Chapter 10

As it turned out, Thursday evenings weren't very popular at the strip club tucked away into the outer edge of the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. It was just shy of one o'clock in the morning and a bouncer wasn't even posted outside the blacked-out glass door.

The neon letters above the entrance were a symbolic mixture of what you'd find inside with ‘Cassidy's' in a swirly pink feminine font and ‘Cave' in more masculine blocky blue letters. The color combination was reminiscent of a tuft of cotton candy you would purchase at a fair. Though, the treats inside this establishment were much more carnal.

Layne held the door open long enough for Joey to follow in closely behind her. The second they stepped foot inside, the heavy scent of various floral perfumes and freely flowing booze was overwhelming. Music played in the background, something sensually upbeat with a husky-sounding female singer that Layne didn't recognize.

Dancing half-assed to the tune was one platinum blonde on a circular stage before a sole male patron seated at a table in front of her. Given several empty cocktail glasses at his table, a gold wedding band laid next to them, and the sullen look on his face, the poor guy looked like he had been having a day.

At the bar was a scantily clad bartender, wearing nothing more than a black bra filled with a pair of obviously fake tits, and a pair of hot shorts that may as well have been painted on. She was leaning back against the liquor display behind the bar and right next to her standing at the cash drawer was a now familiar figure.

Gage had on a pair of faded blue jeans that were fitted just enough to do justice to his tight and drool-worthy ass. A black dress shirt covered the hard muscles of his upper body, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows showing off several tattoos which included several roses. He counted a wad of cash in his hands and tucked it back into the drawer before pushing it shut.

The woman bartender nudged Gage's arm and said something to him prompting him to turn around. Setting his deep brown eyes on Layne first, one side of his mouth lifted as he gave a cocky smile. His sights shifted to Joey standing next to her, his smile then faltering ever so slightly.

He left his spot behind the bar and approached the two of them. "You finally convinced him to bring his stubborn ass down here?" His brow lifted curiously at Layne. Gage's arms crossed in front of his chest; it became clear he was wearing a white tank underneath the dress shirt where the silver chain of his necklace hung just underneath.

Joey didn't waste time in responding. "We're not here to see you." His voice strained to keep things as amicable as possible.

"Really?" Gage looked around at the sparsely populated club and then back at Joey. "Not too many other people here to see." He grinned at Layne. "Just couldn't stay away, could ya?"

Over his cocky attitude, she brushed off his question with a roll of her eyes. Layne hoped there was at least one other customer there. "Are any of your private rooms occupied?"

Something entertaining must have crossed Gage's mind as he gave a sinful little smirk while his eyes briefly surveyed what Layne was wearing. The way she wore her ensemble had his cock coming to life inside his jeans. It wasn't just what she had on, but it was the way her black pants fit her toned legs and wrapped around her hips. The curve of her body up to the swell of her breasts in the snug black long-sleeved shirt with a low scooped neckline had his thoughts sinking south quickly.

Layne's dark hair was woven into an intricate French braid leaving Gage with thoughts of wrapping his hand around the tail of it and pulling until she submitted to him. He would happily occupy a private room with her given the chance. It made him wonder just how much of a brat she would be in the bedroom or if she knew how to behave when given a thick and hard reason to.

"Just one, but we can make it two." He finally responded to the question with playfulness dancing across his words.

Joey gave a growl earning him a look from Layne to simmer down. He shifted his stance, his arms flexing under the moment of tension. He had opted to wear his go-to outfit for his jobs, the all-black tactical attire that made him more easily blend into the shadows. The only thing that was missing was his mask—for now.

She approached Gage, painting a sexy little smile on her face as she stared up at him with her best big ol' innocent doe eyes. "Gage," she spoke with a gentle voice as her finger trailed up the center of his chest. The tip of her finger ran along the exposed skin below his collarbone until it hooked under the chain of his necklace. Twining the cord of metal around her finger, she pulled it into her grasp so she could pull him forward to come closer to her face.

Her face was inches away from his as he voluntarily leaned down at her beckoning. "Does it look like he's the type that wants to share?" Layne referred to Joey standing just a few steps behind her. "Just tell me who is in the private room."

Layne's question earned her an unexpected chuckle and an amused grin from Gage. He weighed the risks and benefits of taking advantage of the proximity to those deliciously pouty lips of hers, ultimately deciding to bide his time. "Oh, you'd have to ask him about that one." His eyes flicked at Joey with a wicked grin.

