We cross the busy street, the Manhattan night alight with activity, a virtual video game of glowing city lights, people bustling about, bundled up in winter attire. Street vendors selling random food. Men in funny boots dancing for a crowd. The club is the focus of it all, and as we near the door, music vibrates through the walls.
The tall forty-something doorman with tattoos all over his thick muscled-up shoulders and bare arms scowls at us and holds up a puffy looking hand. “ID’s.”
I dig mine from my purse and show it to him. Kace is next. The man grunts and says, “Twenty-five each.”
“That’s very expensive,” I say because it’s just the way I’ve been built. I don’t spend money on outrageous things.
The man’s beefy face scrunches up. “Pay or don’t play.”
Kace arches a brow at me and palms the man the cash before sliding an arm around me. “That’s very expensive?”
“Well, it is. They make their money on the alcohol and just because you have money that doesn’t mean we want to be robbed at the door.”
“We have money, sweetheart,” he says, as we travel a narrow, dark hallway, “and we can handle the fifty bucks.”
My nerve endings are prickling, almost in warning, but then, I’ve been trained all my life to avoid the unknown. Right now, we’re living the unknown. “I’d really like to be home right now listening to you practice, which you didn’t do today.”
“Me, too, baby,” Kace murmurs. “Me, too.”
He’s barely issued that agreement when we enter a dimly lit lounge with blue and pink neon lights on the walls and ceiling, the long bar glowing blue. Cushioned booth-style seating lines those neon glowing walls but only a few people mingle here and there. The crowd, which is clearly concentrated just beyond an arch where bodies are bouncing around on a dance floor, appears to be massive. Folding my hand firmly in his, Kace leads me forward, under the arch, and into the blast of music, the song “People I Don’t Like” by UPSAHL driving the crowd wild. And me too, a little, as the words vibrate through me:
Hello, it's so good to see you
We met before, but nice to meet you
Yeah, I don't really wanna be here like, ah-ah-ah-ah
It feels like how Gio is treating Kace. Actually, it feels like how he’s treating me and suddenly I’m angry with my brother all over again, which isn’t a positive emotion. Kace motions to the stairs that lead to what looks like another bar area, with people leaning on the railing to watch the dancers. It’s a perfect spot to scan for Gio. I nod my approval and Kace maneuvers me in front of him, his hands possessively wrapping my waist as we weave through the crush of bodies and then start up the metal winding stairs. The higher we climb, the softer the music becomes, and when I finish the climb and step onto the elevated level just ahead of Kace, to my shock Gio steps in front of me.
Dressed in all black, with a beer in his hand, he looks handsome, cocky, and bigger than life. He’s always been bigger than life to me, my brother, the head of the family, after my father vanished. My heart squeezes with my love for this man, my blood, the only family I have left. When he looks at me, I see that in his eyes, too. We are family. We can’t fail each other.
Instantly, my anger fades, and I throw my arms around him, hugging him tightly. His hand comes down on my back and he pulls me close, and whispers, “Let’s talk. Alone.”
I can feel Kace’s jagged energy at my back and I understand why. Gio, thus far, has been a blade trying to cut the bond between us. I glance up at my brother, eyes meeting his. “I need you to talk to Kace. I need you to give him a chance.”
He fixes me in a heavy-lidded stare, his jaw set stubbornly. “After we talk.”
I’m not going to change his mind and with a frustrated sigh, I turn to Kace, closing the small space between us, my hands curling on his chest. “I need to talk to him alone.”
He stares down at me, his expression unreadable, but the edginess of his mood is back and all too real. It pulses like the music, a living breathing force, almost destructive in its power. He doesn’t want to say yes, but he lifts his chin toward the bar. “I’ll be right there.”
“Thank you,” I say, pushing to my toes to kiss him and when I would simply brush my lips to his, he cups my head and claims my mouth in a bruising, possessive kiss meant to make a statement: I’m his. Gio can’t take me away. I’m almost angry at him for antagonizing Gio, almost. Another part of me is aware of how alone we both were before we found each other, how certain I am in this moment that he needs me the way I need him. This part of me welcomes his response, revels in being needed and loved by this beautiful, talented man who has become my best friend and partner. I sink into the kiss, reveling in his claim on me. And in his silent promise that he will not back down, he will not walk away from me or us, not even for my brother.
