The Courtship Maneuver, Complete Series (An Alpha Billionaire Club BBW Romance) (7 page)

I
had a pretty
good idea where Sam was. 315 Studen Street, trying to find a man named Dog in a poker room. Fury bloomed in my chest, driving out my arousal and frustration. He couldn’t set me aside and then leave. He wanted me to stay home like a good girl and follow orders. What had that gotten me? Alone and frustrated. Forget that.

I knew I was being unreasonable. And I wasn’t going to be foolish. But I didn’t want to be left out, either. Now that my head was clear of passion, if not anger, I realized that the phone call earlier must have been Axel. They’d gone to the poker room without me. But I had my car and GPS. They wouldn’t be that hard to find.

Before I could think better of it, I went to the closet looking for something to wear. Not jeans. I found a dress that I hadn’t noticed that morning. A very dark, fine denim, cut in a wrap style. It was sexy, but not formal. Perfect for a bar. At least, I thought it was. I knew the bars I’d been to hadn’t had poker rooms in the back, so this was yet another situation where I had no idea what I was getting into.

Warning bells clanged in the back of my head.
Danger! Danger! Danger!
I ignored them. Anger swelled and grew in my chest until tears welled in my eyes. He’d kissed me senseless, touched me like I’d never been touched before, and then sent me to bed like a child. I wasn’t a child. I was a
woman
. And I had a right to make my own decisions.

The small part of me that was still rational called bullshit on my reasoning. I had a right to make my own decisions, it insisted, but this one was stupid. I ignored it. Pulling on the dress over the black lace bra and panties I’d worn earlier, I slipped on wedge sandals that went with the dress and checked the whole thing in the bathroom mirror.

My reflection took me aback. My normally cheerful brown eyes blazed with outrage. My round cheeks were flushed a dark pink. Ignoring yet another warning sign that I was emotional and not thinking clearly, I dragged a brush through my hair, then deliberately picked up my eyeliner and began to make up my face with more attention than usual.

When I was ready, I grabbed my purse and keys from the dresser and headed for the garage, typing the address into my phone’s GPS app as I went, my ever-growing fury propelling me at a brisk pace. I was over halfway to Stubens Street before I started to wonder what the hell I was doing.

Unlike the trip to the pool hall, this one wasn’t taking me into the scarier areas of Vegas. I was twisting and turning through downtown when the GPS indicated I’d arrived. The street was a mix of old and new, the bar I was looking for one of the older establishments, and the only one I could see that had its own parking lot.

I turned into the lot slowly, the alarm bells in my head clanging louder with every second that passed. Or maybe my fury had faded enough that I could hear them now, echoing in my skull in insistent demand that I stop and think before I did anything else. Trying to be sensible, I dialed Sam on my phone. Maybe he wasn’t even here, I reasoned. I hadn’t checked the lot for his truck yet, but maybe I’d misread the whole thing and I could turn around and go home.

The phone at my ear rang five times before it rolled over to voice mail. I put it down and drove in a circle until I found a parking space. Right beside Sam’s truck. That bastard. Inwardly, I fumed. I’d been on the edge of giving up and going home, but the sight of Sam’s oversized midnight blue truck set me off again. He was here. Either alone or with Axel, he’d left me at home alone to stew while he came here to find out more about the mess Nolan had gotten himself into.

Was I really going to do this? It was one thing to sit in the car and be pissed at Sam, but I had no idea what the bar would be like. It could be the pool hall all over again. On this street it could go either way and I wouldn’t know until I was inside. But Sam was in there. And so was a man who knew more about Nolan and where he could be. My resolve wavering, I sat in the car for another moment, balanced on the edge of decision. Go in or go home? Go in or go home?

I teetered for another moment before I crashed to one side, knowing what I had to do and scared to death about doing it.

A
xel gave
me a look and shook his head, already annoyed with the man called Dog. He was a big guy, not Russian, but according to him, another cousin of Sergey Tsepov. I wasn’t sure I believed that. So far, most of what had come out of Dog’s mouth sounded like bullshit. Nothing here was what I’d expected when Axel said we’d be going to check out the poker room.

I played cards from time to time, but I wasn’t into it enough to have sat a game in a place like this. Axel had. He had skills at poker, enough that he could have made a living with it if he’d wanted to. Over the years he’d hit most of the rooms in town at least once. Not this one, though. It was new and Axel had been more focused on business than fun for the last few years. He’d played some tournaments, but his days of pulling all nighters in high-stakes games were over.

