Club 22 (Hades Book 3) Read online

  I grimaced. "Lieutenant Jefferies?"

  "That's the one."

  "I'll be there in twenty minutes. Zed might be quicker; I'll call him now." I ended the call and immediately dialed Zed as I strode out of the gym with Cass following me like a shadow.

  The call went straight to his voicemail, so I hung up and tried again.

  "No answer," I muttered, glancing up at Cass. "Go hurry Lucas up; we need to get to Anarchy ASAP."

  He nodded in understanding and took the stairs three at a time while I tried calling Zed again. This time when it reached his voicemail, I left a terse message telling him to get his ass to Anarchy.

  Lucas came running into the garage as I popped the Mustang's door open, but unfortunately, he had a petite redhead trailing after him.

  "What's going on?" Seph asked, scowling at me in accusation like I'd deliberately orchestrated some drama to ruin her life.

  "Just got some work to deal with," I snapped back, not remotely in the mood for more of her attitude. "Lucas, get in. Cass, you know what to do."

  Cass nodded, his dark eyes serious as he placed a hand on Seph's arm and tugged her back into the house, out of view of when I opened the garage door, just in case.

  Confident I was leaving Seph in capable hands, I didn't hesitate before speeding out into the night with Lucas by my side.

  "Can you try calling Zed again?" I asked when we paused for the gate to open. "He isn't answering."

  "That seems odd, for him," Lucas murmured, pulling out his own phone. "What am I telling him if he picks up?"

  I drew a deep breath, then gave Lucas a quick overview of what Gen had told me. His brows shot up, and he nodded quickly.

  "Got it," he assured me, dialing Zed's number and putting the call on speaker. This time it actually rang, but still eventually went to voicemail. What the fuck was he doing? He never screened my calls.

  Biting the inside of my cheek, I tried to push aside my personal fear that something had happened to him. This was Zayden De Rosa; he was basically indestructible. No, he was probably just busy beating the shit out of those suits and had turned his phone on silent or something.

  "Call Alexi," I told Lucas instead. "He should be at Anarchy. I want to know why Gen called this in and not him."

  Lucas nodded his understanding, swiping through his phone for Alexi's number. Again, he put the call on speaker, so I could hear it myself when his call also went to voicemail.

  "What the fuck is going on?" I exclaimed, beyond frustrated and driving like a bat out of hell to get us to Anarchy.

  Lucas ruffled his fingers through his hair, clearly thinking, then he turned back to his phone. "I'll try Hannah. Maybe she knows something."

  It was a long shot, but it felt more productive than leaving voicemails for my second-in-charge, and my head of security.

  Hannah picked up on the second ring. "Lucas, hi. What's up?"

  "Hey Hannah," he replied. "We're on our way to Anarchy. There's been a drug raid, and it sounds like a setup. Do you have any idea where Alexi is? Or why his phone is off?"

  She made a thoughtful sound. "I don't, but I can find out. Give me ten minutes; I'll call you back." The line went dead before we could ask more questions, and I arched a questioning brow at Lucas.

  "No idea," he replied, "but I'm curious. Are we far?"

  "Five minutes or so," I replied, taking the next corner way too fast and almost losing traction on the back wheels. "Sorry."

  "No apologies needed, babe. I love when you drive aggressively." His grin was bright with excitement, and I stifled an eye roll. Lucas was a bit of an adrenaline junkie, I was starting to find.

  My phone then rang through the car's Bluetooth, and I hit answer on the steering wheel without waiting for the ID to generate on the screen.

  "Zed?" I barked.

  "Sorry, no," the woman on the other end replied. "Agent Hanson. I take it you're on your way to Anarchy right now?"

  I slowed my breakneck speed slightly, wanting to focus on this call. "I am. I take it this has something to do with you?"

  Agent Hanson scoffed a bitter laugh. "Not likely. Or... nothing to do with me anyway. It was a setup for sure. Nothing about that raid looked even remotely legal or sanctioned. Look, I'm just going to cut the bullshit and get to facts. I got fired today because I was digging further into your open case."

  I frowned, exchanging a quick look with Lucas. "What open case?"