When his lips part from mine, I have no chance to speak. He sets me just to his left and steps toe to toe with Gio. My heart leaps and I force myself to stand my ground, to give them a moment, because this is what I want: for them to talk. I turn my head, my ear reaching for their voices, but the music muffles the words. My gaze jerks to Gio’s face, his expression hard, unreadable, his body stone, unmoving, but he does reply to whatever Kace has said to him. Whatever it is, it’s enough for Kace. He backs out of the stance with Gio, rotating to face me again. “I’ll be close,” he promises and that’s it. He steps away from me, and I watch as he saunters toward the bar, all kinds of cool masculine swagger and power. I watch as if this is the last time I will admire him, which is crazy.
“Aria.”
At Gio’s prod, I snap my head back to him. He inclines his chin toward the tables on the opposite side of the bar. We head that way, and it’s only now that I take in the upper level, a dimly lit room with more neon blue and pink glowing from the ceiling and walls. Gio guides me deeper into the room, away from the commotion at the railing. So much so that the cluster of small round tables are completely unoccupied. Gio claims a table behind a giant shiny pillar, out of Kace’s line of sight, which I am certain is no accident. Unease pinches wickedly in my chest and I almost want to resist his choice of location, but this is Gio, I remind myself. He’s my brother and it’s clear that he’s resisting Kace’s involvement in our lives, and therefore demanding privacy. And I need to give him what he needs to have a real talk once and for all.
A quick scan tells me there is a bar in the corner, a sign pointing down a hallway for a bathroom, and no other stairwell, no exit. With that knowledge, I feel safe enough and I claim my seat.
The table is small and Gio and I are close, side by side, able to talk without shouting. A pretty, skimpily-clad blonde bombshell of a waitress shows up with a tray of shots. “We’ll take two each,” Gio says.
“Not for me,” I say.
Gio hands the woman cash. “Two each.”
I watch the woman finger the cash and I have a moment where I wonder where he’s even getting money since I spent it all on bills. It’s not like I’ve been paid by Riptide. And I certainly don’t intend to share a bank account for our business dealings right now either. Not when he’s been doing dirty side jobs for a long time, it appears, which of course, must be where he’s getting his money. He may have a huge bank account while I suffered from worry. He sets two shots in front of me. I hold up my hands. “No. I don’t drink well. You know that.”
He leans in closer, and murmurs softly, for my ears only, “I hate your boyfriend. You love him. We both need a drink. Drink.”
Right, I think. We need a drink. Still, I point at the shots, and say, “Not that.”
The waitress holds up a pink shot. “It tastes like candy, I promise.”
Gio eyes me. “Come on, little sis. You love candy. You want to live life, live it. You’ve got your famous boyfriend and a pack of security to get you home safely.”
I grimace and wave on the pink drink. The waitress sets it in front of me and Gio pays her by shoving money down her excessive and impressive cleavage. When she leaves, he casts a grin in my direction, wiggling an eyebrow.
I glower. “Really, Gio?”
“Living life, Aria. Living life.” He lifts a shot and motions to mine. “Drink up.”
I pick up the shot and down it, coughing with the sweet sugary concoction that still manages to burn. Gio is on shot number two by the time I recover. “That sucked,” I say. “It tasted like stale bubble gum.”
“The second one always tastes better than the first, but we both know you won’t test that theory.” He rests his arms on the table. “Where do we start?”
There’s a bitter taste in my mouth that isn’t all about the bubble gum shot. It’s about the burn of distrust between me, Gio, and Kace. “I trust Kace. I want you to give him a chance.”
“You better be right about this, little sis, because we now know the word is out. You and Kace together equal the formula. You aren’t even making it hard on the bad guys. And that means I need to find Sofia and convince her I’m still in love with her.”
I blanch. “What? Why? And you still don’t know where she is?”
“No, I don’t know where she is, aside from obviously watching you. As to why? Because I don’t want her people to use me to get to you.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, but I know the minute I ask. “You mean to threaten you to get me to give up what I don’t have.”
“Exactly. I need to be an insider asset.” He downs another shot, his teeth pulling back tight across his teeth. I swear my stomach churns just thinking about that shock. Clearly I’ve had too much alcohol today. He gives a low groan. “That burns.” He sets the glass down and returns to the topic. “I have to find her first.”
