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As soon as he disappears in the thick crowd, I pull my phone out and shoot Brawler a text to get out of his office if he’s in there. Then, I send the same thing to Oscar. If Oscar got caught in there, it wouldn’t be too big of a deal. He’d most likely be able to talk his way out of it, but not Brawler.
My stomach is in knots, so I tip the drink back, swallowing the sour liquid. “See anything out of the ordinary?”
“I don’t think what we have to worry about is down here,” Mag says. “I’m pretty observant, and I didn’t notice anything off until we were upstairs yesterday.” That leaves us with how we’re going to get upstairs. Before I can even look over my shoulder at the staircases that leads to the floor above us, Magnum says, “Looks like security is standing guard today.”
I see it now. Two men in black polos with Candy’s written on the upper right chest guard the bottom of the steps.
Oscar and Brawler approach the table. It’s so weird that they can’t sit at the table with me right now when yesterday, we had so much fun here not being ourselves. Well, maybe it was just me not being myself, but now, they have to stand at the front of the table like we’re merely acquaintances instead of two people I know intimately.
“Anything?”
“I grabbed a file,” Oscar said, patting his jacket. “I didn’t get a chance to get a good look, so I don’t know if it has anything important.”
Before I can get upset that we’re literally failing at this, I say, “We need to get up to the next level to see if it’s still happening.”
“You can’t go,” Oscar says, piercing me with a look that begs me to defy him, but I know he’s right. “Magnum can’t either because he’s watching you.”
“I’ll go,” Brawler says, voice like stone. What we saw up there yesterday affected him, too. I bet he sees his sister in every victim’s face.
Oscar looks like he wants to tell him he can’t, but Brawler’s the logical choice. If Oscar goes, it makes it Crew business even if it isn’t. If Brawler goes, he’s free from any ties. “Be careful,” I tell him. “Take pictures.”
“I got it,” he says.
He turns, leaving the table. He doesn’t go directly for the stairs because that would be obvious, but he lingers at the bar for a few minutes, warding off advances from older women that get my hackles up. I lose sight of him when two couples approach the table to talk about my fight. That’s basically what these after parties are, so I sit and talk with them for a few minutes before Magnum makes it obvious the conversation is over. When they leave, Oscar’s left too, and I can’t find Brawler in the crowd anymore.
“We should probably wrap this up soon,” Mag says, gaze darting around the room.
I nod, not knowing at all if we have what we need. Regardless of endearing myself to the Heights Crew, we need to get this prostitution drug operation shut down. I’ll even sneak the information to the police so they can get it shut the fuck down.
I’m still looking at Mag when his body freezes. I track his gaze across the floor and try to find what’s caught his attention only to find Brawler’s arm around someone, a head on his chest. It reminds me of how he walked me out of here yesterday, and my heart takes off like a rocket.
I stand, eyeballing the two leaving not just the upstairs but Candy’s altogether. The weird part is, I recognize her. At least, I think I do.
What in the fuck?
29
Apart of me knows Brawler wouldn’t do something like that, but another part of me is saying that this is just what happens in the Heights. The place I brought myself to. The place I infiltrated and made myself one with.
“Come on,” Mag says, his voice gruff. He helps me out of the booth while I’m still staring at the spot where Brawler and another girl just left.
I pinch my thigh, but no, I’m still in Candy’s. Still trying to figure out what is going on around here.
He puts his hand on my lower back as he guides me through the crowd. We finally get to the hallway that leads out the back door. We start to pass Dunnegan’s office, but he calls out my name, so we have to stop. “Thanks for coming,” he says graciously. “Tell Rocket he better hold on tight to you.”
It might be me, but his smile looks forced this time. Then again, my head isn’t completely in the game since it’s on Brawler’s hand around another girl. “I’ll tell him,” I say back, trying to manage a smile, but I’m not sure it comes out at all.
We head outside. I search the area for Brawler and slow when I don’t see him at first. Then, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I slip it out.We’re inside the car.
We.
I march that way, trying to set aside my ridiculous jealousy, telling myself that he must’ve found someone who knows something. I pull the car door open and slip in. Thankfully, we brought one of the bigger Crew cars tonight that has seats facing each other. It came in useful earlier because Brawler, Oscar, and I could sit in the back together without being squished, but now it’s coming in even more useful.
As soon as I slide across the seat across from him, Brawler says, “I had to get her out of there.”
I glance over at her. Recognition tickles my throat. How I know her is on the tip of my tongue, but I’m just not sure. First of all, she’s made up to the hilt. Fake eyelashes. Bright eyeshadow that looks caked on. She’s also wearing a short ass skirt, her legs wide open. The red lacey panties she’s wearing are practically a neon sign.
The door opens again, and Oscar gets in. Magnum and I move over to accommodate him. “Thanks for telling me we were taking this party elsewh—” He shuts up as soon as he sees the girl in Brawler’s lap. She’s out cold right now, eyelids fluttering like she’s dreaming.