I’d thought the bar in front of a poker room would be a lot like the pool hall we’d been in earlier. Some of them probably were, but this place was a step up. Far up. It had the look of a gentleman’s club, and not the kind with dancers. Old school, a club intended to appeal to gentlemen looking to relax and just be men for the night. Polished wood floors, dark leather couches and armchairs, generously poured drinks, and plenty of visible yet discreet flat screens, each showing a different game.

If I hadn’t known who owned it, I might’ve wanted to hang out here myself. But I’d learned to steer clear of anything connected to Tsepov. Despite the appealing atmosphere and the high quality whiskey in my glass, I didn’t want to be sitting with Axel trying to drag information out of Dog. I wanted to be home with Chloe.

I couldn’t decide if it was a good thing or bad that Axel called when he had. My dick was voting for bad. Fuck, but Chloe had been hot. I’d kissed a lot of women. Maybe too many. Not a single one had been as good as Chloe.

She caught fire in my arms, and either she was too inexperienced or she didn’t care, but she never tried to hide her response to me. It was intoxicating. I’d been hard since the pool hall. Feeling her grind against me as she yanked my face into her full, soft breasts almost made me come in my pants like a teenager.

I had no idea what would’ve happened if phone hadn’t rung. That’s a lie. I would’ve fucked her. The only question was would I have done it standing up against the side of my truck, or would I have been able to wait until I got her into the house?

My conscience was calling me an asshole. Just that morning, I’d promised her I wouldn’t push. That hadn’t lasted long. I meant the promise when I gave it. Shit, I still meant it. But she’d been right -- just touching her was taking advantage when she didn’t have the experience to handle the way I made her feel. In my defense, I’d never had a woman who responded to me so perfectly. She was addicting.

It wasn’t just that she was gorgeous, lush and curvy and sweet and soft. But she was Chloe. My confidant, my partner, the only real female friend I’d ever had. All of that in such a hot package? I wasn’t surprised I was having a hard time keeping my head straight.

I had to keep my hands off her. Somehow. If I was going to prove to Chloe that she could trust me to take care with her, I had to actually take care
with
her. Though fuck, it had been hard to let her play that game of pool against the little Russian and not start a fight with every man in the room who was appreciating her tits and ass as much as I was.

Beside me, Axel stiffened and glanced at the door. Dog sat across the table telling a useless story about a poker game where he’d gone heads-up against Nolan and taken all the kid’s money. I had the feeling he knew something we could use, but like Feliks, he was playing dumb. I couldn’t tell if it was out of self-preservation or just to fuck with us. It didn’t matter. Both Axel and I were starting to lose patience.

Now Axel had shifted in his seat so he had a clear view of the front door. Not wanting to be obvious, I kept my eyes on Dog, but something was up and I wanted to know what it was. A moment later Axel swore under his breath. I gave into temptation and checked the door myself.

For the first time in my entire life, my head came close to actually exploding. Chloe stood just inside the heavy, carved wooden doors, clutching her purse in front of her and scanning the room with nervous eyes as the tall, wide bouncer blocked her way. There weren’t many women in the bar, and I realized at that moment that all of them were with a man.

Clearly this was not an establishment that welcomed women alone. Though the way Chloe was dressed, in her not-quite-casual, not-quite-formal deep blue wrap dress and matching sandals, she was a perfect fit for the place. The sight of her was killing me. The dress fit her generous curves to perfection, showing off her shapely legs and full breasts without being obvious. And sometime between when I’d heard her shower go on and when she’d left, she’d done something to her hair that left it smooth and shiny against her shoulders. She was wearing makeup, too. More than usual, and it was expertly applied to make her normally warm brown eyes look exotic. Almost dangerous.

Or maybe that was her temper. She scowled at the bouncer, said something we couldn’t hear, and started forward. The bouncer shifted and put an arm out to stop her. Axel leaned toward me and said,

“I’m going to go get her. We don’t want her causing a scene and I don’t think she’s going to leave quietly.”

All I could say was “fuck.”

Across from me, Dog finally realized we weren’t paying attention to his story and looked up. Axel rose and crossed the room to the door. His eyebrows shot up when he caught sight of Chloe.

“Your woman track you down?” he asked in a scornful tone that said he thought less of a man whose woman would come out to find him.

I didn’t respond. I wanted Chloe off the radar. By coming here she’d jumped square into the middle of the clusterfuck surrounding her brother. Anything I said to Dog would give him information I didn’t want him to have. I watched as Axel took Chloe’s arm and the bouncer stepped back to let them pass.

Axel dropped his head and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes narrowed, focused on me, and for a second I was the target of her furious glare. A moment later the expression melted from her face and she smiled serenely Axel.

