Or maybe it’s all the illegal shit going down and everyone checking each other out with equal paranoia.
He was relieved that Augusta was wearing decent enough clothes to fit in. The club wasn’t necessarily upscale, but he didn’t want to draw attention to them if he could help it. He wasn’t exactly welcome here, but it was acknowledged that rivals also had business to attend to. It was unlikely that anyone would try a hit in a public hangout for any gang.
He wandered across the room, taking a seat at the end of the bar. Augusta sat next to him, and again, he was glad of the shadows. Her face was bare, hair in a messy bun. He still found her indescribably beautiful, and he didn’t really understand why. He ordered a strong bourbon and a thick cigar, hoping to interrupt the delicious scent of her that wouldn’t stop drifting around him and confusing his motives.
Augusta shook her head when he asked if she wanted anything. She was looking around with wide, bright eyes, seeming to be even more confused than before.
“What is this place?” she whispered. “Are you just stopping for a leisurely drink?”
She sounded just a bit sassy about it, and he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. Even under these circumstances, she had a decent backbone.
“This is a Colombo hangout,” he said softly. The other patrons nearby were all talking loudly and not paying attention to them, but he still didn’t want to announce his motives. “I just want to scope the area to see if anyone has that tattoo.”
“Okay,” she said. Her big blue eyes darted around as her mouth turned down in a tight line. “It’s not like I would know who’s who in a place like this.”
Ray made a light gesture with the cigar he pulled out. “Those guys over there at the back table. They are all Colombo family. They are keeping an eye on me, but nobody wants to start anything. Those are the tough guys, the real serious violent types. If our tattoo man is here, that’s where he’ll be.”
“But they’re all wearing long sleeves,” Augusta muttered.
Ray nodded. “They are,” he said, defeat in his voice. “This won’t work. I’ll finish up and we’ll go.”
“No, wait,” Augusta said, putting a hand on his arm. “What if we set off the sprinkler system? Wouldn’t they take their shirts off, then?”
“Maybe,” he said with a shrug. A few of the gang members were eyeing him suspiciously as well as a few of the other rich and powerful men who sat around the room engaged in various crimes.
If he were hanging out with a new woman, this was definitely not the place he’d take her for a good time. If he was in this club, he needed to have a business reason. He couldn’t fly under the radar for long, especially when he was sitting with a woman swiftly moving up the “most wanted” list of the hardest criminals in the city.
Ray finished his bourbon and took the cigar with him as he grabbed Augusta’s hand and headed for the dance floor. The music and flashing lights caught the beat of his heart, and he surrendered to the excitement that sang through the air like a living net of pure ecstasy. Augusta gripped his hand as they moved through the crush of people.
“What are we doing in here?” she muttered.
He pulled her against his body, letting the music sweep through him as he drew her into the energy of the floor.
“I’m just taking us out of sight for a minute … I didn’t like the looks we were getting.”
“Okay,” she muttered, letting him press against her. Ray hadn’t really thought this through … he’d just wanted to blend in a bit, hide them and try to implement a plan. Once they hit the dance floor, though, it was obvious that his motives were not all business.
His arms rested gently on her shoulders, and her hands gripped him lightly at the waist. As they swayed and shimmied, he kept his cigar carefully out of the way but couldn’t stop himself from bumping against her as often as possible.
Ray thought he saw a glint in her eye, an edge of a smile on her face. It seemed to him that she was reciprocating, allowing her breast and hips to slide invitingly against him. He shook himself and tried to force his mind back on track.
She’s not coming on to me. It’s not possible. I have to let this shit go. I can’t get involved with her.
Slowly, he maneuvered them to the edge of the dance floor and into a hallway at the back of the club. One end of the hall had a string of bathrooms and a back exit, and the other end had a narrow staircase.
“Up there,” he said. “I can trigger the sprinkler with the cigar.”
“Oh, so that’s why you brought it with you.” Understanding laced her words
“Well,” he said, taking a big puff. “That, and I really like cigars.”
“Smoking will kill you.”
“What doesn’t?” Ray scoffed.
They hurried up the stairs, Ray following behind so he could watch Augusta’s hot ass flexing on each step. He was really liking the idea of drenching all the rival gang members and just generally fucking up their shit. It was going to be a fun gag, whether they found the guy or not.
Those few minutes on the dance floor had been bliss, as well. He wondered if he could find other reasons for her to press her body against his and grind around.