Chapter Three
Christine
"I'm fine, Cara, you can stop staring at me," I said.
Cara puckered her lips and shook her head. "I can't. You're the one who went looking for a murderer this morning!"
I ripped open a new case of beer. "I was the one who introduced Darren to Anya. I thought he was a good kid. I need him to look me in the eyes and tell me how he could do that to my sister."
Cara joined me behind the bar and helped load the imported bottles into the cooler. "And do you really think he's going to sit down and have a heart to heart with you? Why would you even want to be on the same street as him?"
My friend shuddered, and I knew what she meant. How could I stand being near the man who had snuffed out my sister's life? I thought of the footage again with a haunting temptation. I felt like I owed it to my sister to witness her suffering. Then I noticed Cara's pale cheeks, and I felt a pang of remorse.
"I'm so sorry you were the one to find her," I told Cara. "You didn't deserve that."
"Christine, I just wish you could put all of this behind you," Cara said.
"And I will. As soon as I hear from Darren why he killed her."
Cara leaned a hip against the bar and stared at me with a skeptical expression. "And you don't have any plans to land him in jail?"
"If he doesn't get himself killed first." I tore into another case of beer. "You should have seen him running through all that traffic. He didn't give a shit about the cars speeding toward him. Slade thinks he has a death wish."
"So karma will get him," Cara said.
I stopped with beer bottles in both hands. "What if he dies before I get to ask him? How am I supposed to get past that? Never knowing won't make anything feel like justice."
Cara took the bottles from me. "But he knows who you are and now he knows you're trying to find him. He might already be gone."
"Slade doesn't think so." I paused and leaned against the bar. "He seems to think he knows Darren. They both got picked up by Balducci when they had no other options."
"So, maybe Slade is the one who can get close to Darren," Cara suggested.
I shook my head. "How can I trust Slade after everything he hid from me? No. I have to do this on my own."
Cara's worried eyes watched me as I left her and ducked out from behind the bar. I headed upstairs, barely seeing the framed photographs of the rich and famous on the stairwell walls. All I could think about was my plan. I had one good card to play and it was time to put it on the table.
I went first to check on the private room that Balducci and his goons used for their illegal poker games. Everything was set to his specifications, down to the color of cocktail napkins that he preferred. My skin crawled at how deep Balducci had managed to worm his way into my club. Sure, it was Slade who let him in the door, but I was no better. And I was about to be a lot worse.
Balducci was the only person I knew who was not only connected to Darren but could call on him to be at a certain place at a certain time. It would be a simple exchange: I would sign on as Balducci's new club manager if he handed Darren over to me.
The thought of working for Balducci turned my stomach sour but I fought down the nausea. It was a small price to pay to bring justice to Anya's killer. Balducci, with his notorious strong-arm style, was also the only person I knew who could force Darren to tell me the truth, and I had to know why.
I moved down the hallway and opened the door to the room where Anya died. I still felt like her presence was there, even if it was only a shadow. I had forced myself to stay away because it was so painful, but this time all I felt was a surge of anger.
"Why did you have to be so reckless?" I asked the empty room. "I should have known Darren was a piece of shit the moment you hinted you could love him. You have— had—the worst taste in men. I should know. I do, too."
I sunk to the floor as hot tears spilled down my cheeks. Anya was the only person in the world I would have ever told about Slade. He was interfering, domineering, and a flat-out liar. The only problem was every time I saw him, my entire insides jumped. I thought about him all the time, even as I sat in the semi-darkness grieving my dead sister.
"He's a monster, guaranteed," I told my sister's ghost. "And you know how I know? Because I think I might love him. Just like you thought you were falling in love with Darren."
"Christine? Oh, god, honey! I thought I might find you in here. Are you okay? I'll come back. It's nothing," Cara said in rapid fire.
"What's nothing?" I swiped the tears from my face and stood up. "What's going on?"
Cara bit her lip. "There's a problem downstairs at the door. Slade's got security blocking the way, but the men aren't going away."
"What men?" I asked. "Who's trying to get into the club?"
We raced down the stairs, but I couldn't get a clear view. The security team was lined up behind Slade like a solid brick wall and they didn't want to give way to let me through.
Cara pulled me back. "You can see who it is on the security monitors."
"No. This is my club. And I don't need Slade fighting my battles," I snapped. I elbowed my way through the thickly muscled security guards and broke through the other side.
Straight into a man with a sickly expression. His pale eyes widened and a stomach-churning smile flitted across his bluish lips. I recognized him as the man Cara said had been stalking the club. He was most likely the only other person to see my sister before she was killed. He could have been in on it.
