Chapter Fourteen

Rogue

Leaving Bri behind in the car, looking flushed and entirely too desirable, was harder than I had anticipated. But tonight, I didn’t want her in the club. She was still too anxious and scared of the man who had attacked her, and I was concerned that even the mention of his name would cause her to have more nightmares. Tonight, I was to meet with the person responsible for sending the two men to follow us the day I married her at the church. If the man was smart, which I wasn’t overly convinced of, he would give up Tony Galante to save his own skin. But over the years, people have surprised me at every turn with their stupidity. It would be interesting to see how this played out.

When I walked into the club, I immediately saw Blaze leaning against the bar, a waitress in one hand and a class of whiskey in the other. He was whispering into the unsuspecting woman’s ear, no doubt telling her the things he would like to do with her once the club closed.

Every waitress or dancer that was hired at Sinners was given ample warning about Blaze and his lecherous habits. If they chose to play with fire after that, I considered it their problem. He was a player, as we all were at one time, but Blaze was different. He was rough, brutal, and uncaring, but for whatever reason, the women he lured into his bed could never get enough. Unfortunately for them, Blaze only slept with a woman once. It was a rule I had never known him to break, no matter how hard a woman tried to attract his attention again.

As I got closer to the bar, he lifted his head, grabbed one more handful of ass, then strode my way.

“Where’s the little one? Don’t tell me you tired of her already.”

I took a minute to look around the club. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. “Hardly. She is waiting in the car. I want to keep her as far away from any conversation concerning Tony Galante as possible.”

He nodded in understanding. “Well, she may be waiting awhile.”

My eyes narrowed at this unwelcome news. “He is not here?”

“No, but I have already sent men to retrieve him.”

“You know where he is?”

The look on Blaze’s face was one of frustration. “You had two of our men follow the two idiots from the other day. They went straight to their boss, if you can call him that. His name is Petey Guzman.” His lips lifted slightly. “Not exactly the name you would expect a wanna-be drug dealer would have. Since I was afraid he wouldn’t have the balls to face you tonight, I sent a crew to stake out his hangout.”

“His hangout?”

“Yeah, he runs drugs from the bar down the street from his apartment.” He shook his head again in disgust. “I still can’t believe we are dealing with someone so inconsequential. It’s ridiculous.”

I nodded toward the bartender to fix me a drink. “We aren’t going into business with him. I just want to know how he knows Galante and where the bastard is hiding. After I have the information I need, he will be useless to me. What he is willing to share will determine how much mercy he receives. Not showing up for a meeting with me is not the best way to get on my good side, especially considering I have Bri in the car.”

A deep humorless laugh came from Blaze as he welcomed the promise of violence, but just as quickly, his smile faded as he narrowed his gaze. I turned to look back toward the door to see four of my men practically dragging poor Petey behind them. They came to a stop before us, and I could see that the man was sweating profusely. His eyes were red and bloodshot, not certain if it was from crying or if he had snorted his own product before my men showed up to take him.

“Where do you want us to take him, boss? To the suite upstairs or the office?”

I stepped closer, my imposing presence sending shivers of intimidation over the man cowering before me. “Take him to the office, he doesn’t deserve the luxury of the suite.”

Petey raised his head and the strong smell of cheap whiskey and sweat swirled around him. “I don’t know nothing, Mr. Delaney. I swear.”

My reaction was swift. I wrapped my hand around his throat, squeezing until his eyes bulged and his air was cut off. Spittle and foam began to form on the corners of his lips.

“Lying to me is a mistake. Do so again and I will gut you myself and sit back and watch you writhe in pain for hours with a smile on my face before death comes for you.”

“Watch out, Rogue.” Blaze’s voice caused me to release my hold. “He is pissing his pants. Don’t want it all over your shoes.”

I stepped back in disgust. “For Christ’s sake. Take him to the office.”

I walked over to the bar where a glass of bourbon was waiting for me.

Blaze came up behind me. “You want me to handle this? For once, I think I may have more patience than you.”

“It’s not patience I am lacking, it’s restraint.” I turned up the glass and drank, hoping the liquor would have a calming effect on me.

“I will send a few more men to watch over the little one. Then I suggest we go to the office and get this shit over with. You aren’t the only one that has pussy on the brain tonight.”

I looked back to where the waitress from earlier was watching us. “Why does it always have to be the women that work here?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t blame me because the waitresses you hire can’t get enough of me. Besides, if I remember correctly, you married the last woman you hired to work here.”

I smiled at his remark, knowing that Bri working here was never part of my plan, just an easier means to have her to myself. An image of her from earlier popped back into my head and my smile faded.

