Page 10 of Endurance
Aiden’s brows rose. “I thought we had an agreement that you wouldn’t poach my security specialists.”
“I didn’t hire Asher. Maura did,” Stefan pointed out. His face was a mask of innocence, but I could see a little bit of amusement spark in his eyes. “So I recommend you express your intolerance for poaching to her. Unfortunately, you’ll have to find her first.”
The Underground. A club under a club as I liked to call it. It was located under Anarchy and was run by the Bratva. It was one of a few neutral places in Quinn territory where those who were rich enough and had a standing in the crime world went to gamble, drink, and take part in any other debauchery The Underground had to offer. Because it was neutral, those who weren’t loyal to Stefan and the Quinn family were also allowed in. There were rules, of course. No weapons and no fighting. A lot of feuds were ended at The Underground and a lot of feuds were created.
Jameson and I walked ahead of Stefan and Conor as we made our way through the club. It was a Thursday night, yet Anarchy was still pretty packed. We walked past the bar and the dance floor to a single door in the back of the club that had a sign on it that read, ‘Employees Only.’ A bouncer was standing guard by the door. When he noticed us approaching, he opened it so we could continue inside without stopping. The door led to a short hallway. At the other end was an elevator where two more bouncers stood holding black leather containers.
As we came before them, one said, “Please hand over any weapons. They will be returned to you after your visit.”
Jameson, Conor, and I began handing over the guns we carried. Of course, we all kept at least one other weapon on us. Just because it was a rule didn’t mean we followed it.
Once our weapons were taken, one of the bouncers called the elevator and the four of us stepped inside. There were only two buttons to choose from. ‘2’ led to the second floor where Sasha had an office and ‘1’ went to the ground floor, which we were already on. Stefan pressed the ‘1’ button and held it down until it dinged three times and the elevator began moving down.
The doors opened and my senses were overwhelmed with cigar smoke and low jazzy instrumental music. Jameson and I entered first, our feet stepping on dark red carpet with gold swirls. The room was filled with poker tables where high-stakes bets were being made.
Young girls dressed like high end strippers walked the room carrying drink trays. Their job wasn’t only to serve drinks. For a very hefty price, they served in other ways, which was why they walked around in lingerie. They were showing off what they had to offer. I didn’t like to pay for sex. It took away all the fun, but it was a rite of passage to have one of Sasha’s girls at least once. Jameson, Rourke, and I—we had all done it. Dylan and Samuel, though, had been repeat customers. Especially Samuel.
Speaking of the, uh…cocktailwaitresses, one was walking toward us. She looked the four of us over and zeroed in on Stefan. Sasha’s girls knew how to spot a boss and a boss meant more money to them.
She smiled boldly at him. “Is there anything I can get you?” I wouldn’t lie, she was gorgeous. She had long midnight hair and sky-blue eyes. She was a little too thin, though, and her breasts were unnaturally too big for her frame. It was obvious she’d had them upgraded to that size.
Stefan just blinked at her.
She was barking up the wrong tree. I snorted in an attempt to stifle a laugh. Stefan and the girl looked at me and I pretended to cough. “I’m sorry. I have something in my throat.” Jameson gave me an exasperated look and shook his head.
“Stefan, what a surprise,” Sasha greeted as he came up next to the waitress. She backed away, giving the pakhan—the boss of the Bratva here in the States—her spot in front of Stefan. He and Stefan shook hands. “It’s been a while since you’ve visited The Underground.”
“Things have been occupying my time,” Stefan said.
Sasha’s expression turned grim. “I heard about the attack on Maura. I am sorry.”
I glanced at Jameson and he was frowning at the Russian.
“Yes, Maura is why I’m here,” Stefan admitted.
Sasha’s brows lifted. “Oh?”
“She’s missing,” Stefan said as if it weren't a big deal. “I’m offering a substantial reward to anyone who can find her.”
Sasha frowned. “Has she been taken?”
Stefan shook his head. “No. My daughter has decided to play a large-scale game of hide and seek.”
“How much is the reward?” Sasha asked.
“Ten million,” Stefan replied and wasn’t quiet about it either.
Sasha’s eyes widened for only a second. “I’ll be sure to spread the word. Are you playing tonight?”
Stefan nodded. “Yes, I’ll need chips for a few million.”
Sasha looked to the waitress and she scurried off. He gestured out to the tables. “Please pick your table. Nika will bring your chips shortly.”
Conor moved up to stand next to Stefan. “The table all the way in the back.”
We all looked in that direction. Sat at that table was a president of a local MC that had sister chapters all over the New England area. Next to him was Ignacio, a member of the Mexican cartel. The third guy at the table was Vito, the consigliere for the Romano family. The Romanos were a smaller and rival family to the De Lucas. Once upon a time, the Romanos had used to rule both Quinn and De Luca territories. Then the Quinns and De Lucas had aligned to dethrone the Romanos, with the promise to divide the region between them. It was the only time our two families had been allies. A few bosses later, one side had become greedy for power, the feud had started, and we’d been fighting with the De Lucas ever since.
Stefan took the lead, heading for that table. “Have room for two more?” Stefan asked as he pulled out a chair.