“Oh.” Emerson glances from Toby to me. “I—”
A cell ringtone sounds and Emerson pulls her phone from her bag. “Hey.” She pauses, listening to the person on the other end.
“Where are you?” Emerson’s brows draw together. “Why did Jenny tell you to go to Earle’s?”
She freezes completely, one foot staggered in front of the other. Her face pales and she bends for a second like she might actually fall. I lunge forward, but Emerson pulls back.
“We have to go,” she says to Toby. Without waiting for his reply, she races down the building steps. He follows like her damn lap dog, ready for her orders. The morning is quiet again, and I realize they’re gone.
“I know that guy.”
The voice startles me for a second since I’ve forgotten about Bryce standing behind me. “Oh yeah?”
“That fucker is the one watching her apartment.”
A stealthy pull of nausea grabs me like a riptide. I grip the iron railing in front of me. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m positive. What’s he doing with her?” Bryce adjusts his cap twice.
“She doesn’t know he’s the one.” I rub both hands over my face. If Jordy’s right and the FBI is watching Emerson, then Toby’s part of it. What the hell is going on? “She said Earle’s, right? I’m going after them.” I turn on my heel and jog down the steps.
“I’m coming with you.”
I hit the unlock button on my key fob and hurl my body into the car. Bryce hops in without waiting for me to invite him. The car tires squeal when I quickly reverse and head out of the lot.
Why didn’t I question her? Force her to talk to me? A bad feeling threatens to smother me.
I take a turn too fast and wide. The oncoming car banks to the shoulder of the road. Bryce puts one hand on the passenger door to stop from slamming into it.
“Christ, man. Slow down,” Bryce yells in a nervous voice.
I glance over in time to see him clip his seatbelt. “Sorry.”
“We want to get there without a police escort, right?” he asks a little too loud.
“Calm down,” I say without slowing.
He doesn’t say anything else for the rest of the ride. As soon as I pull to a stop, he opens the car door and makes his way to the front of Earle’s.
Earle’s Temptations is a lone metal building off the side of the highway. At night, the neon signs flash from seven until four in the morning, giving it a Las Vegas feel. In the early morning hours, the strip club looks seedy and deserted.
There are three cars parked outside near the front of the building and I recognize the one Toby was driving earlier. I grab Bryce’s arm. “Hey, slow down.”
“You drive here taking corners on two wheels and now you wanna go slow?”
“Stay outside as backup. I’m going inside.”
“You pack heat?” Bryce gives me a speculative look as if he’s waiting to be surprised.
“Are you kidding?”
“What I thought. You’re crazy, man. Here,” he says and calmly pulls a 9mm from the back of his jeans.
I hesitate for a minute, staring at his outstretched hand. “I’m not going to shoot anybody.”
Bryce bends and lifts the leg of his jeans. He removes a knife and presses it into my hand. “At least carry this.”
“Okay. If I don’t walk out with Emerson and Gabby in five minutes, you’ll know something’s wrong. Call 911 and report a robbery or something.” Adrenaline pumps into every cell as I close my fingers around the knife. I don’t have time to question the intelligence of carrying a concealed weapon that I’ve never used, so I stick the closed knife into my pocket.
“Got your back.”
When I get to the club’s door and pull on the handle, I’m surprised to find it open. I glance at Bryce and nod toward the shrubbery lining the front. He takes a couple of steps to hide his presence.
Emerson and Toby must’ve just beaten us here. I’d half expected to find the door locked. I quietly open the door and slip inside. It’s silent as a dungeon and my bad feeling grows by the second. The room is dimly lit and the stage empty. The layout of the place is familiar since I’ve been in Earle’s once before—the first time I saw Emerson.
I flash back to Emerson on that stage, shaking her booty with a stunning enthusiasm that had every guy in the place wishing to take her home. I’d never wanted to be a silver pole so bad in my life.
A couple of lights over the bar area reflect off the mirrors that line the back. Muffled voices filter in from somewhere beyond the main room.
My footsteps are soundless but my thoughts are loud. If something happens to Emerson, I’ll blame myself. Something made her run from me and I should’ve tried harder to find out what. I should’ve made her trust me by trusting her.
I’m in the dark hallway leading to the back when the voices stop talking. A hush surrounds me as if they sense my presence. Then I recognize Emerson’s voice. I inch forward to a door at the end, trying to figure out how many people are inside before I bust in.
“You can hear better inside,” a deep voice says behind me.
I pivot to grab him, but cold metal touches the back of my neck. “Easy. I was looking for someone.”
“I’d say you found trouble instead,” he answers.
The door opens and I’m staring at a dark-haired guy behind a desk. He reminds me of Antonio Banderas with an extra hundred pounds on him. “And who is this?” he asks Emerson.
Emerson’s gaze flicks to me and then back to the Banderas lookalike. “It’s Gabby’s boyfriend. Let them go and I swear I’ll do what you want.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
No Code
Emerson
Earle’s Temptations smells like old cigarettes, damp carpet, and deadly deceit. I am so tired of being played the fool by people I trust.
Introductions have been made, and it didn’t take long since the room looks like an Earle’s staff meeting.
Earle won’t look at me and has taken a seat designated by the man in charge of this meeting, Rafa. Jenny stares at the show schedule on Earle’s bulletin board.
I smile at Gabby. “Sis, they didn’t hurt you, did they?”
My sister shakes her head and her bottom lip trembles. She’s already been crying. Her makeup-smeared face tells me that much.
I shift my attention to Jenny. “How long have you and Earle been working for Rafa?” It’s difficult to tone down the level of hurt in my voice.
Jenny keeps her face business-like. She gives the cardboard smile. The one she uses when a customer propositions her after a show. “I had to do it. You don’t understand, Emerson. People like you are in this life temporarily, like stopping at a bad gas station and making a note to avoid it next time. Me and Bailey? We’re here forever unless we take advantage of opportunities.”
“That’s garbage and you know it.” My throat is tight, like a very weak man has his hands around it. I lean against Toby for support. I don’t want Jenny to see how much she’s hurt me.
Also, I wish I could read Toby’s mind. I steal a glance at him. He said to let him lead. Well, lead on. I’m waiting.