“Hurry up before Petey pisses himself again.”

Blaze walked away and gave some instructions to a few more men. I didn’t like leaving Bri behind, but knowing my men were there protecting her allowed me to focus on what had to be done. I started walking toward the office at the back of the club, ignoring everything that was going on around me, the music, the laughter, the women dancing on stage. I was focused, and unfortunately for Petey, he was the object I had in my sight.

When we walked into the office, we were met by a sobbing Petey on his knees. “Mr. Delaney…”

“Stop! Before you open your mouth again, remember the warning I gave you about lying to me earlier. Now stay on your knees and only open your mouth to answer the questions I ask.”

Blaze came up beside me at that moment with what looked like a scalpel. I watched Petey’s eyes focus on the razor-sharp weapon in Blaze’s hand, and he started crying again.

“For fuck’s sake, man! Have some pride.” Blaze said, disgusted with the loud blubbering coming from the man kneeling before us.

“Tony Galante hired you to find a girl, correct?”

He nodded.

“Speak!”

“Yes, he came to me and said that he met a woman in Colorado. He said the bitch wouldn’t put out after leading him on for weeks.”

I nodded toward Blaze who quickly swiped the scalpel across Petey’s chest. He didn’t even flinch until red started oozing through his shirt.

“Ah, fuck,” he said before weeping again.

“The ‘bitch’ you are referring to is my wife, Petey. Disrespect her again, and I will slit your throat. Make no mistake, I don’t need you to find Galante. Your cooperation will make it easier, but it is not essential. Do you understand?”

He nodded, his bloody hands shaking.

“Let’s start again then. Galante paid you to find my wife?”

“I owed him a favor from a few years back. He said that if I could find her and report back to him where she was hiding, he would cancel my debt to him. I didn’t know she was your wife, Mr. Delaney, I swear.”

“That I do believe, Petey, otherwise you would already be dead. Now, did you report back to Galante?”

“No, when the two men I sent came back to the bar saying that the girl was with you, I told Tony we couldn’t find her.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I swear to that. I wouldn’t go against you.”

“But yet you ignored me and tried to hide instead of coming here tonight. Where is he now?”

His eyes widened. “Do you know who Tony is? He will kill me if I tell you.”

I stepped closer. “And I will kill you if you don’t. So, it’s either die right now or take your chances, Petey.”

I watched his eyes widen. “He was in Chicago, but I don’t know where he is now. If he is still here, I have no idea where he is staying or anyone else that might know him. I swear! I haven’t seen him since the first day when he asked me to find her. He did leave a number for me to call with any information.”

“The number?”

“It’s written on a sticky note behind the bar where your men grabbed me. I can give it to you.”

I stepped back from him, hoping the stench of piss and sweat didn’t rub off on me. “I hope you are telling the truth, because if you aren’t, my friend here…,” I motioned toward Blaze. “He will make your torture last for a very long time…and enjoy every second of it.”

I looked at the other two men in the room. “Take him back to the bar where he operates and get the number. You know what to do if he tries anything stupid.” I looked back to where Petey was being helped to his feet. “Oh, and Petey, I think it’s time you made another city your home. Do you understand?”

He nodded as his knees wobbled in fear.

“Go now.” I stepped back as the two men began dragging him from the office.

“It always disappoints me when a man is that weak. I prefer it when they have a bit of fight, spit curses at me, or swear they will kill me when they get free, but that was pathetic.”

I agreed with Blaze. “When you get the number, do whatever it is that you do. I want to find him before he has a chance to find her.”

“Where are you going? The club is busy tonight. You should stay. There is plenty of pussy for the both of us.”

I shook my head as a smile curved my lips. “I have other plans for the evening, but feel free to fill your bed with as many women as you like.”

He laughed as we walked from the office. “I will take that as a challenge. I do have a personal best to beat.”

The thought of having another woman in my bed no longer interested me. All I wanted was her, my angel.

Bri

Rogue had made certain that I couldn’t leave the car even if I had wanted to. From what I could see, there were at least six men standing guard, each one of them looking like a cross between a secret service agent and a club bouncer. While I hated to admit it, the extra security did make me feel safer, especially since I was so new to all of this.

I slipped off my black heels and pulled my legs underneath me as I waited for Rogue to return. I leaned my head against the window and watched the people standing outside the club. It was a busy night but Sinners, being the premier club in the city, was busy every night. When I worked at the hotel, I heard lots of talk about the club and its owner. I never imagined I would have become so entangled with him.