The response had Layne's hand loosening up on the chain enough to allow it to fall from her fingers as she hadn't foreseen that answer to her question. Her lips separated partially in confusion and the inability to find the words to respond.

Gage straightened up, putting some fresh air between them before he pushed any more of Joey's buttons tonight. "It's one of my regulars, Italo Giorgi. Comes here every week. Brings a few of his buddies and my girl, Danielle, provides the entertainment. He's usually in there 'til nearly three in the morning most weeks."

Joey's hand came onto Layne's shoulder, grasping onto it possessively sending an unspoken message to his brother. "Clear the club, Gage." A fierce look in his eyes made it clear that this wasn't a request. The fewer witnesses they had the better.

She stood there assessing the tension between the two men before stepping away to scope out the club to get a count of who was currently present outside of the private room.

When she returned, the two guys were still standing where she had left them. She arrived within earshot only to hear the tail end of the conversation between them.

"Layne isn't Rosie," Joey said. "She's—," his words cut off sharply once he noticed Layne approaching. Whatever else he had intended to tack onto the end of that sentence was left unsaid.

Despite what he thought, Layne had overheard enough for the seed to be planted in her mind about whatever was going on during the conversation she had interrupted. However, they weren't here to talk about past issues. She had business to take care of.

Her emerald hues stared at the two of them. "Are you two done here? I have shit to do." The words spewed forth more harshly than they should have.

"Sure," was all Gage responded with before he stepped away. He dismissed the few remaining employees on the clock, which in turn prompted a very disappointed and sad middle-aged man who had been the sole recipient of entertainment during this slow evening.

Layne didn't look at Joey while she tried to focus her brain on Italo and what was going on in that private suite. Who else was in there? What information was she going to be able to extract? What did Rosie have to do with anything that Joey and Gage were talking about?

After all was said and done, Gage returned with confirmation. "That's everyone."

The second that Layne made a move to head back toward the private room, Joey's hand stopped her. Easily his hold swallowed up her elbow in his grasp, ceasing her from continuing forward. Her eyes glanced down at his inked hand and then his face wondering what the hell he was doing.

His other hand reached into her pocket and retrieved one last important item. "You don't know who else is in there." When he lifted his hand, her mask hung from his fingertips.

She snagged the mask and began to stretch it across her face. "Oh, good. I wouldn't want anyone to mistake me for Rosie." Layne knew she shouldn't have jealousy over a dead woman she hardly knew a thing about. Yet, there was something in the way Joey had spoken her name to Gage that still had her insides twisting with insecurity.

Layne pulled her arm from his grip, not bothering to wait for any sort of reaction to her bitterness. She stormed off to the area where she had noticed the private rooms where only one door was visibly shut. At least she could put her feelings to good use, it would make things much easier.

While the urge to just kick in the damn door was strong, there was no sense in expending extra energy on making a dramatic entrance. She twisted the door knob and much to her surprise, it fully rotated indicating it remained unlocked.

Right as Joey was approaching with his own dark mask now in place, she swung open the door to reveal the occupants inside.

Well… fuck. There were four people inside that room suddenly staring back at her. That didn't include who Layne assumed to be Danielle given she was the only one with tits out and a strand of yarn for panties. Taking a good look at each man cramped into the room on the velvet sofa, she didn't recognize any of them. Each of them wore cheap and grungy clothes indicating they weren't rolling in the big bucks. Low-level thugs.

Layne leaned her shoulder against the doorframe using her small and innocent size to look as unassuming as possible. Behind her back, she spread out four of her fingers and gave them a wiggle. It was the signal to Joey of how many potential threats she saw before her. "I'm Danielle's replacement for the evening. Which one of you assholes is Italo?"

When she was met with silence and uncomfortable stares, she shrugged and pushed away from the doorframe. "The strong and silent types, eh? I can work with that." She motioned for Danielle to come closer. When she did as she was told, Layne gave her one more instruction. "Go home."

The dancer hesitated, so Layne repeated herself more firmly. "Get the fuck out." The woman with a face full of makeup and glam nodded and slipped out of the room.

That's when someone finally found their voice and stood up. It was a lanky-looking man who had spent too much time underneath a tanning bed. "Yo, what the fuck, bitch? You into some kinky-ass shit with that mask or somethin'?" He squared his shoulders and thrust his chest forward to look like he was something titillating to look at.

She made sure to keep her eyes out for any other movement, but knowing Joey was out of their sight a few feet away she had very few concerns.

