A whole month had gone by and nothing had happened, and there were no indications Rubio had ever found out about our fake plan. If he’d known, he certainly wouldn’t have let so much time pass, although he was probably plotting something anyway. One of his goons had come to pay me a visit at the club last week and I’d given him the same answer as always: no.
The goon said there’d be consequences for my refusal, but I’d already known that. Now all we could do was wait for Rubio to make his move. I’d been told he was having issues with some of his drug shipments, so maybe he just didn’t have time to worry about my club. That was probably just wishful thinking on my part, though.
I was in my room in front of the dressing table and putting on another layer of black mascara when Vix’s phone rang. I’d left it on the nightstand, so I lowered the mascara and dashed across the room for it. Levi’s number was on the screen.
“Hey,” I said as I answered. “I’m just getting ready. What’s up?”
“Vix, you have to come here. Now! We have a huge problem. It’s Rubio. He has Chiara,” he said in one breath, and it took me a moment to process his words. My heart skipped a beat as I clutched the phone.
“What did you say?” If this was some kind of a nightmare, I wanted to wake up from it. Now.
“Rubio has Chiara,” he repeated, and I stumbled back, falling onto the bed.
“No,” I whispered. “How?”
“I don’t know. We were all very careful, but a guy delivered Rubio’s note to the club. Rubio says you have three days to give him the club or Chiara dies. I called Chiara’s cell, and she’s not answering. She would’ve been here by now. I think... I think he really has her.”
“Shit.” I got to my feet, raking my hand through my hair, my throat constricting. This was exactly what we’d been afraid of. And Rubio had taken my closest friend. “But how did that happen? A friend was supposed to be with her at all times. Did Rubio do something to...?”
“I don’t know,” Levi said. “What are we going to do?”
“I’m coming right away.” I ended the call, and raced to get my purse and jacket, then burst out of the room, sprinting down the hallway. I’d completely forgotten about Seth until I heard someone’s footsteps behind me. As I glanced over my shoulder, I saw him slipping on his jacket as he was rushing after me. God, there was just no escaping this guy, was there?
“We’re going out already?” he asked the obvious, but as I didn’t feel like explaining anything to him, I just headed outside.
***
On the way to the club, all I could think about was that it should’ve been me. Rubio should have taken me. I was the one who refused to give the club to him, so why not come after me? My friend... She was innocent in all this, and she didn’t deserve being dragged into it.
My stomach did a nervous flip as we neared the club, but I was careful to take all the hidden paths to it. I didn’t even have to think about it. Ditching Victoria’s phone, taking multiple taxis, and sneaking around felt natural. When Seth and I finally walked inside the club, Levi immediately rushed toward me. Fitz was right behind him.
“Thank God you’re here,” Levi said. “No one has seen Chiara since yesterday, and no one knows how Rubio could’ve gotten to her.”
In the corner of my eye, I could see Seth’s lips part slightly. He hadn’t known. He definitely wasn’t working for Rubio, because if he did, he wouldn’t even blink at this news. Then maybe Rubio didn’t know who I really was either.
“This was the note that was brought to us.” Levi handed me a small piece of paper. Tears welled up in my eyes. Three days or Chiara dies. It had been printed out in a fancy font. My fingers curled and I ripped the note to shreds, letting out a frustrated cry.
“Should I let everyone know we’re canceling tonight’s fights?” Fitz asked quietly.
“No. Don’t. You can take care of it, right?” I looked up at him.
“Yeah, but I thought...” He jerked his head back.
“Just tell everyone to be careful. Very careful. But we can’t let this affect the club. Rubio should know he can’t defeat us this easily.”
“Okay, I’ll make sure everything goes as usual,” he said.
I inclined my head to him and Levi, then strode toward my office.
“What are you going to do?” Seth asked when we were in the hallway. “Call the cops?”
“I can’t. The cops probably work for him, and I don’t want him to hurt Chiara.” I swallowed hard, pushing back another wave of tears. I didn’t even want to imagine what Rubio could be doing to my friend right now. He’d hit me exactly where it hurt most. He must have known kidnapping me wasn’t such a good idea, just like taking any of the other members, but snatching my best friend... It was the perfect move.