The rain had slowed to a misty drizzle, but that didn’t deter the people waiting in line to get inside. The windows in the car were growing foggy and I took my hand and wiped it clean so I could see better. Then I sat up quickly. Was that?

A woman was on the opposite side of the street. She was wearing a green coat. Allison often wore green and had a green coat that looked a lot like that one. While I couldn’t see the woman’s face, she was the same height and build as my friend. Could Allison have traveled to Chicago to find me? I had not tried to call her back since our last conversation, and it would be just like her to rush here and try to bring me home herself. I quickly put my shoes back on and opened the car door, ready to dash across the street.

Stephen, our driver, quickly intercepted me. “Mrs. Delaney! You can’t leave the car.”

I tried to move around him. “I think I saw my friend over there across the street. I have to see if it is her.” I pushed against him and tried to go around again, but now there were more of them. “Ok, this is ridiculous. You are supposed to be watching over me not holding me prisoner. I am just going across the street to see if the lady in the green coat is my friend from Colorado. Now move aside before she gets so far out of my sight that I can’t find her.”

My speech sounded much more powerful to my own ears than it did to theirs since none of them moved. I huffed out a deep breath. “Fine, I will do this your way.” I pushed hard against Stephen who was surprisingly easier to move than I expected. Once I saw a hole in their ranks, I bolted, only to be grabbed around the waist and hauled up against a strong muscular chest. I knew immediately who held me without seeing his face.

“Let me go!”

The arm that was around my waist tightened like a band of steel as he lifted me off my feet to pull me back over to the car.

“What the hell are you trying to do, Angel?”

I kicked my feet out hoping to connect with something, but all I managed to do was kick the side of the car, causing me to shriek in pain.

“Stop fighting me!”

His voice was harsher than I expected and for some unknown reason, whenever he used that commanding tone with me, I had the urge to comply. It was the most irritating thing.

“Let me go! I may still find her.”

He set me down on my feet but spun me around so that I was pressed between his body and the car. “Who? Who are you trying to find?”

What fight I had in me was quickly dissipating. “Allison. I saw a woman across the street who looked a lot like Allison. It could be her. She was wearing a green coat that looked a lot like the one Allison wears frequently. She must have come to Chicago to find me when I didn’t return her call.”

Rogue still held me against him with one hand while he reached into his pocket with the other and took out my phone. “Call her.”

“What?”

“Call her. If your friend is in Chicago, call her. Make certain before you run off into the darkness chasing after someone you don’t know. If she is here, I will help you find her.”

I eagerly grabbed the phone and dialed her number. It rang, but Allison didn’t pick up. I immediately tried again. “Why isn’t she answering?”

Rogue continued to stand in front of me preventing any opportunity I might have to bolt free.

“I know it was her. Why didn’t you let me go to her?””

“If it was your friend, we will find her once she answers the phone and tells us where she is. Call her again.”

I rolled my eyes and dialed the number; I was just about to hang up when I heard Allison’s voice. “Allison? Where are you?”

“I just stepped out of the shower, why? Are you alright? Did you quit your job yet?”

I looked up to see Rogue’s eyes narrow slightly. “I just saw you in Chicago.”

She laughed softly and my stomach sank. “Chicago? It wasn’t me, Bri. Do you not think I would have called to tell you I was coming? I wouldn’t have just shown up.”

I didn’t know what to say. I had been so certain. “I saw your coat, the horrible green one I tease you about wearing all the time.”

“My goodness, Bri. I am not the only woman in the world who likes the color green.” She paused. “Are you alright? I don’t feel good about this at all. You sound different.”

I shook the fog from my brain. “I’m just disappointed that it wasn’t you. A little homesick, I suppose. I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Bri. You need to come home. We will figure something out when it comes to Tony. You can’t stay in Chicago forever.”

I looked up at Rogue, his face set in stone. “I have to go, Allison. I’ll call you back tomorrow or the next day. Trust me, I am alright. No worries.”

I hung the phone up and handed it back to Rogue.

“Keep it. It is yours until I buy you an updated version.”

My head dropped and I turned to open the car door, but Rogue beat me to it. He helped me inside and then moved to the other side of the car. Could I have imagined it? I was a little tired, but was I so exhausted that I was starting to hallucinate?

Rogue’s hand covered mine and I turned to him. “I was so certain that I saw her. How could I have been so wrong?”

“It could have been a coincidence, perhaps the lighting made you think you saw something you didn’t. It was dark and sometimes the shadows and light from the streetlamps play tricks with your eyes.”

I knew he was just saying this to placate me, but I felt really stupid right now. “I feel like an idiot, and I suppose I owe Stephen an apology.”

