Page 61 of Sawyer

“You have a house mage?” Bryn interrupts, not interested in the drink.

“Negotiations, I suppose,” Stefanie says with more malice than hospitality this time. “All information is worth a price, is it not?” she asks him.

“Women’s lives are on the line, and you want to negotiate?” Rumor shakes his head in disbelief.

“You operate in shades of right and wrong, delta,” Stefani replies. “We operate on a spectrum of colors. I believe that some information is invaluable, and what you are stepping into won’t operate in your realm of right and wrong. So yes, I must negotiate because there is so much more at stake here that you can ever understand.” She reaches for her glass and takes a sip. “I believe you will understand though.”

“So you know what’s happening?” I rush out. This is the break we need, and it was hidden by my former boss this whole time.

“I knew I should have interrogated him,” Rumor grinds out.

“He didn’t know.” Stefani flutters her hands as though he’s a fly on the wall. “Now tell me, what is this information worth to you?”

“See, here’s the thing, Stefani,” Sin says, leaning down to sniff the drink. Amusement tips his lips before he begins. “You already know what it is worth, so why don’t you lead with what you want?”

“A drink. That’s all. Just a simple drink.” She lifts her glass and sips. “For now.”

“A drink is never a simple drink, just as a blow job is never just a blow job,” Sin counters.

“Precisely,” Stefani replies.

What language are they even speaking?

“A mage bartender.” Sin drums his fingers on the table. “Let me guess, an ecstasy elixir?”

“You presented as a pack, and it is all over social media.” Stefani shrugs a bare shoulder. “I simply want proof, and since Lotus here is a dancer, I’ve been dying to watch…”

“No,” Bryn states, his body vibrating with tension.

“No?” Stefani tilts her head. “Are you sure you’d rather pass up the information I have?”

Oh hell, I grab the drink and toss it back. Melon and simple syrup hit my taste buds. The elixir is mixed with alcohol that burns on the way down. “How long?”

“Dammit, Sawyer.” Rumor snatches my glass, but it’s pointless. It’s empty.

Stefani just smiles at us. “You have time. Come now, I’ve secured a private room for you.” There’s a gleam in her eye, one that borders on pride.

I bet all the G-strings I own that every gamma who works here loves it here. They would never willingly leave.

Stefanie smoothly stands up from the booth, just as the lights below darken and bass thumps through the room.

Once I stand, I peer over the railing, where three poles are arranged in a triangle formation. Each of them juts from the floor where people dance and mingle. This isn’t anything like a traditional place.

Movement from above catches my eye. All at once, three dancers drop from the ceiling, spinning down the pole.

Stefani hums. “Imagine how different your life would have been if you came here first,” she says far too quietly for the guys to hear.

She isn’t wrong—my life would have been different, very different, and I wonder if I ever would have left.

Swallowing that thought, I jerk my head at Stefani, hoping she will lead us away. Behind me, all the men take their drinks and throw them back. Slamming the glasses down, they follow me down the walkway. Bryn is at the front, Rumor is behind me, and Sin takes up the rear.

While they rotate those positions, they always circle me as though I’m the one who needs protection. I get the feeling that they are the ones in danger here, not me.

The burn of the elixir settles in my belly. My skin slowly heats, and I know we might not have that full twenty minutes. Stefani leads us to yet another hall, where rooms line the sides. Pulling a key from her cleavage, she unlocks a door and gestures for us to enter.

She doesn’t say a single word as we step inside and look around. It’s a private room with a pole and a circular red couch. That isn’t what gets me though. It’s the blatant camera on the far wall.

Stefanie shuts and locks the door. “Tomi sold the gammas out.”

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