Julius has always been a watcher. I feel all of his silence over the years has almost given him a paranormal ability. When you shut the fuck up and just watch and listen, you’re bound to see things others miss, and Julius is the best at that. He can read body language, pick out the crazy ones in a crowd, and know when someone is up to something.
He nods, then steps out of the car. I roll down my window as he leans against the back door. “Don’t be seen, Jules. I don’t want any shit tonight.”
He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lighter before sparking one up. “It’s less suspicious with me out here smoking than all of us piled into the car.”
I scrunch my face. “You don’t even smoke.”
He inhales a long drag, then blows it out. “Tonight, I do.”
I roll my eyes, then move them back to the side of the building.
For what seems like hours, we just sit and watch the same scene over and over. Men go in, then about thirty minutes later they exit the same way. Alone.
I pull my phone from my pocket and hit the button to light up the screen. It’s two thirty-seven, and I have no messages or calls from Charlie. She must still be asleep.
“Hey.” Julius taps my window that is only half-up. “Check it out.” He points to the entrance.
Emil is exiting with a man I haven’t seen before. He’s a little scrawny, short compared to everyone else around him, and wears a smug look on his face.
“Who the fuck is that?”
Julius shrugs as Carl speaks. “No clue. Maybe Desi’s replacement?”
“Could be. Let’s go.” I open my door and step out.
“Whoa, go where?” Julius asks, placing his hands on my chest to stop me.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to fuck with Emil. I want to go inside and sneak into the basement. If he’s keeping an entire sex trafficking ring right here, under everyone’s noses, there is no telling what else he has in there. We could find exactly what we need to get Sebastian on board.”
“I have a different idea for that,” Julius says.
I tilt my head and urge him to go on with my eyes.
“What if we gave it all up.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The guns. What if we gave it all up? Now that Teddy is gone, we can run this shit however we want. It’s already in our names. We can keep the club and the casino, if we can get Emil out of the picture, then give all the guns, rackets, and escort shit to Sebastian.”
“Are you fucking insane?” I laugh.
“No, I’m being logical. You know what happens in this world. Everyone eventually dies long before their time. Charlie deserves better than that. The baby deserves better than that.”
I scoff. “You don’t just walk away from this world.”
He levels his eyes with mine. “You know damn well we could. We got away from Dad, so why is this any different? He was fucking terrible, worse than Emil, Teddy, and Sebastian combined, and you know it. But we fucking survived, and we got out.”
The only memory I have of my dad is him lying in a pool of his own blood. Julius and I both got fed up after Mom died. First, when she was alive, we had to witness him rape her and beat her. When she was gone, all of his anger was turned on us. I guess you could say we snapped because we killed the motherfucker and never looked back.
My dad made me a monster, and I can’t really say I hate him for it. He’s the reason I don’t put up with anyone’s shit anymore. He made me hard in a way.
I shake my head. “That’s different, Julius. We fucking killed him. That’s the only reason we were able to leave.”
“And? Tell me how that’s any different than what we are doing here. What the fuck are we planning right now?”
When I stay silent, he continues. “She’s pregnant with a Hale. A namesake to us. Why not give it better?”
“The namesake is to Teddy, not us,” I retort.
He rolls his eyes. “What the fuck ever, Lucas. Get over the fact she loved Teddy, and do the right thing.”
I want to hit him, but I restrain myself. “Fuck you” is all I say before pushing past him and walking through the revolving glass door of the casino.
When I walk inside, I try to keep my eyes down. If I’m lucky, no one will notice me. I only have to worry about the girls I’ve fucked around with, so I’m dodging every female I see like bullets.
Once I hit the middle of the casino, I glance behind me and see Julius just a few feet behind me. I roll my eyes and jut my chin toward the back. There is an opening in the wall that makes way to a hallway. When I make it, I stop and wait for Julius, thankful no one we know has seen us.
Once he’s beside me, I point to the right. “You go right, I’ll go this way. Try and find something we can use or take notes of anything suspicious, because this won’t be our last time here.” He nods as we split.
My shoes pad against the ugly maroon carpet as I venture further and further down the long hall. There isn’t anything special about the long stretch. Basic cream paint covers the walls with modern sconce lights every few feet. After about thirty yards, the wall turns left and leads down another long stretch before it stops at a door leading to a stairwell.
I open the door easily, surprised it isn’t locked, then start down the stairs. Two flights later, I’m met with another door. Unlike the first, this one has frosted tint over the small window and a keypad to enter