“He was doing his job. He doesn’t expect apologies.”

I snorted a short laugh. “His job is to keep me from running around Chicago like a mad woman?”

“No, his job is to protect you at all costs. He and the other men that work for me are paid very well for that.”

I shook my head, trying to push all of this from my mind. “I suppose I am just tired and a bit strained.”

He pulled me closer. “Too tired to enjoy the surprise I have for you?”

I couldn’t help the small smile that crept up my lips. “I guess that depends on the surprise.”

The car came to a stop outside the Field Museum. I looked out the window and then back to Rogue. “Were you going to take me to the museum? If that is your surprise, I’m afraid it is closed.”

He grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips before turning it over and kissing my palm. From there his lips moved to my wrist, up the bend in my elbow, and finally to my shoulder. “Darling.” His lips pressed against the pulse point beating rapidly in my neck. “I have told you before that you don’t wait in line for anything…not anymore…not since you became mine.”

He opened the car door and stepped out before turning to offer me his hand. He interlaced his fingers with mine and together we walked up the stairs to the museum entrance where we were met by an older man wearing a three-piece suit and a thick white mustache that curled up on the ends.

“Mr. Delaney.” He offered his hand to Rogue who promptly took it. “I was so pleased to hear of your interest in touring the museum tonight and of course, your generous donation is most appreciated.”

My mouth fell open slightly as I watched the exchange between the two men.

“As you requested, you have access to the entire museum. There are security officers on hand, but they have been instructed to leave you alone. If there is anything you need you have my cell number.”

“Thank you, Mr. Greer. I was very pleased that you were so accommodating with my request.”

The older man’s smile widened as he stepped off to the side, allowing us entrance into the world-famous museum.

“You rented the entire museum? For me? How did you manage that?”

He continued to tug me along beside him. “You would be surprised at what I can do, baby. A substantial donation will get you into many locked doors. Money is powerful. You mentioned that you had wanted to visit the Field Museum but because you didn’t have the money or the time, you had not had the opportunity. Now you have both.”

He pulled me into his arms and kissed me…deeply. A kiss that made my toes curl and my heart flutter.

“I will give you more than you could have ever dreamed of, sweetheart. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

I slowly opened my eyes to find him watching me and my cheeks pinkened.

“Well, we have all night. Where do you want to start?”

My lips curved into the widest smile of my life. “Are you kidding? Dinosaurs of course!”

I took his hand and began dragging him to the Prehistoric Hall. He may be a monster, a criminal, even a killer, but right now he was the man making my dreams come true.

Rogue

I watched as Bri eagerly moved through each of the exhibits, reading every placard, and studying every piece. Her smile had stabbed me right through the heart when I told her that I had rented the entire museum just for her. It made me want to see her smile more often, to take her places and let her experience things she never had before. I wanted to hear her laugh, I wanted to watch her lie on the beach of a private island, I wanted to watch her expression as we walked the streets of Rome and toured the vineyards of Tuscany. This woman made me want more in life, more beyond making money and building an empire. She made me want to live.

But as much as I enjoyed the joy and exuberance with which she roamed through the museum, something didn’t feel right about tonight. She had been so adamant that she had spotted her friend Allison in the street. It had been dark and after the rain, there was a light misty fog. But it was too much of a coincidence and I didn’t believe in chance. Had hapless Petey lied to me? Was Tony Galante in Chicago still seeking to take her away from me, even after knowing that she was mine? That was ballsy. The man was either brave or stupid. My money would be on the latter.

I walked out of hearing and called Blaze.

“There was an incident tonight outside the club.”

I could hear his heavy intake of breath over the phone; he was either irritated about having his liaison disturbed or he was already aware.

“One of the men told me.”

“Take some of the men and search…”

“Save your breath. I have already done that. One of them did find a green coat waded up in a garbage can two blocks from the club. Inside was a business card for a cheap hotel in midtown. I am on my way there now. Not sure if I will find Galante there waiting, but I might get information from the clerk at the front. I will keep you posted.”

“Send me the address. I can take Bri back to the penthouse and meet you there.”

“Don’t ruin her evening for what might be a wild goose chase. If I discover anything of importance, I will text or call.”

“If you do find Tony there…”

“Don’t worry, I will not deprive you of the pleasure of killing him yourself. Besides, after hearing what he did to the little one, I wouldn’t mind watching him suffer for a long time.”

