Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
I scrubbed a hand over my jaw. I hadn’t considered that angle before. What the hell would Parkston want with a rocket launcher? Or a cargo box full of automatic weapons? It didn’t fit.
“I doubt it. All my digging hasn’t turned anything up to suggest he’s in on Richie’s shit. He appears to be a legit businessman. But I’m at the club. If he’s here, I’ll find him and see if he knows what his little pal is into.”
“All right. Be careful, Bulldog.”
“Always am,” I said, grinning as I clicked off the call. My eyes snagged on the bouquet of flowers. They’d have to wait. I’d give them to Tori when we got back to the truck. Yeah, that would work.
I hopped out and hustled across the street, dodging a speeding sports car hauling ass up the road. I pushed inside the club’s main entrance and hung back half a step as I scanned the main room and bar area.
A trio of pretty women sat at the bar, dressed to the nines, with a drink in front of each of them, but they were all busy looking around and not picking up their glasses. I cocked my head, wondering what they were waiting on. Then again…in Parkston’s On the Hill, maybe I didn’t want to know what—or rather who—they were waiting on.
Reed wasn’t in sight, but that was normal. He was probably in the office. I made my way across the club as soon as I assured myself that Richie and his men weren’t hanging around in the shadows, waiting for my return. I stopped at the bar and a blonde approached me, leaning over to display her tits as she offered up a welcoming smile.
“Evening, sir. What can I do for you?”
“Is Avery here?”
The blonde backed up half a step as her lips twisted into a pout. Obviously, she’d been hoping to keep me company for the night. “Avery’s in the office.”
“Would you please tell her that she has a customer here?” I asked, not leaving room for argument in my tone.
The blonde nodded. “Sure.”
She hurried off to the phone on the opposite end of the bar, and I watched as she picked up the receiver. The three women I’d noticed were a few seats away, still glancing around and not touching their drinks.
“Should we start without her?” one of the women asked her friends.
The blonde shrugged her shoulders. “I guess so…it’s been a while, though.”
The other two murmured their agreement. I watched as they all turned on their stools to glance at the narrow hallway that led to the club’s office space.
“That poor girl must really be having a rough time,” one of the dark-haired women added. “What was her name? Avery? I don’t think Paige’s mentioned her before. Maybe she’s new.”
Avery? Paige?
My pulse slammed back into hyperdrive. The blonde bartender strutted back over and offered an apologetic smile.
“No one’s picking up. Avery might have gone home for the night. I’ll take excellent care of you, though,” she smiled, showcasing a dimple on her left cheek. “I promise.”
“Where’s Reed?” I asked loudly enough that the three women to my right all swiveled around.
The blonde sighed. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I’ll be back in a few minutes once you’ve had a chance to look over the menu.” She stalked off to tend to customers at the other side of the bar.
“You know Reed?”
I pushed off from the bar and went to join the trio of ladies, addressing the pretty woman with the long, dark waves. “I do. Are you a friend of his and Paige’s?”
They all smiled and nodded. “Longtime friends with Paige, and we’ve adopted Reed as an honorary member of our little club.”
“And you’re here to see Paige?” I prompted.
The blonde said, “We’re here with Paige, actually, but she was helping an employee and told us to go ahead without her. But it’s been a while. We were just considering sending out some kind of search party but don’t want to interrupt if there’s something…delicate…going on.”
“Where was she?”
“The office.”
I glanced back at the bar where the blonde bartender had informed me no one had picked up the office phone, my stomach twisting into tighter knots by the second.
“Thanks, ladies,” I said, already three feet away as I stormed across the club to get to the office.
I bypassed the Employees Only sign and slammed the door open.
“What the fuck!” An angry Reed Parkston shouted, glaring at me. “If Richie sent you to rough me up, I only have one thing to say—”
The distinct sound of a gun cocking echoed through the room, and half a heartbeat later, Reed raised a piece from under the edge of the desk as he shot to his feet.
I held my hands up, palms out. “Back the hell off, Parkston. I’m not here to rough you up. Put the gun down. Now.”