Relief and worry warred inside me. It seemed Chloe was going to play along and behave herself, which was the only good option if she had to be here at all. But I wasn’t just worried about how pissed she seemed to be at me. I didn’t like her exposure to Dog and whoever else might be watching.

I stood when she approached, sliding my chair over to make room for the one Axel slid beside it. Chloe sat, her eyes on Dog, and didn’t acknowledge me. I waited for her to speak. Dog seemed to be waiting for an introduction. Both of us were disappointed.

I
t took
all of my courage just to get out of the car. I lost my nerve twice before I finally opened the door. As I walked around the corner from the parking lot to the front door of the bar, my heart pounded in my chest so hard I could hear it in my ears. The doors themselves were intimidating, thick and tall, the wood heavily carved in patterns I didn’t recognize. Even the handles seem designed to scare me off, large unpolished brass meant for a man’s hands, too big for mine.

Once I was inside, it didn’t get any better. A glance told me the bar was not what I’d expected. I don’t really know what I thought it was going to be like, maybe scruffier with bad lighting and peanut shells on the floor. Instead, the dark colors and heavy leather furniture reminded me of my father’s office. So did the smell of cigar smoke and whiskey, comforting and sad at the same time. Then I spotted Axel and Sam in the far corner and all of my emotions but anger faded away.

I would’ve marched right across the place and lit into Sam but for two things. Sam and Axel seemed to be talking to someone, a big man with dark hair and ruddy cheeks. And a man in a dark suit had stepped in front of me the moment the door shut, politely yet firmly refusing me entrance.

“I’m sorry miss,” he said. “You may not come in without a companion.”

I looked up at him in shock. What was he talking about? Wasn’t it illegal to refuse entrance to a public space based on my gender?

“Is this a private club?” I asked. His eyes narrowed on my face.

“It is.”

“Well then how did my friends get in?” I asked, nodding my head in Axel and Sam’s direction.

As I spoke, Axel looked up and over his shoulder, spotting me instantly. The expression on his face was not reassuring. I’d known Axel for a few years. He was miserly in showing his emotions. Tonight was no different. Unfortunately I knew him well enough to be able to read the tightness in his jaw and the angle of his eyebrows as utter fury.

Well, too bad for him. And for Sam, too. I was here, and I wasn’t leaving until I knew something about my brother, something that would help me find him. Sam must’ve read Axel’s look, because he turned in his seat, and his face when he saw me would have been picture worthy if I wanted any memory of Sam that incredulously angry.

Turning my attention back to the bouncer, I said, “Well, may I go join my friends?”

He gave a short shake of his head and shifted to block my way once again. “They are our guests for the evening,” he said. “You may join them if one of them comes to get you.”

“Well, tell them I’m here then,” I said, trying to muster every ounce of confidence I had. It wasn’t much, and the bouncer knew it.

“I am sorry miss, but they have already seen you. You must wait to see if they will come for you.” He gave a deliberately obvious look at his wristwatch and then back at me. I had the sudden urge to stomp my sandaled foot. I still wasn’t sure this was exactly legal even if he was claiming the bar was a private club.

My chest loosened with relief when Axel rose and headed our way. He barely acknowledged me as he took my arm with a nod to the bouncer and led me back to their table. All he said was, “Keep your mouth shut and let me talk, Chloe. Do you understand?”

Sam met my eyes as we walked closer and I couldn’t help the glare that escaped. Knowing that a tantrum would only get in the way of finding out about Nolan, I reined in my emotions and smiled up at Axel with the sweetest, most compliant expression I could muster. I saw in his eyes that he wasn’t buying it, but was at least relieved that I was going to play along.

I sat in the chair he pulled out for me, pretending to ignore Sam, which was nearly impossible, considering how every cell in my body woke up the moment I was close to him. But I was still too pissed off to know what to say. This was neither the time nor the place to begin the argument we’d have the second we were alone.

Axel, apparently done with hanging around now that I was there, focused his attention on the big, red-faced man sitting opposite us and said, “So let’s get into it. Do you know where Nolan Henson is?”

The man’s gaze sharpened. “I already told you, I have no idea where Nolan Henson is. Did you think that if you brought his sister here I would soften up and tell you?”

I drew in an audible breath. I’d never seen this man before in my life. How did he know who I was? Nolan occasionally had friends over to our apartment, but not this man. I would have remembered him. There was something about him, something off, as if he were lying or playing a part and not doing it terribly well. I didn’t understand enough about what was going on to know if my instinct was accurate or if it was just my own nerves making me jumpy.

“How do you know who she is?” Axel asked.

