Page 77 of Burn the World Down

Georgie held my arm as we breezed inside.

I found the interior dark and obvious, but there was a large crowd. A redheaded hostess in a slim, black dress appeared. “Hello, welcome to Red Neon. We have a VIP couch arranged for you.”

Bastian dazzled her with a smile. “Excellent. And we’re going to need your best bourbon. The entire bottle.”

Her eyes gleamed, no doubt calculating her tip. “Of course, Mr.…?”

“Thorne.”

“Mr. Thorne.” She inclined her head. “This way.”

She led us to a cordoned-off semicircular couch in vibrant red. Dancers were gyrating to the music on the dance floor. The bars were busy.

Georgie leaned in close. “His office is through there.” She nodded her head at one wall behind us.

A door was marked Private.

“I’ll take a look around,” Alessio murmured.

“I’ll join you.” Colt followed him and they melted into the crowd.

Bastian sat on the couch, crossing his legs, looking like a king. Nearby, I saw several women eyeing him. A server in a tiny red skirt and strapless top brought the bottle of bourbon and glasses over.

I sat as well and pulled Georgie down beside me.

“The place is popular.”

She nodded. “Viv was so excited to sing here.” She sighed. “I wish I could go back and keep her away somehow.”

I slid my arm around her. “Could haves never help. They just drive you crazy.” I knew that. I’d lost fellow SEALs and agents who’d been good friends. I’d always questioned what I could’ve done differently. It didn’t change anything.

Georgie nodded.

“There are definitely drug deals going on,” Bastian murmured, as he sipped his drink.

Georgie jolted and looked around. “You can see that?”

He shook his head. “No, my team hacked the CCTV system. He’s letting it happen.”

My jaw tightened. Yeah, the more I learned around Snyder, the happier I was to put him down.

Alessio and Cole reappeared. Cole was holding a beer and Alessio held a glass of something clear, that I knew was soda water. The man rarely drank.

“Nine o’clock,” Alessio murmured.

I swiveled and spotted Shandy the singer. Snyder was with her. He was practically dragging her toward the stage.

She tried to say something to him, but he shook his head, and shoved her.

Shandy took the stage, a forced smile on her face. The music died down, and the lights gleamed off the blue sequins of her long, slinky dress.

“Good evening.” She cleared her throat. “We’re all here for a special event, raising money for an excellent charity that helps the disadvantaged here in Las Vegas.”

There was a smattering of applause and a few whistles.

“Now, I have a few songs for you.”

The music swelled and the crowd whistled.