I caught myself before we stood toe to toe. Then a strong arm yanked me back.
Slade's furious eyes flashed down at me. "What are you doing here?"
I couldn't tear my eyes off the pale man. Something was very wrong with him, a cold aura of confidence, a certainty that life was not a precious commodity but something to be traded. Or taken.
"I've got this handled, Christine." Slade signaled to the bouncers to pull me back to the bar, but none of the burly men were dumb enough to touch me.
"Not until I know what is going on in my club," I said.
"Ah, there she is." Marlon Balducci appeared behind his line of cutthroat employees. "Christine, dear, how about you let us in? No reason we can't be friendly neighbors, right?"
"Neighbors?" Slade asked. He didn't look at anyone but me.
"You didn't hear?" I couldn't keep the sneer out of my voice. "Your friend here bought a property just down the block. He plans to make it the next big dance club, bar, and scene."
"Of course, it will sound a lot more viable once I secure a good club manager," Balducci said. He winked at me.
Slade stepped in front of me as if he could block that wink. "You'll never get the zoning."
Balducci shook his head and chuckled. "Slade, my boy, there's a reason we parted ways. You just never realized the power of a greased palm. I've got friends on the city planning committee who would be more than happy to give me the permits by the end of the week."
"You're bluffing, Balducci, and it's not going to work here." Slade crossed his arms and stood firm in the doorway.
"And what if I came to talk to our pretty Christine?" Balducci asked.
It was the wrong question. Slade's chest swelled as he stepped forward. "You're not welcome here, Balducci. Get it? Get out or I'll help you get out."
I rested a hand on Slade's rock hard arm. "Calm down. There's no reason why we can't go on with business as usual."
"Business?" Slade swung around to face me. "This isn't business. It's a sad old man's attempt at intimidation. He knows he can't get a foothold here anymore, so he's looking to take us apart. It's all a bluff. Don't fall for it, Christine."
I yanked my hand back from his arm as if he burned me. "I'm not falling for anything, Slade. And I'm not the one who invited our friend here in the first place. All I'm saying is now is not the time to do this. And it especially is not the place. How about we all go upstairs and have a drink?"
Balducci grinned. "That's my girl."
Slade looked as if he might kill the old mobster there and then. I stepped forward again and said, "Or maybe we just all agree to do this some other time? The club doesn't open for another two hours."
"No," Slade said. "I don't care what time it is or who's watching. He is no longer welcome here."
At that moment, I caught a glimpse of Cara over Slade's shoulder. She was trying to signal me without being seen by Balducci's men. My heart clutched at her frightened expression. Balducci insisted on Cara as his private bartender and I knew for a fact he wanted revenge on her. Bending him over and spanking out a confession, no matter if it was dismissed from court, meant that Cara was a target. Everyone was. If I fought Slade on this now, then Balducci and his men would feel free to terrorize my friend and our staff.
I stepped in front of Balducci. "Sorry, neighbor. How about we plan to get together another time?"
His eyes narrowed. "Is this really what you want?"
I moved to stand next to Slade. "I'm still the club manager here, his club manager."
Balducci smirked. "And you trust him? Poor girl, I thought you were smarter than that."
I knew the old mobster was just trying to get under my skin but his words twisted in my gut. Balducci was as bad as they come, but he had never overtly lied to me. He was much too much of a businessman to shy away from the truth. Plus, I needed him to get to my sister's killer.
"Don't worry," I told Balducci, "I'm a fast learner.”
He considered me with a long enough stare that Slade's fingers curled into fists. Then Balducci broke out in a hearty laugh. "So you are, Christine, my dear. So you are. Let's just consider this a friendly drop-by. Now that we're in the same neighborhood, we'll be seeing a lot more of each other. A lot."
Slade swung just as Balducci licked his lips. A broad-shouldered man in a dark suit stepped forward and blocked Slade. The two grappled as Balducci laughed. Chaos erupted as the two lines of men clashed, and I barely squeezed out before the first drop of blood was spilled.
Cara grabbed my hand and pulled me behind the bar. "Want me to call the police?" she asked.
I shook my head and pulled her hand away from the shotgun we kept hidden under the bar. "No. Let the silly boys fight it out."
"Christine, you can't do this," Cara said. "You can't trust Balducci to help you."
"But I can trust Slade?" I asked.
Cara watched as Slade knocked the bigger man out the door. "He's trying to protect you."
I shook my head even as my heart leapt at every swing Slade took. "I don't want protection. I just want answers."