“Nolan talked about his sister Chloe all the time,” the man said. “What a good sister she was, even when she nagged him to clean up his room or eat his vegetables with his dinner.” He smirked at me as if laughing at my concerns. “But he never mentioned how beautiful she is.” His eyes raked over me and I wished, for the first time since I’d tried on the clothes Lola had chosen for me, that I was wearing the suit Sam had thrown away.

Sam shifted beside me, saying nothing, but the waves of coiled menace that rolled off him were enough. Dog must have thought so too because after a quick look in Sam’s direction he refocused his attention on Axel.

“Chloe isn’t what’s important here,” Axel said. “When was the last time you saw Nolan?”

“I saw him Saturday,” Dog said.

“Were you with him before he disappeared?” Axel asked.

“Not right before, no. The last person who saw Nolan before he disappeared is dead.”

I gasped and straightened in my chair. Was he implying Nolan had killed someone? I bit my tongue hard to keep from asking questions. Axel asked them for me.

“What are you saying?”

“Look, normally I wouldn’t talk about any of this outside the family,” the man said leaning forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “But I can tell you three are going to cause trouble until you find out what you want to know, and that isn’t going to help anybody.”

For the first time since I walked in, Sam spoke. “So why don’t you just talk and we’ll get out of your way.”

“Nolan has been working for Sergey,” Dog finally said. “He was given a job. To-” A pause, “acquire some information from a competitor. Very valuable information. As far as we know, he acquired this information. In the process, one of the competitor’s men turned up dead and Nolan is nowhere. Neither is the information. Believe me when I tell you there are a lot of people who would like to know where your brother is.”

He said this last part staring at me. I stared back, my eyes wide with horror. So not only was my brother missing, he’d gone missing while committing a crime for a Russian mob boss and possibly killing someone? I wanted to run screaming from the room, denying that Nolan could have done any of it. After the last few days I wished I was still naïve enough to believe him that innocent. It was going to take a lot to convince me he killed anyone, but the rest - hacking information for Sergey Tsepov and then messing up somehow and running away? It hurt my heart how easily I could believe that part was true.

“Chloe, describe to Dog the men you saw in your apartment,” Axel said in a low voice. I did as best I could remember. When I described the tall man with the heavy accent who’d had the gun, I would have sworn I saw recognition flicker in Dogs eyes, but he said,

“They don’t sound like anyone I know. But a lot of people are looking for Nolan. Who knows who they could be?”

“And does Tsepov think Nolan is holding the information to sell it himself?” Axel asked. Dog shrugged as if he either didn’t know or didn’t care.

“Sergey likes his little pet. He doesn’t believe Nolan has the balls to double-cross him. But he will find him either way. And if he can prove that Nolan tried to betray him-”

Dog shrugged again, clearly not concerned about my brother’s fate. My stomach rolled. For a few seconds my mouth flooded with saliva, and I thought I was going to throw up. I had no idea what a Russian mob boss would do to an underling he thought had betrayed him. I was sure that whatever punishment I could dream up, Tsepov’s would be worse.

Sam and Axel both stood at once, Sam taking my arm in his as he did, pulling me to my feet beside him. Axel handed Dog a business card and said, “If you hear anything, It’s worth something to let me know.”

Dog gave the card a brief look and set it on the table beside his drink. I doubted we’d be hearing from him. He had his loyalty, and it wasn’t to Nolan’s family.

With a steely grip on my elbow, Sam half led, half dragged me out of the bar. He propelled me straight to his truck, his silence heavy. Before I could mention it he said to Axel, “Get someone to bring Chloe’s car back.”

Axel’s answer was, “Keys?”

I thought about arguing, but the look in Sam’s eyes convinced me to let him have his way. I pulled my car keys out of my purse and handed them to Sam who tossed them across the parking lot to Axel. Opening the truck door, he lifted me in and watched, hands on his hips, while I fastened my seatbelt. Did he think I was going to make a break for it? We were in the middle of a dark parking lot in the middle of downtown Vegas and I didn’t even have my own car keys.

Sam was in the car, engine running, when I opened my mouth to speak. I didn’t get out a sound before he raised his hand to stop me, saying “so help me, Chloe, do not say a single word until we are home and behind a locked door. I guarantee you I will be a lot more reasonable once I know you’re somewhere safe.”

With a huff, I sat back in my seat, mouth closed. Not because he’d told me to be quiet. I had plenty to say, and I was going to say it. No, I kept my mouth shut because when I started yelling at Sam I didn’t want to have to worry about him watching the road. I wanted his full attention so I could make sure he understood how completely furious I was. Unfortunately, I had a feeling Sam was thinking the exact same thing.