“Who would’ve thought about Bruhner, right?”
I shrugged. “He’s off the clock. Whatever he does in private is his business.”
“But you know how much a spot at these tables would cost. No way he earns enough to maintain this habit.”
Half an hour passed with Kit on Bruhner’s lap. Every now and again, one of the man’s hands would disappear from the table, and it killed me that I didn’t know where it landed. Was he touching my kitten’s body? Kit’s moans suggested he wasn’t just innocently sitting on Bruhner’s lap.
“That’s it for me.” Bruhner folded after another losing hand. “If I can’t win this way, I can win another.” He boosted Kit out of his lap. “Come on, pretty boy. Let’s have a good time.”
I would have given my soul to see Grimaldo’s face. He wanted Kit but couldn’t have him. Not tonight nor any other night.
That was probably the greatest turn-on in the history of turn-ons.
“Let me freshen up first, and I’ll meet you in the blue room,” Kit said to Bruhner.
“Don’t keep me waiting for long, doll face. It’s been a while since I’ve had something so pretty.”
Heat rushed into my face the way he talked to Kit like he was nothing but holes to be filled. He didn’t know the soul behind that pretty face. He didn’t know how brave Kit was and how kind and sweet.
Kit walked out of the room and along the hall, presumably for the bathroom. This wasn’t a part of the script because we didn’t have one for what happened once he was inside. We had come up with so many scenarios it would have been impossible to focus on one. Kit had to ad-lib this part like the actor he was.
“What’s he doing?” Liam asked. “He’s not supposed to be entertaining Bruhner. He should be getting closer to Grimaldo.”
Unease flooded my stomach. “I trust him.” Whatever was going through his head, he thought it best. We couldn’t instruct him either, since our communication system was one way. We could see and hear him, but he had to trust that we were where we said we would be and that we would do everything to rescue him if something went wrong.
Did he realize the amount of trust he was putting in me for this operation?
An enormous figure stepped in front of Kit, cutting him off.
“Vic, what—”
“Listen up, sunshine.” My muscles grew rigid at how close this man stood to Kit. “I spoke with Nolan, and he says you no longer work for him. That some rich bastard took you off his hands. What are you trying to pull?”
I grabbed the door lock.
“Sully, wait.” Liam fisted my jacket. “Give him a chance.”
But it was so damn hard to do. What if he got hurt? I would never forgive myself.
“I’m sorry. I lied,” Kit said, his voice sounding so small and scared. “Nolan’s right that someone bought me, but when he got tired of me, he discarded me just like that. I’m just trying to do an honest job and make some money.”
The man went silent, and I held my breath. Kit thought faster on his feet than I’d given him credit for. He was so convincing I no longer knew if the fear in his voice was real or a part of the act.
“Here’s how this is going to go down,” Vic said. “I’m a nice man. I can allow you to work here, but not on the nights Nolan’s bitches come around. And for being a nice guy and letting you earn here, I need fifty percent of whatever you make per night, and don’t even think about hiding money from me. You won’t like it if you do.”
“That sounds fair,” Kit said. “After all, without you saying yes, I wouldn’t be able to make any money at all.”
“Exactly. Glad to know you see things my way. When you finish making your rounds for the night, come see me in my office, but clean up first. I should’ve had a taste of you all those times Nolan brought you here. You always were the prettiest in the bunch.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
He released Kit and stepped away just enough for me to see his face. It was stamped on my mind forever now. One day he would wake up wondering who he pissed off and what he could have done differently.
“Damn, he’s fantastic at this, Sullivan. Now I’m glad you said yes to him continuing to work for us.”
“That still doesn’t get us Grimaldo.”