Once out of view of the showroom, William pushed me against the wall and cupped my cheeks with his hands. I felt his thumb brush along my skin, swatting at tears as he peered at me. "Someone hurt him," I whispered. It was so evident. How could all those people watch him when it was plain to see that something wasn’t right? I didn’t know Anthony that well, but I recognized the pain within him.
William leaned closer for a moment, as if he wanted to kiss my forehead. I waited patiently, for some reason craving the comfort he offered.
"Anthony was taken by one of Cora’s business partners a year ago. She ordered it," William admitted.
I still didn’t know who this Cora bitch was, but a sudden wave of fury washed over me. I wanted to kill her. End her. Ruin her. William continued. "He’s struggled to be physically intimate with people ever since. Even hugs bother him. Hell, he does better with the dead than the living."
I shook my head. This was terrible. "Why?" I asked. "Why did they take him?"
William pulled away, a flicker of pain flashing across his expression. "Our father raised Nicholas to be ambitious. But he grew too fast. The first year after our parents’ death, he took over territories like it was nothing. It pissed a lot of people off, and I guess you could say we all were cocky. In a matter of eighteen months, we’d grown an empire our father could only dream of. We were motivated by grief. When our parents died, we wanted to build something in their memory."
I swallowed. "But everything comes at a cost," I whispered.
William nodded solemnly. "They had him for eight days. Eight days was all it took to completely change him. He came back with his skin ripped to shreds. He’d wake up in the middle of the night screaming. The only person who could help him was Vicky. Hell, he still relies on her for most everything. Can’t go a day without talking to her. She understands him."
"And Vicky’s now halfway across the world," I said with a shudder. "Why would Malice send her away if she’s the only person Anthony connects with? Did you not see what was happening in there? He didn’t look happy, William."
"We didn’t have a choice. Cora is vindictive and is ten steps ahead of us. Nicholas killed the partner who abused Anthony, and now she wants revenge. Nick refuses to let something happen to Vicky too. He might be a cocky, insane motherfucker, but he cares about his family, and he feels a lot of guilt about what happened to Anthony."
Even though I didn’t really know Anthony that well, I felt a renewed sense of purpose about my role here at Eden's Place. I wasn’t just finding a rat, I was finding a way for Vicky to come home. I was bringing some healing back into Anthony’s life.
"We need to find the rat," I said, my voice stern. I thought back on what Malice had whispered to me when we bumped into one another earlier.
"And we will. I’m not sure how much we’re realistically going to find out at the club," he replied. "Nicholas is convinced that we could find some sort of lead here."
I absorbed his words. "Why does Malice think that the rat is associated with Eden’s Place?"
William looked around the dim hallway before answering me. "We made arrangements for a shipment of guns to arrive at a specific date and time. We met with the supplier at Eden’s Place to discuss. Cora’s army was at the exchange spot and stole our shipment. Killed three of our men, too."
"I really hate this bitch," I growled, suddenly feeling murderous.
William’s lip twitched. "I think the problem is deeper, maybe even someone in our infrastructure. Nicholas doesn’t want to believe someone close to us betrayed us. It’s complicated, so be sure to stay diligent."
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell William that I didn’t trust Hale. Something about him just felt wrong, but he was in their inner circle. Aside from knowing he had a ruthless kink, I didn’t really know much else about him. And it wasn’t like the Civellas didn’t know already. They had an entire database dedicated to everyone’s deepest, darkest desires.
William walked ahead of me back toward the hostess stand. I watched him walk, while trying to come up with how I was going to handle being around Hale without vomiting. I needed to talk to Malice about finding someone else to watch over me. It probably didn’t help me keep a low profile to have one of his men watching over me, either.
Once I saw the hostess stand, Kelsey frantically waved me over. I slumped my shoulders. "Where did you disappear off to?" she hissed while following William with her eyes. He didn’t look my direction and sat at the bar. "You can’t just go wandering around. They’ll fire you on the spot if they catch you slacking off, and you don’t want to lose your job here on the first day. You haven’t established your loyalty yet, and these people will do anything to keep their secrets from getting out, you feel me?"
"I’m sorry. I got lost," I lied before looking around. Hale was missing. "Where is Hale?"
"Nicholas came by with a job for him," she replied nonchalantly. "Look, I’m serious. You can’t just walk off like that, okay? I’m saying this for your protection."
I gave her an apologetic smile. "I’m sorry. I just… Does Hale seem off to you?"
Awareness settled in Kelsey’s features, and she nodded. "Ah, I see. Yeah, Hale is a fucking psychopath. I guess I’m just used to him. I promise, he has one of the darker fantasies here. Most people have fairly normal kinks. Malice doesn’t let child predators walk through our doors, and everything we do here is consensual. Eden’s Place actually has a full-time sex therapist to make sure that everything is handled in a safe way. I’m sure that was a little overwhelming to hear his kink right off the bat. Crusher fuckers are usually harmless, we just keep it on file so we are aware if he progresses, you know?"
I nodded. "What do you mean...progresses?"
Kelsey’s lip pinched into a thin line, and she looked around. "I’m not qualified to explain this, but I’ll do my best. We have protocols in place. Sometimes, Eden can be an outlet for clients, you know? Sometimes, it becomes an addiction. Sometimes, it becomes this rolling snowball that grows bigger and bigger. It gets dangerous. We like to give people a taste of their fantasies, but we don’t want it to get out of hand. For all his terrifying business dealings, Mr. Civella is actually very particular about this."
"And what is Hale?" I asked, not sure I wanted the answer. "Is he here for the outlet, the addiction, or is he a snowball?"
"Hale is a fireball just waiting to happen," Kelsey whispered. "You can’t give him even an inch with his kink."
Fuck. I’d just given him a mile.
13
By the end of my shift, my feet had surpassed the point of pain and were completely numb. Kelsey ran me through every detail of our job, and I saw more sex than I’d ever seen in porn. I learned about different kinks too. Some of it was strange and unsettling. A lot of it was hot and theatrical. A few things made me want to vomit.
It was an exhausting night—way harder than anything I’d experienced at Dick’s Diner. I barely had time to stop and pee. In addition to running the welcome desk, Kelsey and I also provided support to the performers. The majority of my evening was spent running various supplies to them.