Page 59 of A Breath of Life (Shadowy Solutions #4)

I prodded the hickey he’d reluctantly sucked into my neck the other night. He hadn’t wanted to do it. I’d seen the disgust in his eyes and the guilt that had swamped him afterward, but he’d done it anyway because he knew what it meant to me. To be marked. To be owned. To be his.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “I have to try.”

Joshua scanned the three of us like we had lost our minds, and maybe we had. If I failed, I would only prove Diem right. Prove that I wasn’t ready for the gritty PI stuff and was more suited to desk work .

“Fine.” Joshua swiped a hand over his mouth. It trembled. “But this is a horrible idea, and you’re playing with fire. Even if you got in, you wouldn’t make it out alive.”

“That’s our risk. Where are we going?” Costa asked once Joshua seemed more agreeable.

“Do you know where the St. James Cathedral is on King Street East? At the Church Street intersection?”

“I know where that is,” I confirmed.

“There’s a structure beside it with a sign indicating it’s the church’s events building. It’s not. The church sold it over a decade ago. The new owner left all the signage to deceive the public and reduce suspicion.”

“The owner being the Royal Aces?” Costa asked.

Joshua gave a clipped nod. “The exterior remains untouched. It gives a churchy vibe, but I assure you, the interior reflects an entirely different atmosphere. It’s been significantly upgraded.

Security included. This isn’t their main hub, in case you thought so.

Before you ask, I don’t know where that is. Are you sure your boyfriend is there?”

“No, but considering its location, I’m fairly confident.” Old Toronto. Diem was convinced he was held in Old Toronto.

“It’s one of their more affluent local entertainment spots,” Joshua explained. “You can enjoy everything from drugs and sex to gambling and alcohol. Whatever your pleasure. Ace personally vets clientele, and only those who are approved go inside.”

“And you’re approved?” More than a hint of disbelief laced Costa’s words.

Joshua laughed. “Not officially.”

“Then how did you get in with Memphis?” I asked.

Joshua whipped his head around and glared in apparent disbelief. His expression soured. Only then did I realize I’d sold my friend out. Fuck. Memphis was going to kill me .

“I have special privileges.” Joshua’s tone turned snappy.

“Why are you so special?” Costa growled.

Joshua sighed and ducked his chin like the reason was something he didn’t want to share.

Something he was ashamed of. “Usually, you have to be a member of the club with appropriate credentials to be admitted beyond the front door. Vetted members can bring a guest, but they get screened and could be turned away if Ace’s guys don’t like the look of them.

“My father and uncle are vetted members, and when I turned nineteen, my uncle took me a few times. I was… well-liked by certain members of Ace’s crew. They enjoyed my… company.”

“You were their fuck toy.” Costa spoke my thoughts out loud.

Joshua shrugged indignantly. “So? It affords me special privileges now. The exchange was not without its benefits.”

“So you have a pass?” Costa asked.

“Not yet. The guys at the door let me use my father’s for now. It’s not a regular practice. It seems like a silly technicality if you ask me, but I don’t question it. Getting a membership is a process, and there’s a financial threshold I don’t meet. My father’s money technically doesn’t count.”

Shame colored Joshua’s cheeks, and I got the sense it wasn’t something he readily admitted. According to Memphis, Joshua made serious bank, but it seemed his sometimes fuck buddy leaned heavily on a rich daddy and other assets to get what he wanted.

“With your special privileges, you can bring guests?” I asked, confused.

Joshua wet his lips and offered another shrug. “Yes. If I’m willing to share.”

Huh . Memphis hadn’t mentioned that part of the night.

“We need a card,” Costa said.

Joshua rolled his eyes like my cousin was an idiot.

“It would be no good to you. They keep a list of cardholders’ names, and the entry process is steep.

They have a whole system. Your face won’t match, and unless you’re an approved addition like me, you’ll be flagged.

Flagged is a fancy word for fucked. Ace doesn’t like outsiders knowing about his establishment.

If you got as far as the entryway and their security red-flagged you, you won’t walk out of that building. ”

Costa paced, scrubbing a hand over his unshaven jaw as though processing possible scenarios.

I was about to offer a suggestion of my own when my cousin spun to face Joshua. “Look, kid—”

“Buddy, I’m twenty-eight. I’m not a kid.”

Costa pinched his lips together and nodded.

“I didn’t want to directly involve you, but considering the circumstances, I don’t have a choice.

We’re going tonight.” He stabbed a finger against his chest. “I’m your plus-one.

Give me a rundown of the building’s layout and everything you know about the people involved. ”

Joshua’s eyes bulged, and he shook his head almost frantically. “No fucking way. I’m not taking you there.”

“Why? You do it all the time with your fuck friends. I can play a part.”

“It’s not that. It’s…” He glanced at Costa’s credentials on the floor. “Are you really a cop?”

“It’s my day job. I play James Bond after hours.”

“They’ll want ID. They’ll run your name. I told you. They have a whole system. It will identify you as police in under ten seconds. We’d be fucked.”

“Goddammit.” Costa paced again before glaring in my direction. “You got yourself in a real pickle.”

He was right, but it was my pickle, so it should be my risk. “I’ll go. ”

Costa ground to a halt. “Are you out of your fucking mind? How is that better? Ace has guys all over the city looking for you, and you want to waltz into one of their hubs? You’ll be tagged and tied up beside Diem the second you walk in those doors if they don’t put a bullet through your brain first.”

I was already shaking my head. “I can change my appearance. They’ll never know it’s me. I can act a part. Use an accent. Fuck, Costa, I took theater in school for years. I was good. We don’t have a choice.”

“And your name? You heard him. You need an ID to get in. I don’t have time to create a fake profile or obtain anything that would remotely pass their scrutiny. If I could, I would do it for myself.”

He had me there. The kick of defeat knocked me back another step, and I was about to give up when Kitty spoke for the first time since Joshua arrived. “We can do it. A few tweaks to his appearance, and I can get Tallus inside.”

Joshua, Costa, and I stared at the cunning smirk plastered across Kitty’s face. Instead of answering the unspoken question looming in the room, she helped herself to Costa’s burner phone and made a phone call.