Chapter 29

chapter

twenty-nine

Gage saw Nia step out from the bathroom, and his eyes widened.

He let out a low whistle.

It was quite the transformation. She’d looked beautiful before while wearing her business casual.

Right now, she simply looked stunning.

The dress fit her perfectly and showed off every curve. Her hair looked full and her curls bouncy. He’d said they needed to be understated, but Gage knew that was nearly impossible for someone like Nia. She had a natural beauty that radiated from her.

She glanced at him almost nervously. “Am I okay?”

“You’re more than okay. You look great.”

A smile drifted across her lips. “Thanks. You look nice too.”

He glanced down at the white designer jeans he’d bought, along with a black button-up shirt and black dress shoes .

Then he offered his arm. “You ready for this?”

She nodded. “I am. I’m ready to find answers.”

“We stick together,” he reminded her.

Gage had his gun with him, but he doubted he could get it past security at the club. He’d leave it locked in the car instead. He’d already set it up to use the Porsche again, just to be on the safe side.

He knew how to handle himself in these situations. But it made him nervous thinking about bringing Nia with him. There was a possibility they could get themselves into some sticky situations.

Yet he knew she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Besides, if she saw someone or heard something, it might bring back some memories. If Nia could remember what had happened . . . then maybe they’d find the answers they needed.

Nia brushed off her nerves as she and Gage parked on the street a block away from Avenue 12.

She hadn’t expected to come back here, yet here she was.

After climbing out, she took Gage’s arm so they could look as if they were a couple.

A long line stretched along the sidewalk outside the club.

Waiting in that would take up a lot of their valuable time .

Gage seemed to read her thoughts and strode to the front of the line.

Cal, the bouncer from earlier, stood there and recognized them right away. “You two again? Think you can get a special favor just because you talked to the boss earlier?”

“As a potential investor, I need to check this place out so I can understand the vibe,” Nia said.

The man stared at her and grunted, unconvinced.

She stepped closer. “And you know . . . when I have a say-so in operations around here, I plan to give everyone a raise. Cost of living has gone up, and employees deserve to be better compensated. The boss shouldn’t be filthy rich while his employees are barely scraping by.”

Something flashed in his eyes. Then he nodded and stepped back.

Relief washed through Nia, but she maintained her composure.

Her ruse had worked.

Cal moved to the side and let them in.

She released the air from her lungs and held onto Gage’s arm tighter.

“Good job,” he whispered as they paused on the other side of the doorway.

“Thanks.”

“Now we need to find Brittany.”

They scanned the massive club. The place was packed—with probably two hundred people at least. The dance floor was crowded with people swaying and bobbing to loud music. Lights flashed overhead.

It would be hard to find anyone in this place.

“We could split up,” Nia said the words loudly in order to be heard over the music.

Gage’s jaw tightened as he shook his head. “Bad idea. We stick together. No matter what.”

Nia knew he’d mentioned that in the car, but she wondered if he might change his mind.

He didn’t. That was fine because being with him did make her feel a little safer.

She studied the sea of people in front of her, glad she wasn’t in this scene anymore. It had seemed like so much fun at the time. But looking back, those days had left her with a sense of emptiness.

Now, she’d much rather stay in for the night, play a board game, and have a nice dinner.

Things could change in such a short amount of time.

Just then, a familiar face caught her eye.

But it wasn’t Brittany that captured her attention.