“Good evening, Ms. Ryan. My name is Blake.” He holds out a hand politely, and I take it. “Are you ready to go?”
Flashing him a smile, I nod before heading out the door. Blake follows, saying nothing as we make our way out to the car. In fact, he says nothing the entire drive there, which is just fine by me. I’m not exactly in the mood for small talk tonight.
I chose the club we were going to, making sure it was in neutral territory. I didn’t want to risk running into Killian if we went to The Salamander. Ivy Night Club is located in a sort of No Man’s Land for the local crime families—territory on the border of Brooklyn and Queens that was mostly overrun with smaller gangs and had no benefit for the larger families. Ivy Night Club was good from what I’ve heard about it, though I’ve never been. Usually, I’d take the girls to one of the clubs owned by our allies or ones under my father’s protection. But tonight, I want something new. Something away from that part of my life.
Just as the driver pulls up to the street, I turn to Blake sitting beside me. “Tonight, I need you to blend in. I don’t want my friends to see or notice you.” He nods in reply. “But stick close. Just in case.” I’m not expecting trouble tonight, but being the daughter of a mob boss has taught me to always be prepared. Holding out my phone, I wait for him to put his number in.
I catch sight of my friends at the front of the line as the driver pulls up to the curb. “Wait a few minutes, then join the line.”
Blake does as he’s told, waiting in the car while I slip out and head toward my friends. Their faces light up as soon as they notice my arrival.
“Thank God you showed up.” Kimmy snatches me into a hug. “I almost thought you’d bail.”
“Of course, I’d show up tonight.” I pull away slightly, frowning. “I really needed to get out of the house.”
“Did something happen?” Sadie asks, eyebrows creasing softly.
“No, everything is fine.” I flash her a smile. “Just been studying a bit too hard.”
“Not to freak you out or anything,” Kimmy’s voice drops as she looks over my shoulder, “but that guy is staring at you. Like, super hard.”
I turn to look, stomach dropping. Blake stood just a few people behind us, though I have no idea how he managed to squeeze himself in. And Kimmy’s right—he’s staring right at me. I glower at him until he looks away. Fucking rookie.
Turning back to Kimmy, I just shrug. “Can you blame him? I look hot tonight.”
She laughs, looping her arm through mine, and the matter is quickly forgotten. I let them chatter as we slowly inch our way to the front, my nerves already buzzing, anticipating a night free of stress. Free of Killian. When he’d shown up at my apartment, he’d seemed so in control. As if he knew exactly what he was doing. It didn’t match the Killian I’d heard about—the rash, hot-headed man who didn’t give two shits about anyone except himself. My brain couldn’t put two and two together. This version of Killian didn’t make sense to me, which is frustrating. But tonight, I’m not going to worry about that.
We finally get let in, melting into the thudding bass as we make our way to the bar. I turn slightly, catching sight of my tail just a few people away from the front door before I lose sight of him. Hopefully, he’ll guess where I’ve gone first, but I’ll be sure to keep my friends at the bar until I see Blake make it in. Which turns out to be less of an issue than I thought it would be. Kimmy and Sadie promptly set themselves up at the bar top, not looking to move for a bit, at least as we wait for our drinks.
I catch sight of Blake slipping through the front door and track him as he moves towards the bar. This time, he’s careful not to look my way, but he’s standing fairly close and looking way too awkward amongst the crowd. My stomach curls as Kimmy follows my gaze, her eyes narrowing just as Blake makes the mistake of looking in my direction again.
“What is with this guy?” Kimmy mutters.
Sadie glances over. “He’s just at the bar, Kim. He’s not doing anything.”
“I don’t know…I’m getting creepy vibes from him. Let’s just lose him.” She grabs her drink, motioning for us to follow.
I hesitate, my hand wrapped around my drink. Knowing Kimmy, if we didn’t lose Blake, she’d make a scene to try and embarrass him just to get him to stop. But if Blake loses sight of me and something happens…I try to shake off the foreboding feeling. What could happen? There’s no danger here that I can see so far, and I’ve gone out plenty of times without a tail and was just fine. Besides, the club isn’t all that big, and Blake would be able to find me easily enough. But, just to be safe, I share my location with Blake, ensuring he received the message before following Kimmy onto the dance floor. She makes a point of weaving through the crowd, and I know it’ll be nearly impossible for Blake to follow without her noticing. I shove the worry away, though. Nothing’s going to happen. I’m sure of it.
As I let go of my worries, the music takes over, replacing the anxiety thrumming through my veins with pure bliss. It’s exactly what I need—a break from my other world that’s falling apart. Here, there’s no Killian. No threat of failing businesses or marriage transactions. At this moment, I’m not the boss’s daughter. I’m just another girl out partying with her friends.
I twirl around, laughing as Kimmy tries to dip me towards the floor. I’m still laughing when she pulls me right back up…until my eyes land on two men across the dance floor. They’re standing just at the edge of the crowd, mostly hidden by the shadows of the corner they’re skulking in. A slight prick of fear makes me pause, the hairs along my arm standing to attention as I catch their eye.
One is bald, his head gleaming beneath the flashing lights. His large, hooked nose takes up most of his face, adding to the already “Bad Guy” look he has going on. His partner is shorter but no less intimidating. His blue eyes seem to pierce through the dim lighting, thin lips twisted into a sneer. They’re both watching me carefully like predators who had finally caught wind of their prey.
I can’t be sure of their nationality or even which crime family they belong to, but Killian’s warning echoes in my head as I keep tabs on them. They never move from their spot, their eyes following me as I dance with my friends. I try to avoid looking in their direction, keeping them in my peripheral instead. If they know I’ve spotted them, who knows what they’d do. If they’re my father’s enemies, there’s nothing stopping them from shooting me here and now. And I can’t afford to have that happen. Not when my friends are so close to me.
Looking around, I try to spot Blake but can’t find him. And if I can’t see him, then I’m not sure he can see me. The club is too dark and crowded. And the only thing he has to keep tabs on me is the general location I’d sent previously. Too late, I realize my mistake.
I’m here with my friends, with only a small knife to defend myself, clearly being watched by two men I don’t know…and my bodyguard is nowhere to be found.
25
CARA
Ican feel them watching me the entire night. The weight of their eyes prickles the back of my neck no matter how far I try to get us away from them. The longer they watch me, the more I believe that Killian was right. They have to be Russian. It’s too much of a coincidence for Killian to tell me I’d somehow caught the interest of the Pakhan just days before these two men show up.
Getting more desperate by the minute, I search for Blake. He’s somewhere in the crowd after Kimmy made us ditch him…again. I keep trying to distract her to allow him to remain close without her noticing, but it hasn’t been working. Every time he gets within five feet, Kimmy spots him, shooting him a death glare before herding us further into the crowd. And, while she’s busy keeping us away from the one man who could keep us safe, I’m trying to keep us away from the men who so clearly look like they want to kill me.