managed to create your own world here in The Capital.” I turned to face him. “It’s amazing.”
With his hands in his pants pockets, he stared out the window like he was observing his own kingdom. God knew he looked every part of a King.
“This was my home away from home. Like you said, my own world.”
“Was?”
He looked at me. “I found a different home now.” The way his gaze was pinned on me, his dark irises staring at me like it willed me to understand what he was trying to say.
I was his home now.
I smiled, my heart momentarily swelling on the inside of my chest.
“This is the VIP lounge.” Castello turned around to face the room. “Some nights it’s used for entertainment purposes. And nights like these, it’s used for business only.”
I raised a brow. “What kind of entertaining purposes?”
A sly grin crept up at the corners of his mouth. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
He turned to face me. “Listen, whatever is about to happen tonight, you need to keep an open mind.”
“Castello, I think I’ve been about as open minded as I can be when it comes to you and yourbusiness.”
“I’m serious. I’m about to meet with our biggest supplier.”
“The guy from Mexico?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
He stepped closer, folding his fingers through mine. “There’s a certain way we do business, and I need to act in a certain way, be someone you might not like very much.”
The gentle, almost remorseful tone in his voice scared me. It sounded like he was already apologizing for something he had yet to do.
I met his gaze and tried to sound as confident as possible even though I was nervous on the inside. “I think I’ve seen the worst of you, Castello.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
I wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but the big double doors opened, and a crowd of people walked inside. The security that stood scattered around the lounge didn’t react, which told me these were welcome guests.
Castello turned and softly murmured, “By my side at all times.”
Just as he turned, a man emerged from the sea of huge, evil-looking guys who seemed like they were itching for a reason to pull the triggers of the guns they didn’t even try to hide.
“Jorge.” Castello reached out and shook the hand of a middle-aged man with dark hair and dark eyes. I expected a big-bellied, gross-looking criminal, but insteadJorgewas a well-groomed, handsome man who didn’t seem like the hardened criminal type at all.
“Castello. It’s been a while since we’ve met face to face.”