  Dorothy Hanson clicked her tongue. "As if you don't know the FBI has been watching you for years. They've just never had enough evidence to arrest you on anything that would really stick."

  "So, you got fired for looking into my case? Why?" Something wasn't adding up. Something had my nerves tight with anxiety.

  Agent Hanson snorted. "I wish I knew. To be honest, Ms. Wolff, I think someone in the Bureau thinks I found something that I didn't actually find. It was all very suspicious, and that leads me to one logical conclusion."

  Shit. I had a feeling I knew what she was about to say.

  "Someone in your organization is working for the feds, Ms. Wolff, and has been for a long time. I think I got fired to protect the mole's identity." She sounded bitter and resigned.

  I drew a sharp breath. "Why are you telling me this, Dorothy?"

  "Because it reeks of corruption, and I hate that. You might be a criminal, Ms. Wolff, but so are the agents on your case. They're deliberately trying to set you up for something big, I can just—" Her sentence cut off with a shriek, then the phone seemed to drop to a hard floor with a clatter.

  I slammed my foot on the brake, pulling us over into the shoulder and listening as Dorothy fought off an attacker. The car filled with the sounds of a struggle, grunts, and screams, then eventually a wet gurgle, followed by the heavy sound of a body dropping lifelessly to the floor. I'd heard that sound enough to know it unquestionably.

  A second later, Agent Hanson's phone was picked up and a couple of gasping breaths sounded before the call cut off.

  For a moment, Lucas and I just sat there, shocked into silence, then I turned to him with wide eyes. "She just got killed for telling me that," I murmured.

  Death was nothing new to me, and I held no real personal connection with Agent Hanson. So hearing her murder wasn't what held me stunned almost speechless. It was her accusation that someone in the Timberwolves was a fed. Not someone new, either. Someone who'd been with me for years, potentially. Someone I trusted.

  And that person had likely just killed her to keep that secret.

  35

  After our brief pause to audibly witness Agent Hanson's murder, Lucas and I got to Anarchy just as a handful of cop cars were leaving the parking lot, no doubt with their PCP-carrying patrons in the backseats. Most of the other patrons had already left, and understandably so with a rude interruption like that.

  When I stepped out of the car, I found one of the SGPD peons putting a police-tape barrier across the main entrance.

  "Fuck," I hissed to Lucas, "they've shut us down."

  Seething, I stormed across to where Gen stood with Lieutenant Jeffries some distance away from the macabre clown face that framed the entrance to Anarchy.

  "Ms. Wolff," Lieutenant Jeffries greeted with a tight smile. "Good of you to join us."

  I scowled. "Good of you to let me know you'd be stopping by."

  "Just doing my job, ma'am," he replied, then gave a small shake of his head. "Er, I mean, sir. Anyway, orders are orders, and tonight we found a lot of your patrons carrying illicit substances. That's an offense that can't be ignored."

  Nodding, I kept my expression calm and my voice cool. "It's an offense to be taken up with the Shadow Grove City Council and the liquor-licensing board. I cannot be held accountable for my patrons’ illegal activity, which you well know."

  His eyes narrowed slightly in irritation. "Be that as it may, we can and have shut you down until the licensing board can review the conduct of your staff and ensure that your organization had nothing to do wit
h the sale and distribution of drugs. As I'm sure you've already been informed, a whole lot of those patrons arrested have told us they bought their supply from Timberwolf gang members." He gave me a pointed look, but I didn't flinch.

  "That's impossible, Jeffries," I replied with a small smile. "The Timberwolves are extinct. Are we done here, or did you want to chit-chat some more?"

  He looked like he wanted to say more, but my phone rang and I walked away to answer the call.

  "Hannah," I said on picking it up, "what have you got for me?"

  "I pinged the GPS data on Alexi's phone," she told me. "He should be there at Anarchy somewhere."

  I was impressed. "That was smart thinking, Hannah. I don't suppose you can do the same to Zed's phone?"

  Her response was a laugh. "No, sir. There are no trackers on your phones, just on normal Copper Wolf employee-issued devices. Is there anything else I can help with?"

  Rubbing at the bridge of my nose, I mentally ran through the mountain of work the Anarchy shutdown would cause. "Nothing tonight, Hannah," I replied. "Come by Zed's place in the morning, though. We can get to work sorting out this mess at Anarchy."

