Addie’s head lifts, her face much more visible now that we’re in a room housed in windows. I can see the barest hint of the freckles dusting her nose and cheeks, and I want to kiss each and every one of them.
We collapsed after I fucked us both stupid, and neither of us has felt inclined to get up since.
“Is it the rituals?”
I nod and tell her all about the night I had. She was aware of the fucked-up dinner party, and when I tell her it was successful, her face softens with relief.
“I can’t wrap my head around people actually doing that. People just came over and sat at that table as if they were going to eat fucking lobster tail?”
“Yeah,” I murmur. I bite my lip, a shit-eating grin already forming on my face for what I’m about to tell her. Her head just settled back on my chest when I say, “The little girl I saved, Sarah? She asked if I’d be her daddy.”
Addie’s head snaps up so quickly, she comes close to breaking it.
“Careful, this world would be in trouble if you died.”
Her mouth flops. “What did you say?”
I shrug. “I didn’t really get to say anything. She had to leave so I could go get fake arrested. If I didn’t, Dan and the Society might’ve found the raid too convenient. Luckily, I was able to play it on a charge that Dan has gotten in the past.”
She blinks. “Would you? Adopt her, I mean?”
I lift my hand, gently swiping a lock of her hair from her face and curling it behind her ear. She tries to hide the shiver, but her body is pressed too closely into mine for it to be successful.
“I wouldn’t do anything without your say-so. But yes, I would.”
She swallows. “Why do you need my permission?”
“You think I stalked you just because I wanted a quick thrill? No, baby. It’s you and me forever. Which means if I become a daddy, then you become a mommy.”
Her eyes widen, and what looks like panic flashes in her irises. I curl a finger beneath her chin and land a quick peck to her lips.
“Don’t worry ‘bout that right now. Sarah is safe, and at the moment, we’re more worried about her trauma and getting her mental health taken care of.”
She nods, though I don’t miss the lingering look before she settles back on my chest.
Chapter 41
The Shadow
“Y
ou ready for tonight?” Jay asks in my ear.
“I’ve been ready,” I answer easily as I pull up to the gentlemen’s club, Savior’s. The Society choosing this club as the front for an underground dungeon must be their version of a sick sense of humor.
I slip the earpiece out of my ear, stuff it in my inner suit jacket, and then make my way up to the entrance.
The outside of the building is like any other high-priced strip club—a marble black monstrosity that drips money and power. The security guard standing outside of the doors gives me a once-over, before putting me through the customary what’s your name and let me check your asshole. Cough once.
Unlike Detective Fingers, this one actually manages to keep his hands in the safe zone and lets me through without a hitch.
For obvious reasons, I’m not permitted to carry firearms on me. But that won’t be an issue.
After Mark confessed the location, several of my men were able to infiltrate the security detail hired for this club.
Powerful men and women certainly wouldn’t be showing up to kill children if they didn’t feel protected while doing so.
Security is required to carry firearms, and I have it on good authority that some of them might let me borrow a gun or two when the time comes.
Just like when I was here last time, when I walk into the club, it feels like walking through a portal to hell. It's stifling in here, the air so full of depravity and sickness that it's a physical weight on my shoulders.
Jesus fucking Christ.
I feel like I need a goddamn gas mask.
I walk directly into the main area, the massive layout an open concept. It's dimly lit and ominous—the perfect place to hide in the shadows without being noticed.
The floors are black marble, and unlike the seedy strip clubs downtown, these floors shine as brightly as my freshly polished shoes. The blood red walls are bare of creepy art, but plenty of creeps occupy the booths and tables surrounding the stage. A woman swings around the pole, shaking her ass to the beat while money is thrown on the stage.
Low music pumps through the speakers, though not so loud that I can hardly hear myself think. Loud moans ring out from somewhere down a hallway, and I make sure to stay far away for now. If I go back and see some fucked up shit happening, I'm going to blow the entire thing.
"For a second, I thought you weren't going to show up," a voice says from behind me.
I turn to see Dan standing there, peering at me with a satisfied grin on his face.
"A man can't enjoy some strippers after getting arrested?" I retort, my tone laced with dry amusement. Dan laughs and shakes his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"I still can't believe that happened. I am so sorry. Every man on my lawn got fired that night, I assure you."
I flash my teeth. "I expected nothing less. What charges did they try to pin on you?"
"Fucking drug smuggling," he scoffs in that can you believe that shit way. "I haven't had a line of coke up my nose in months, and it sure as shit wasn't my product."
I quirk a brow. "What happened to the girl?"
His face darkens, and for the first time, I see true evilness reflecting back at me. I knew it was there, residing just below the surface. But this is the first time Dan truly let that hateful demon out.
"I believe one of my guests took advantage of the chaos and stole her for themselves.”
“The cameras?” I push.
He shakes his head and spits, “Fucking ruined. The FBI must’ve done something to mess with the signal when they came. Probably because they weren’t authorized to kick down my goddamn door. Regardless, the little girl is gone, and ninety-thousand dollars went down the drain.”
My displeasure is prominent as I say, "Do you have any idea who it was? I would love to talk to them about stealing from me."
A smirk forms on his face. "As soon as I have confirmation, I will let you know. Otherwise, keep the beast contained." He pats my chest and motions towards an empty booth. "Let's have a drink. The ceremony won't start for a few hours."
"Lead the way."
"So, my wife said that she's going to leave, right? I told her there isn't a goddamn inch that exists in this world where she could hide, and I couldn't find her." He finishes his statement with a huff and shake of his head, boggled that his wife would even try to find a happy life somewhere else.
Somewhere that doesn’t involve eating children for dinner. And whatever else sick shit they do to them in the meantime.
"Women like to run, but they like to be caught even more," I murmur.
He looks at me, a wicked grin curling his lips. "Exactly, man. Too bad the bitch isn't worth chasing. So by the time I catch her, she's going to wish she did find that inch. You know how exhausting it is to be married to someone who doesn't share the same tastes as you? I've tried to initiate her several times, but she refuses. Can you believe that?"