Chapter 21

ASHER

The week flies by, and before I know it, the weekend is here. Yesterday, which was Friday, I chose not to go back to the club, even though I wanted to see how Maddison was doing. I guess I just needed a day to myself after two straight days of work.

Work is, as always, monotonous and dull. Daniel has stopped involving me in his work and teaching me about his craft, even though I have asked him to share his job responsibilities with me. I continue doing his mundane tasks like filing and fetching coffee when he needs it.

Sure, the attractive woman sitting right outside his office could be a good enough reason not to complain about the work, but she doesn’t seem interested in me. Lexie is…well, she’s a bit uptight and apparently engaged. But that’s never stopped me before.

Daniel must have realized what a jerk he is being because he does what he does best. He has my sister call me to apologize for his lack of enthusiasm. I play along and pretend to understand.

I say all the right things to keep Ella from realizing how strange our relationship still is. It hurts her to know that we were once so close and now we’re not because of her. Anyway, tonight I’m going back to the club.

I’m borrowing Til’s car to make it less obvious that I’m returning. She hasn’t driven it since her terrible accident. The car was completely wrecked, and so was my sister.

But I have to admit, Josh and Rogan have been good for Tilly. She’s less isolated now that she has someone to love and guide her. Well, two people.

It was bound to happen. One of us kids wanting to experiment with a relationship involving more than one person. And while I find it strange that she’s with two of our security guys, it’s not as weird as my other sister being with my uncle.

And let’s just say I’ve found it easier to accept than Ella and Daniel’s relationship. But enough about my family, let’s get back to the issue at hand.

Girls are coming and going at an alarming rate tonight. Some only enter the building and leave shortly after, and some haven’t come out at all. The only explanation I can think of is they’re picking up their paychecks.

Either that or something else is going on. And the girl I’m here to check on shows up at six-thirty p.m. Her hair is long and wavy, and she’s wearing her Starbucks uniform.

She’s walking down the street with a large brown paper bag in her hands, obviously carrying some kind of food. I don’t think she sees me, but I make a note of the time and try to observe her as closely as possible.

She looks okay, with no signs of harm or distress, and that should make me very happy, but it doesn’t. It doesn’t because I want a reason to rescue her. But I’m starting to think that reason won’t present itself, and it would be illegal for me to take a consenting adult away from their job.

Yes, I’ve been doing some research myself. I’ve been studying the laws about citizen’s arrests and all that jazz. I need to know where I stand before I barge in and make a mistake.

You’d think having an uncle who’s a lawyer would be helpful, but I can’t just go to him and ask for a list of dos and don’ts about forcing a girl to go home. He’d probably think I was crazy.

And then there’s the other side of the coin—maybe he’d be angry that instead of calling a taxi for the client he didn’t want to help, I took her on as my own without any experience or resources to do exactly what she needed. So you see, I can’t ask Daniel for help.

I’ve already asked Callum for help and got nothing, and there’s no way I’m asking Zach. Tyler wouldn’t be much help either because he’s a numbers guy, so I’m on my own. The evening drags on, with me taking notes and bored out of my mind.

I am so bored that I get distracted by my phone, which allows a random guy to get into my car. Why didn’t I lock the doors? What the hell, Ash?

“Who the fuck are you?” I ask, keeping my head facing forward, but my eyes shift sideways.

“What the hell am I doing here?” he retorts, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I take a moment to size him up. He’s a middle-aged man, dressed to the nines in an Armani suit, a Rolex watch gleaming on his wrist. His hair is short and brown, his jawline sharp.

But what really catches my attention is the aura of power he radiates. It doesn’t intimidate me, but it does confirm my suspicions. He must be the one I’ve been searching for.

The puppet master behind the scenes of the club I’ve been keeping tabs on. I’m certain of it.

“Get the hell out of my car, man.”

“I’ll leave when I’ve given you a fair warning, kid.”

I roll my eyes. His tone reminds me too much of my father. It’s as if he expects me to hang on his every word and follow his lead. Well, he’s in for a disappointment.

I don’t have that gene that makes me a good follower. So, I scoff, just like Zach would, and wait for his “threat” to spill from his lips.

“Hope is mine!” he declares, pausing for a moment before continuing his testosterone-fueled rant. “You’d do well to stay away from her. Stop pursuing her and don’t you dare lay a finger on her again,” he warns, his voice laced with such venom that I can’t help but detect genuine feelings for the girl.

I seize the opportunity to question him. “Why do you think I’m interested in Hope?”

His answer is straightforward. “I see the way you look at her, with those longing eyes and your attempts to impress her. But she’s not like the other girls at the club. She’s just a secretary.”

Suddenly, things start to make sense. An opportunity has presented itself in the form of this man confronting me.

“What about the other girls? Do you have any that might suit my tastes?” I ask, raising an eyebrow as if I’m genuinely intrigued.

“How did you find out about Sanctum?”

“Through the grapevine, friends who’ve used your services.”

“So, not through Hope?” He seems taken aback.

“No,” I confess, not wanting to give him any reason to suspect Maddison. She hasn’t done anything wrong, at least not in my eyes.

“I thought Hope could get me in. I wanted a girl of my own, but she’s been less than accommodating,” I admit, immediately regretting my words. What if she gets in trouble because of my careless blabbering? Damn it!

“That’s good. That’s exactly how we trained her. All right, if you want in, I’ll see you Monday at seven. Don’t forget your wallet; we charge by the hour until you’ve found your girl.”

With that, he steps out of Til’s car and crosses the street, disappearing back into the club before I can even catch my breath.

My heart pounds with anticipation, my mind buzzing with possibilities.

Am I really about to walk into the lion’s den to save these girls all by myself?