“Then what’s your plan?” Seth blocked my path, his body like a mountain in my way. “Are you going to give in to his demands? I saw that note... He’s a dangerous man. You don’t want to mess with him.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, okay?” I yelled, and a tear made its way down my cheek. Even if I said yes to whatever Rubio wanted, he might still kill Chiara.
“Giving up the club seems like your best option. Why is that so hard for you? Open a club somewhere else.”
I sniffled, wiping away another tear. “If only things were that simple, but they’re not.”
“Why not?”
“There isn’t another area in this city that’s safe enough from the gangs... and... also because... I made a promise to someone. If this club got into Rubio’s hands...”
Seth gently placed his hand on my shoulder and steered me toward the office. This time, I didn’t feel like protesting or getting away from him. In fact, his firm yet gentle grip was oddly comforting. “You’d sacrifice Chiara to save the club?”
My eyes snapped up to his. “She’s my best friend. I’d rather die than let anything happen to her.”
The look on his face was guarded as he guided me toward a chair and I sat down. He pulled another chair up for himself and positioned it in front of me, then took a seat. “Are you afraid Rubio might’ve already killed her?” he asked.
“Don’t even say that!” I glared at him. It was easier to be mad at him than let the fear that gripped my insides overwhelm me.
He sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...”
“I don’t know what to do.” If only Chiara were here. She’d have an answer for everything. “Of course I want her back safe and sound, but if Rubio gets the club, this will become another one of his death temples, and then he’ll have an excuse to take control of this area too. More people will die.”
Seth had gone very still in his seat, and for a second, I wondered if he was still breathing.
“I suppose you heard about Rubio’s fight clubs? Mostly fights to the death. Sometimes he takes people off the streets and forces them to fight. Innocent people who did nothing wrong.”
He just nodded. “You can deal with all that after you get your friend back.”
“Yeah, but that’s exactly the problem,” I said, and a frown line popped up on Seth’s brow.
“Once Rubio has the club, he’ll want to make sure I don’t do anything to ruin his business. He could give Chiara back to me only to have her taken again... or someone else I care about so I wouldn’t do anything. And he has influence all over the city. He won’t stop until he takes everything. This building, along with its people... I can’t just tell people to go do something else with their lives. What about people like Mark? He owes money to a gang. His job pays enough just to support his family, and he gives the money he earns here to the gang to keep them satisfied and away from his family. If Rubio has the club, Mark won’t even be allowed to come here. And it’s not just about the money. This club was formed to help people in many different ways. I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve seen it.”
Seth looked at me as if he didn’t believe me, and he probably didn’t. At best, he thought this club was my pet project, and that I could just find a hobby or something to replace it. He didn’t know just how much this place had helped me. It had saved my life. Not that I ever wanted to share that piece of info with him. And John would be very disappointed in me if he found out I was giving up so easily, but Chiara... He wouldn’t have let any innocents get hurt either. “I have to do something.” I reached for my phone, quickly going through my contacts.
“Do what?” Seth asked. “If you’re planning on meeting with Rubio, do it in a public place where I can protect you. I can ensure he doesn’t come near you if he’s armed. And you need proof Chiara’s alive and well.”
“I might not have any other choice but to do that, but first... I need to find out how exactly he took Chiara and where he’s holding her. I don’t want anyone else to go missing.” I tapped the screen of my phone twice, but I wasn’t sure who to contact. “And I don’t even know if I should say anything to Chiara’s family. They’ll call the cops for sure if she doesn’t show up soon.” I had no idea why I was telling all of this to Seth, but Chiara was gone, Levi and Fitz were busy, and there was no one else.
My finger hovered over one of the numbers. There was a club member, Gilberto, who hadn’t been here for a long time, but who just might be able to hack into the surveillance cameras around the city and help us narrow down Chiara’s location. The only problem was that I wasn’t entirely sure if he’d be willing to do something like that for me. But I remembered he’d seemed to like Chiara, and he didn’t have any connections to Rubio or any gang. I really hoped that hadn’t changed in the meantime.