  "Understood, sir," she replied. I ended the call as I recognized a familiar car pulling into the parking lot.

  "Alexi!" I snapped as my head of security climbed out of his car. My voice cracked through the evening air like a whip, and he flinched visibly.

  My employee made his way over to me, and I shot Lieutenant Jeffries a sharp look. "You can go now, Jeffries. We're done here."

  The middle-aged cop looked like he was ready to stand his ground on pure principle, but a few stern words from Gen made him send me a tight nod before stalking toward his squad car.

  I waited while the other remaining cops packed up their shit and left my property before flicking my gaze back to Alexi.

  "Where the fuck were you?" I demanded. "And why didn't you answer your phone?"

  His lips tightened. "I was on break," he replied. "I didn't know this would happen. Fuck, I just took an hour to grab some dinner, and..."

  I arched a brow. "And?"

  He shrugged. "This is obviously a set up."

  "Obviously," I replied tartly. "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

  Embarrassment crept over his face. "I didn't know it was you calling, sir. I thought... I didn't think it was important."

  A frown tugged at my face, then I quickly connected the dots. I hadn't called him from my phone. Lucas had. And Alexi must be struggling to accept Lucas as being in a position of power above him. Hell, Lucas had the place Alexi had been chasing for years—at my side and in my bed.

  Grinding my teeth together, I drew a calming breath. "You're on thin fucking ice, Alexi. Go over to Club 22 and see if Zed needs help with the suits he was persuading not to press charges."

  Alexi gave a tight nod. "Understood, sir." He swiped a hand over his brow as he turned away to head back to his car, and I noted blood staining the cuff of his shirt. Not exactly uncommon in his line of work, but it stuck in my mind, nonetheless.

  When he was gone, I turned back to Gen and Lucas with a frown. "Anyone heard from Zed yet?"

  Gen shook her head, checking her phone, and Lucas ran his hand through his hair with a grimace.

  "I'm sure he's just—" Whatever Lucas was about to say cut off when my phone rang again, and I held my hand up to silence him.

  "Zed," I barked, bringing my phone to my ear. "Where the fuck have you been?"

  His casual laugh on the other end of the line set my nerves on edge. "You miss me, baby? I'm on my way to Anarchy now. Those pricks took more convincing than expected."

  I bit the edge of my lip, analyzing his tone for any hint of deception. But why the fuck would he lie to me about being at Club 22 when there were plenty of staff there who could verify his whereabouts if I asked. I was just being paranoid. That was Chase's whole fucking game, and I didn't think for even a second anyone but Chase Lockhart was behind this mess.

  "Dare?" Zed prompted. "You still there?"

  I let my breath out in a rush, squeezing my eyes shut. "Yeah, I'm here. Don't bother coming to Anarchy. Cops have shut us down indefinitely. Just head home, and I'll fill you in when we get back."

  Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I offered Lucas a weak smile. "Sorry, I was stressing over nothing. Zed didn't even know what happened here."

  "I should head out," Gen commented, grabbing her car keys out of her purse. "This is going to be a hell of a lot of paperwork, and I'd rather get onto it sooner than later. I'll check in with you in the morning, boss."

  She gave Lucas a smile, then headed back to her own car. A few of the Anarchy staff were still making their way out, ducking under the police tape, but they didn't need me to stick around. Lucas and I made our way home mostly in silence, but his hand on my knee as we drove was a constant reminder that I wasn't alone. I no longer had to internalize everything, because I had a team around me.

  When we arrived back onto Zed's street, our new neighbor was conveniently out checking his mailbox and gave us a sarcastic wave when we passed by.

  A shudder of dread rolled through me, and Lucas grimaced. "He's completely unhinged," he muttered. "Cass needs to be so fucking careful not to be seen."

  I sighed because I agreed. The safest thing to do would be to send Cass back out on the job he'd been doing prior to saving Seph. But selfishly, I wanted to keep him close. Just for a little while longer.

  Morning provided a little perspective in the sense that the Anarchy shut down was simply an inconvenience. Money, mostly. Depending on how long they planned to keep us closed, we might have to postpone the main-event fight night. It'd sting and piss off some sponsors, but... fuck it. There were always more fighters and more fight nights.