Finally, she decided it was about time to stir the pot and see which one these asshats were going to react. "I told you, I'm looking for Italo. Actually, I'm looking for any one of you who might have been talking to Russell Spencer. Does that name ring a bell?"

Ding, ding, ding!That was the winning ticket. The second Russ's name was dropped, they all began to scatter like roaches running back to their hidey-holes when the lights got turned on.

It was the man who first stood up that reached her first. The skinny bastard tried to push her out of the way, and instead, her hands latched onto him and propelled him into the hallway headfirst toward a wall. Upon contact, he was dazed and dropped to one knee.

Two more guys ran out behind her, encountering the looming presence of Joey. He clotheslined one who fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes, then grabbed the other by his throat before greeting the center of the man's face with a harsh punch. The impact shattered the bones of the guy's nose.

The last one? He ran by Layne just as she was bending over, grabbing a fistful of the first man's hair, and slamming his head into the wall one more time. Her eyes caught sight of the straggler who darted past her. "Damn it, we got a runner!"

Without a second thought, she released Mr. Crispy-Fried Tan guy who now was blessed with a massive headache. She immediately chased after the last guy who at least had the sense not to run toward Joey. Layne could appreciate his decision to take the opposite path. Joey was nothing less than fearfully intimidating, even without his mask on.

While securing zip ties on the wrists of both of the men he had incapacitated, Joey looked up to see Layne rounding the corner out of his sight in pursuit of the fourth man. "Gage!" he barked over his shoulder for his brother.

Layne sprinted as fast as the short length of her legs would go. The man she was chasing after was quick but not agile. He slowed down each time he had to shift the movement of his feet to avoid running into various pieces of furniture and other obstacles as they entered the back storage area of Cassidy's. It allowed Layne to cut down the distance between them.

There was a backdoor exit straight ahead of them, and if he made it out that door, he was going to be likely as good as gone. Before she could make a final push to get close enough to him to prevent that, a metal bat swung out straight into the man's gut. The attempted escapee lost all the breath in his lungs at the unexpected strike that came from off the side and left him lying on the floor.

She tried to skid to a stop right as Gage came into view, wanting to avoid running right into him. He tossed the piece of sports equipment off behind him figuring this guy was as good as down for the time being. Immediately, he held his hands up catching a hold of Layne as she failed to slow her momentum in time to prevent the collision with him.

Her small body landed up against him without so much as shifting his weight on his feet. Gage grinned proudly at her as his hands remained locked on her arms. "Do I get a token of your appreciation for coming to your aid?"

Still trying to catch her breath from the chase, her eyes looked up at him in disbelief that he thought he deserved anything other than a thank you. "Please. I would have had him."

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, looking for any excuse to get closer to her. "Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart." Even with a little bit of sweat gracing her skin, he took note of the scent of her perfume lingering underneath it. Gage could already imagine how amazing the mixture of daisies, rain, and her sweat would smell on his sheets after giving her a night filled with his type of pleasure.

The scent of spiced vanilla invaded her senses with Gage leaning in so close to her. She squirmed in his hands to avoid the temptation to lean in and let herself get wrapped up in it. Her arms eventually broke free of his loose hold. "If you want my appreciation, you can drag his ass back to the others."

Layne didn't wait for him to agree, she just began walking back to where things had kicked off just outside of the private room. Gage pulled the man who thought he was running out of here to his feet and dragged him back to where Joey had the other three all in their zip tie constraints. He shoved the attempted runaway towards his brother to take care of.

"Have any of them said anything useful?" She eyed the collection of lowlifes before her. Gage hovered at her backside as Joey stood on the other side of the group.

Joey tightened the last tie and gave a shove to the fourth man to join the rest of his comrades on the floor. "No, just a lot of pissin' and moanin'."

From behind Gage and Layne, was the sound of a door swinging open. Shit, none of them had checked the bathroom. A man wearing clothes with a little more class emerged from the men's room. He was dressed in a pair of khakis and a dark purple polo.

Layne spun around to fully give the man her attention, while Gage just peered over his shoulder. She started to step out from behind Gage to take care of this new situation.

There was little time from the moment the new guy came out from the restroom to the point where he saw the gathering of his pals on the floor, a woman and man both masked up, and the club's owner.

Gage tried to keep his voice friendly. "Italo, man—shit!"

That's when things took a turn for the worse. Italo immediately withdrew a gun from the back of his pants, raising it in Layne's direction.

Then shots rang out.