“Nah, man! Smoke his ass, Doc! Fuck his shit up, bro!” Seth yells through the earpiece, and I see Corbin shake his head.
“No need, Viking. Look,” Astrid whispers, and I follow her gaze to the man on the bed, his soulless eyes now lifeless as well as they stare unseeing at the ceiling.
Suddenly, a weight I’ve been carrying for twenty-four years lifts from my shoulders and my heart, and as I blink away the last of my wrath, an image of Shelly appears in my mind, her young, sweet face smiling at me as she twirls around and walks into a bright light.
I turn the gun around in my hand, holding it by the barrel as I hand it over the bed to Corbin, who then walks over to Brian and helps him up. He puts the gun in his holster at his ribs, and I turn around to face Astrid. She wraps her arms around my waist, her head hitting the center of my chest as she squeezes, and as my arms fold around her, her body begins to quake.
She held strong for me when I needed it, making sure I didn’t lose myself in one of the hardest moments of my life. And now that it’s over, it’s like the dam holding back all her fear and every other emotion finally breaks, and it comes out in a flood.
“All right, guys. Tell me I wasn’t the only one who heard that bit about the judges partaking in the uh… escort services. Notifying our friends at the precinct now, so get your asses out of there while the body’s still warm,” Seth tells us in our ears.
And with that, we make our way out of the room, across the landing at the head of the staircases, and to the open elevator. We take it down to the first floor, and Corbin separates from us, stealthily slinking through the door to the nightclub. Within seconds with Seth’s help using the surveillance cameras, he finds Heather in the crowd and returns with her in the hallway, and we pause only long enough at the dressing room for her and Astrid to gather all their things.
“You’re clear. Go, go,” Seth says, and we hurry out the back door, letting it close all the way as we make our way to the parking lot. Astrid hands me the Audi keys out of her purse, and Heather, Corbin, and Brian get back in her car.
We’re already through the front gate and on the main road when a fleet of squad cars and SUVs marked SWAT pass us heading in the opposite direction, and I see them turn into A Secret in my rearview mirror.Chapter 25Astrid
One week later“Surprise!” people yell when Neil and I hit the top step of the staircase leading up into Club Alias. I jump, squeezing tighter to his side, feeling him chuckle as my eyes take in the group before me.
A slow smile spreads across my face, the nervousness I felt on the ride here disappearing in an instant the moment I see my sister and all our friends-turned-family standing in the center of the dance floor.
The club looks different than the last time I saw it, when Brian and Clarice got engaged. Or maybe I’m just seeing it with new eyes, knowing the full story behind it and the men who own it.
Now, I’m able to take in every detail. The lights are dim, the disco ball above the dance floor sending out shards of light as it spins, reflecting the lasers coming from the DJ booth. There’s a bar at the back, and I see a sprite of a woman standing behind it wearing a mask around her eyes, a wide smile on her face. There’s a giant horseshoe of black leather booths surrounding the center of the room, and just beyond their high backs, I see alcoves with heavy black curtains pulled to the side, a light above each one. From my spot at the entrance, I can’t see into what Neil calls the “playrooms” but just seeing they’re really here, they’re really real, sends a spike of excitement through my veins.
The music is low at the moment, but I know it must get loud in here when there are more people. Neil’s hand lowers to the small of my back and leads me forward to the people we know and love, and when we reach them, I’m enveloped in a hug by my sister and her giant belly, Clarice, and Vi. I hear the men doing the man-hug slapping thing, and then each of us pairs off with our man.
“Come on! Let’s sit in the VIP booth,” Twyla chirps, taking hold of my hand and leading me to a booth that’s larger than all the rest. We take turns scooting in until I have Neil on one side of me and Twyla on the other. Beside her is Seth, then Brian, Clarice, Vi, and then Corbin on the other end.