That’s what I liked about Blaze. He was cunning, brutal, and a bit psychotic, but we thought alike. He already knew what I needed him to do. I looked back to where Bri was moving toward the Egyptian exhibit and I knew that if Galante was unlucky enough to be at the hotel when Blaze got there, I would be sending him to hell sooner rather than later.

I moved up behind Bri as she was leaning over a glass case staring down at the face of a three-thousand-year-old mummy. I moved her long hair off the side so I could have access to the sensitive skin right below her ear. My lips pressed against her flesh as my arms wrapped around her waist.

“You know what I would like to do?”

I felt her body lean back against mine, and I nuzzled my nose into the side of her neck breathing in her scent.

“I would like to sit you on top of this case, push your skirt over your hips, and fuck you right here. I bet your screams would echo through these empty halls. Would you let me, sweetheart? I don’t know how much longer I can stand here and watch you move about the room reading every little description of every piece. Images of you naked riding my cock or lying on your back with your knees over my shoulders keep popping into my head.” I spun her around to face me. “Spread your legs for me. I want to see how wet you are.” I gathered the skirt of her dress and slipped my fingers through her folds. Her pussy was weeping for my cock.

“We can’t do this here, Rogue.”

I leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “I can fuck my wife anywhere I please.”

“No, you can’t. There are more than likely alarms on the glass case, and I would prefer that we not unleash some ancient Egyptian curse on us for desecrating a sacred mummy. That’s all I need right now. An Egyptian mummy chasing me through Chicago. I have enough stalkers, I don’t need another.”

I sighed heavily, hating that I was being denied what I wanted so desperately but she was right, this was not the time. “Fine, you do have the entire museum for the night, but just so you know, for every hour I give you here, is an hour you will give me naked, and after feeling just how wet that sweet pussy is, I’m not certain I can wait until we reach the penthouse.”

I was expecting her to roll her eyes or come back with a sarcastic comment, but she surprised me again when she leaned closer, her plump red lips hovering over mine, her long lashes resting against her pink cheeks, and whispered, “If that is to be my punishment, I may stay here until the museum reopens in the morning.”

I stood there rooted to the spot imagining having her to myself for hours and all the things I could do to her. My dick grew hard as granite as she sashayed away to another exhibit. Holy Fuck! An image of her on her knees before me, taking my cock into her mouth, her tongue moving up and down the length of me before her lips closed around my shaft was enough to make me damn near come right then.

I clenched my hands into fists to keep myself from marching over to her, throwing her over my shoulder, and carting her back to the car. I would make it up to her, hell I would take her to every fucking museum in the country if that was what she wanted. I took a few steps toward her when my phone rang. I hesitated, not wanting anything to ruin this night, but if Blaze had found Galante I wanted to know, I wanted to finish it. I wanted to give her the gift of knowing that she had nothing else to fear, no more nightmares.

“Tell me you have him.”

“No, but he was here. I got his description from the hotel clerk. He has been living in this shithole for about three weeks and there is more. I will send you a few pictures.”

I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked down at the screen. There were photos of Bri’s old apartment before I had everything boxed up, photos of her with me outside the club and again outside the penthouse.

“That fucking bastard. Have two men stationed outside the hotel in case he returns there tonight. And pay the clerk off. I don’t want him to warn Galante that we were there. Leave everything like you found it.”

“Since you have taken to giving me orders, I have some for you. Get her out of town, take her to the estate, or send her to New York to stay with Alessio. I have a bad feeling about this man. We have too much that can go wrong. Petros and his Armenian thugs are poised to make a move any day now. While I know they aren’t much to worry about, they could cause just enough of a distraction that Galante could capitalize on it. I don’t want another incident like we had with Alessio’s Cara Mia. We were lucky that night; it could have gone much worse and if we had been thirty minutes later to rescue her, it would have. I don’t want a repeat of that scenario. Heed my warning and take her away from here.”

I heaved a heavy sigh. “I will have Brenda make sure the estate is properly staffed. It will take a few days but once everything is in order, I will take her there. But I want that bastard found! I don’t want her to even have to see his face again. See if the hotel has any security footage of him and have every man look at it so he can be recognized.”

“This isn’t the kind of hotel with security cameras, but I will ask. But Bri was right, it either was him outside the club or he paid someone to wear the coat, hoping he could lure her away. He may have had plans to grab her tonight. This makes me question if he has friends inside the club, not one of your employees, but maybe someone posing as a patron. Someone sent to just watch what goes on and report back to him.”

I wanted to punch the wall; my anger was growing by the second. “There are too many ‘what ifs’ and I don’t like it.”

“Me either, but it’s what we have right now. Let’s just hope that we can find Tony before Petros makes his next move.”