7. Angelo

Chapter 7

Angelo

I 'm in a shit mood as I explore the third floor.

I came onto Claudia too hard. I never should've propositioned her that quickly and should've gotten to know her better first. Maybe I'm wrong and she doesn't actually hate Tommy the way I think she does, or maybe there are a dozen other reasons why she doesn't want to go against him—and she might even turn around and tell him what I wanted her to do.

It was impulsive, but I have a feeling about her that I can't shake.

And it's not just because I find her attractive.

Insanely, absurdly attractive. Like a bright light in a field of dull lamps. She glimmers, she shines, and I want to run my hands through her hair as I slide myself deep between her legs. I want to see her back arch and I want to make her fucking melt.

Instead, I scared her off.

Like an asshole.

Now I'm lurking in the lobby at the top of Cage. This floor feels more like a high-end hotel with a large entryway atrium filled with tables and booths and a bar on the far left. There's a jazz trio playing quiet standards. The crowd's much calmer and more subdued, but the vibe here is unabashedly sexual. Several of the waitresses are topless and there's a couple in the corner going through some serious heavy petting. Nobody bats an eye when the woman starts to stroke this older guy's dick right there in the booth.

Most of the women here are wearing red wristbands. Some have on masks, the lacy sort that just barely covers their eyes. I notice a lot of the men also have the red wristbands, and I'm not sure if that means the client is looking for a specific kink or if they work for the club.

This is something I should know, and it pisses me off that I don't.

I make my way to the bar and order a beer. Nobody bothers me, though I spot more than a few men and women glancing down at my wrist. One guy seems particularly disappointed, which is a bit flattering.

When I'm halfway through my drink, the floor manager, Rodrigo, appears at my elbow. "How are you tonight, Mr. Bianco? Are you here for business or for pleasure?"

"Business," I say, cocking my head toward him. "I'm meeting someone shortly. His name's on the guest list."

"Understood. We're very discreet." Rodrigo gives me a simpering smile. "Anything else I can do?"

I glance at the couple in the corner. She's on her knees now, her head bobbing up and down. "One more thing. There's a girl that works here named Claudia."

Rodrigo stiffens slightly at her name. "Yes, I know her."

"Does she ever work on this floor?" I ask it carefully, trying not to show how much the answer matters to me.

He shakes his head. If he knows how strange it is to ask about her like that, he hides it well. "No, she doesn't. Third floor work is strictly voluntary."

"Good. Make sure she never does." I give him a long, serious look, and he grimaces away. "Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir. I understand." Rodrigo clears his throat. "Tommy would never let her."

My hands tighten around my drink. "And why's that?"

"She's his favorite."

My fucking blood boils. I knew Tommy had a twisted thing for Claudia, but hearing those words, his favorite , makes me fucking sick.

He's dating her sister, for fuck's sake, but it's obvious the creep flirts with her whenever the opportunity arises.

Sometimes right in front of his girl.

"That's everything. When my guest arrives, send him up."

Rodrigo turns and hurries away.

I sit and stew. The couple in the corner starts to get a bit vocal, but nobody seems to mind, and it's almost comforting, how much fun they're having.

There's got to be a way to convince Claudia to work with me. I just need to find a better angle. She's got to want something. It seems like her job is really important to her, but when I offered her ten grand, that didn't seem like enough even if it's definitely a lot of money given how simple the job should be.

Which means she's motivated by something else.

I just need to find what.

And I need to make sure I'm doing this for a good reason, and not because I find her attractive and want to fuck her.

It's such a damn mess. I don't know what Rodrigo's going to do with the conversation we just had, but I have to assume he'll tell it to Tommy. That means my former lieutenant is going to be very aware that I'm interested in Claudia.

Which could be a good thing. If we're smart about this.

The man getting his dick sucked groans loudly as he finishes in the woman's mouth. They cuddle for a minute or two before getting up and disappearing down a side hallway. Like a fucking pit team at a NASCAR race, three employees descend on their booth and thoroughly disinfect it. When they're gone, it's as if nothing had ever happened, and the vibe remains utterly unchanged.

Public dick sucking must not be that big of a deal on the third fucking floor.

"Interesting place you got here, Bianco."

I lean back and look at the tall, dark-haired man standing behind me. He looks a lot like his brother, but we've never met before. I get to my feet and shake his hand. "Thanks for meeting with me, Seamus."

Seamus Quinn takes a seat and orders a lager. It arrives as he studies me with a curious expression. "I have to admit, when you got in touch, I was very curious why you were reaching out to me and not to Brody."

"I didn't want Elena involved."

Seamus snorts and nods to himself. "Yeah, that makes sense. Those two can't keep shit from each other."

"Can you keep shit from your brother?"

He tilts his head side to side. "Depends what it is. He's technically the head of our family, but that doesn't mean I tell him every little thing I do."

That's good enough for me. It's how I feel about Simon too: I'd obey a direct order, and I never keep anything important from him, but the Don doesn't run my life. Not that I'd fucking let him even if he wanted to.

It wasn't easy getting Seamus's information. I had to put out some feelers and I got lucky when one of my guards knows a few guys in his organization. The Quinns are on the rise in this city, and so many of my old contacts are either dead or busy with other shit, and I don't know who I can trust. At least I know Seamus is on my family's side, regardless of everything else, and I figure if this is purely business then he can be discreet.

"I need help finding a few people." I take a drink and study his expression. No reaction. "There's a guy named Roc and another named Vito. Both work for my Famiglia, though Roc's a little hard to pin down. There's also a group of Serbian gangsters I need found."

Seamus's lips tug down. "You need help finding guys that work for you?"

"I need someone to do it discreetly. Let's just say I have some unfinished business with them and if word gets around that I'm trying to find out where they live, there might be some problems for me."

He grunts and rubs a finger around his drink. "And it won't be strange that a man from a rival organization is poking around yours?"

"We're not rivals. We're allies now. Or at least that's what I've been told."

"If I do this for you. If I find your Italians and your Serbians. What's on offer?"

"Money. Straight payment. I want to keep this as simple as possible."

"I'm always fond of simple jobs." Seamus stretches and gives me a curious smirk. "But why me and not someone else?"

"Because you're an outsider enough that you don't give a shit what I'm up to, but an insider enough that it won't seem too strange that you're asking around. Besides, we're family now, and it's what family does, right?"

He nods to himself like that makes sense. "Sure, we're family. I'm interested. Send me more information on the Serbians and I'll get started on Roc and Vito. We can talk about final numbers later, but I'll be reasonable."

"I appreciate that. And I know I don't have to say it, but we never had this meeting." I finish my drink and stand up. "Feel free to avail yourself of the goods on the house. I'll let Rodrigo know that you're my personal guest."

Seamus laughs and shakes his head. "I appreciate that, but I'd rather not give that Tommy fuckhead blackmail material."

My eyebrows shoot up. "What now?"

"You don't know?" He throws back his beer and pushes to his feet. "Those fucking rooms are all bugged. I bet he's got cabinets of shit just lying around waiting for the right opportunity." He bumps my elbow with his as he walks off. "I'll be in touch."

I watch him go, annoyed with myself for not realizing sooner. Of course, Tommy's got most of the building wired out the ass. With his client list, there have got to be more than a few members worth extensively filming and shaking down. That might help explain how he's been making so much fucking money.

Because it's more than obvious that Club Cage is earning too much.

I've been back for a week now, and I can already tell that the numbers Tommy's reporting to Simon are way too fucking high. Either he's lying, which is stupid, or he's doing something he's not talking about.

I'd bet my life on the latter.

Which is why I need Claudia to get in that damn office.