  The troubling parts to take away from the whole mess were the obvious attempt to start publicizing the Timberwolves again—directly contradicting my whole business model when it came to running my criminal empire—and the accusation Agent Hanson had made before getting her throat cut. Or that's what the method of murder had sounded like, anyway.

  "I need to talk with you," Seph announced, busting through my bedroom door without so much as knocking once. "Dare, get up. I need to talk to you about—" She cut herself off, clearly having just noticed Cass beside me in bed, face down and sleeping but barely covered by my sheet.

  With a silent growl of frustration, I slid out of bed and tugged Cass's T-shirt on before shoving my sister out of the room. I closed the door softly behind me, but I knew Cass would have woken up the moment I got out of bed anyway.

  "Seriously, Seph?" I hissed at her, storming down the hallway as I pulled my tangled hair up in a ponytail. "You couldn't have spared three seconds to knock before barging in? You're fucking lucky you didn't walk in on anything more explicit."

  I flicked a glance at her over my shoulder. Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment, and I rolled my eyes. Fuck, she was clueless sometimes.

  "What did you so urgently need to talk about?" I demanded, heading downstairs with her tight on my heels.

  "Uh, I wanted to tell you I'm going back to school on Monday." She announced it with a slight waiver in her voice, like she'd intended it to come out as a strong demand but had lost her nerve halfway.

  I continued into the kitchen, where I found Lucas at his usual spot with his textbooks all around and an empty coffee mug in front of him.

  "Hey you," I greeted, dropping a kiss on his shoulder as I leaned in to pick up his mug. "Want another?"

  He shot me a tired smile and nodded. "Thanks, babe."

  "Dare," Seph snapped, posing with her hands on her hips. "Did you hear what I said?"

  Ignoring my sister and her drama, I yawned and headed for the coffee machine to sort out mugs for both Lucas and I. Then, after a moment's indecision, I grabbed one for Seph, too.

  "I heard you," I replied after an uncomfortably long pause, within which I could see her temper boiling hotter.

  Her b
rows tightened together in a scowl as I continued making coffee. "And?"

  I handed her coffee over to her, then delivered one to Lucas, which he accepted with a grateful kiss on my lips. A kiss that could have easily escalated if Seph hadn't made an irritated sound and started tapping her foot on the tile.

  "Just give me a fucking second to wake up, Seph," I groaned. "I need a vacation so bad it hurts." Cupping my own coffee between my hands, I perched my butt on the stool beside Lucas and shivered when the cool seat met my bare ass. Seph hadn't exactly given me time to hunt out underwear.

  "Look, this wasn't a discussion," Seph pushed, popping a hip out with so much attitude it made my teeth hurt. "I was just informing you so you could do... you know... whatever you do." She flapped her hand, clearly referring to my security measures. The fact that she thought it could be summed up with a hand flap said just how little she understood.

  Cass slouched into the kitchen a moment later dressed in low-slung sweatpants and missing his shirt. Oh yeah, it was on me. He could have gone back to his own room opposite Lucas's to grab a new one, but I was more than okay with the shirtless look.

  So was Seph, apparently, as her eyes just about bugged out of her head.

  "What's going on?" he rumbled, heading for the fridge.

  "Seph wants to go back to school," Lucas told him, sipping his coffee. A smudge of pink highlighter decorated the side of his nose, and I had to resist the urge to rub it off for him. Too damn cute.

  Cass leveled a curious look at Seph, then gave a vague grunt and buried his head in the fridge without offering an opinion on the matter.

  "Why?" I asked my sister as she continued standing there growing more and more agitated by the second.

  She scowled. "Why what?"

  It took everything I had to keep my patience. "Why do you want to go back to school? Haven't you been doing the online learning courses that Lucas is enrolled in?"

  She folded her arms tightly across her body. "I have," she bit back. Then her gaze ducked away. "Sort of. I find it really hard to focus online. Besides, I'm bored as hell already and want to socialize with my peers. You know, be a normal teenager. Isn't that what you always go on and on about? Normal girls don't hide out in their sister's boyfriend's fortress and attend online classes under the guise of some long-term illness."