“How do you even know she’s still here in the city?”
“Aside from her leaving the note, right before I walked in on her fucking that little bitch Lorenzo and tried to kill them both—”
“Stop saying that. I don’t want to hear about you killing anyone.”
“Irrelevant right now,” he says dismissively. “And I’ve already told you this anyway. Back to how I know she’s here. Sofia had decided that you and Kace were the key to the formula.”
“You told me a much-abbreviated version of that story, Gio.”
“You kept hitting me, I tried to give you details. As I was saying, we—me and Sofia—were headed back here. Seemed irrational to me that she thought you and Kace had pieces of the formula, but I didn’t know about the journal. Obviously, the bitch did and didn’t tell me about it.””
“Makes you wonder what else is in that journal, doesn’t it?”
“Maybe something about Sofia and her family?” he asks but it’s not really a question. “Been thinking that ever since you told me about the journal. She’s here. And you’re right. She left that note for you to find. She wanted you and Kace together. I’m sure it’s her wet dream that you’re actually fucking him.”
I scowl. “I’m not just fucking him.”
“Bottom line, Aria. You gave her what she wants. If we don’t get to her and her people first, they will get to you and Kace. They’re not low on skills or resources.”
“Neither are we,” I say, feeling lightheaded now and really regretting that shot. “Talk to Kace,” I press. “Talk to Walker. Help us end this. They’re good people, Gio. They can help us.”
“And if they turn on us?”
“We have to trust someone.”
He twists more my direction. “I know you trust him, Aria, but—”
“Gio—”
He pokes the table, his voice rough with demand. “Listen to me. I believe he’s in just as much danger as you, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want what they want.”
“He signed papers that legally relinquish any right or profit from our name or the Stradivarius brand.”
He jerks back slightly. “No fucking shit. What’s the catch?”
“There is no catch. I’m even seeing an attorney tomorrow to review the documents. Kace suggested it. And he thinks there might be an inheritance we can claim. Gio, he didn’t make Dad—”
“I know Kace isn’t to blame for Dad’s decisions.” His expression tightens. “Dad thought I’d sell him out.”
“Was he right?”
His lips thin. “Back then he was. Now, no. I’m not a kid anymore. I want what was ours. I want to do right by him and protect our legacy.”
“Then talk to Kace, really talk to him Gio. And not here. We need a quiet, private place to talk.”
“I’ll go talk to him. Alone. Here. If that goes well, we’ll move to a quieter spot.”
“I don’t know if I like that idea. You did tell him I’m a money-grubbing wench.”
“Sorry about that, but he’s still around I see.”
“Not for the formula. I told you—”
“I’ll talk to him,” he says. “Give us ten minutes. Okay?”
“Fine. You have ten minutes and then I’m coming to check on you.” He starts to get up and I catch his arm. “Gio, I love Kace. I really love him.”
“I know,” he says. “I see it your eyes when you look at him.”
“And when he looks at me?”
“I think the fucker might actually love you, too. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t be doing this. Plus, I was a bastard to you. I owe you.”
“You really do, Gio.”
“I know. I won’t let you down again. I promise. Now—stay and let me do this.” He eyes his arm that I’m still holding.
I release it and he stands up. I follow and a sharp bite attacks my stomach. “Is it safe to go to the bathroom here?”
“Yeah. There’s no exit that doesn’t require getting past me and Kace at the bar. Go. I know you have the bladder of a two-year-old.” He laughs and walks away.
I scoot out from behind the table and hurry toward the bathroom, that pinch in my belly turning into nausea, while my head is spinning. The hallway is a blessed release, a promise of escape. I follow an L-shape and the bathroom door appears. There’s also a stairwell. Gio was wrong. There’s an exit and my gut tells me to turn and run. I do just that. I turn and try to run, but I’m sick and I can’t catch my breath. I make it two steps and I have to stop, but I feel someone at my back. I turn and a pretty brunette is standing in front of me while the ground is sinking beneath my feet. I barely know where I’m at now but I know that I’ve been drugged. And I know who she is. “Sofia,” I say, but it comes out a whisper, air lodged in my lungs. I can’t seem to catch my breath.
A tall dark-haired man steps behind her and Sofia says, “Grab her now.”