Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“We’re not here to punish you for being an adulterous pig, Gimble. And I don’t give a fuck about your societal standing.” I remove the gun from his head.
He sighs in relief. “Thank God. Thank you for your mercy.”
I grab him by his collar. “Forget our faces, all right? If I see a cop car following us, I’ll call up one of my father’s old friends and have you arrested for soliciting prostitution.”
He swallows. “I swear. If you leave, I’ll just be happy to be alive. Happy to have my wife home safely.”
I throw him on the bed and turn to Alissa. “Let’s get out of here, babe.”
We quickly leave the house, thankfully avoiding Kendra in the process.
For the first time, I don’t open the door to the car for Alissa. I unlock it remotely and we both clamber in. I throw the key in the ignition and peel out in case Gimble was lying about calling the cops.
Alissa buries her head in her hands. “Another dead end.”
“Not necessarily. We know about the lotus brooch. There could be a clue there.”
She scratches her chin. “True. It sounds like it was against the rules for Svetlana to be wearing it.”
“You’re right. She broke the rules. Just like May.”
“Maybe that’s why she disappeared. She might have been placed on”—she makes air quotes—“temporary suspension.”
“Except it wouldn’t have made sense for her to be suspended if it was her last night. So Rouge probably just said that she left. Found some dream job far away and took off. Most people would buy that.”
“May didn’t.”
I nod. “No, she didn’t. It sounds like they were planning on hanging out after Svetlana’s time at the club came to an end.”
“We could sniff around the club.”
I frown. “You’re still dead set on returning to Aces?”
“We have to, Maddox. It’s the only place we’re sure to find some clues.”
I sigh, check my watch. “All right. It’s a little late to go tonight. So we’ll get there right at opening tomorrow night. Everyone will be bringing dates for Valentine’s Day. Some people—the upper ups—get to bring more than one guest. The place will be packed.”
“So Rouge will be distracted?”
“If we’re lucky, yes.”
She grabs my right hand, gives it a squeeze. “Then it’s a date, Valentine.”
24
ALISSA
Saturday.
Valentine’s Day.
I’ve never had a date for Valentine’s Day.
I’ve dated, of course, but no relationship of mine has ever crossed paths with the fourteenth of February.
Until now.
I don’t know if you could even call what I have with Maddox a relationship, at least not in the traditional sense. We’ve known each other for a little over a week. Not even ten days.
But I feel like we’ve lived a lifetime since then.
Valentine’s Day is not quite the spectacle in the UK that it is here in the States, but spouses and lovers still traditionally exchange cards and gifts. My Welsh cousins carve wooden spoons for each other.
But it’s never been a big deal for me. Because I’ve never been with a man this time of year.
The tragedy is that I can’t truly enjoy my first Valentine’s Day with Maddox to the fullest, because we’re using it as a cover to peer into the grimy underbelly of Aces Underground, see what secrets Rouge is hiding.
I took another day off work. I have over a month’s worth of sick days accrued, and apparently I’m going to burn through all of them trying to figure out exactly what happened to May.
Aces opens at nine p.m. on Saturdays. It stays open until three in the morning. We’ll have six hours to get Rouge distracted, peek around, and see if we can find anything that connects her to Svetlana’s disappearance or May’s murder.
I dug deep into my closet for the dress I’m going to wear tonight. It’s a light-pink off-the-shoulder gown that flares out as the skirt reaches the ground. I’ve accentuated it with off-white heels, some gold jewelry I inherited from my mother, and arm-length gloves the same shade as the dress.
Light pink seemed appropriate for Valentine’s Day, but it’s not the reason I chose this outfit.
The last time I wore this gown was the last time I truly felt like an artist.
My master’s recital at Northwestern. The last time I played my own choice of music to an audience of people I loved on the instrument that took me away from my terrible mother.
The flute.
The last time I felt truly whole was that wonderful night.
Yet how quickly I sacrificed the music that gave me such life. All because things didn’t fall into a neat little line like I’d hoped.
Tonight, I’m taking that part of me back.
I’m not picking up the flute, of course. Bianca Montrose, Rouge’s sister, headlines the Hearts section of the club, and she’ll certainly be performing with her band. I doubt they’ll need a flautist to complete the ensemble.