Page 86 of An Eye For Illusion

Donovan’s head has been on a swivel since we walked through the door. Vinny and Dino are in the living room, each of them being entertained by women dancing. Vinny gropes and grabs his dancer with every sway she makes. The way she caresses her own body as she dances to the music, I can only assume she’s okay with it or too high to care.

Dino’s dancer climbs onto his lap, leaning down to take his lip between her teeth. They may fuck right there on the couch. I turn away since I don’t want to see where that trainwreck is heading.

“Here,” Donovan says, tapping me with the neck of the beer bottle. “Try not to look so shocked by it all.” The last part is said in barely a whisper.

I tip up the beer bottle and guzzle the entire thing down at once. I need to calm the fuck down to figure out what’s going on with Vinny. I have so many questions. Does he know my car guy? If so, how? Is my car guy in on this set up? Can I even ask him any of that? I know the answer to that last one, a no.

Where the fuck is Carlo? He’s always with the group. And where are Frankie and Moore? Where did they take those duffle bags? I need to try to snap some pics for evidence. This is the break we need to bust these guys and end all this shit for Jade and her father, even if he doesn’t know he’s in danger.

I turn back to the bartender and ask for another beer. Once it’s in hand, I take a sip, trying to relax and formulate a plan in my mind. There’s enough here alone to get them arrested but not enough to keep them behind bars for any length of time.

“We need to split up and mingle, snap pictures if you can. Be discreet,” I say to Donovan. Splitting up gives us both a better chance to find those duffle bags and maybe more to use against these guys.

He gives me a disbelieving look before walking away. This is his wheelhouse, and here I am giving him directions. We can’t always be stuck together when we’re around these guys because they’ll smell a rat.

I walk into the living room where Vinny and Dino are still hanging out. The women are no longer dancing. Instead, they’re sitting on either side on Vinny and Dino, their bare legs draped over the guys’ laps.

“Jax, can I interest you in a dance from one or both of these beautiful women?” Vinny asks, taking the woman’s breast in his palm and giving it a squeeze. The woman leans her head back, enjoying his touch.

I take another sip from my beer and hold out my hand. “I’m good, Vin. Thanks.”

“Maybe he’s not into girls, Vin.” The brunette giggles at her own joke.

I keep my face serious. I want to talk to Vinny. I want to know why he set me up. Vinny studies me for a few moments before asking the naked woman to grab him a drink. Once she gets off his lap and walks away, he leans forward and puts his elbows on his knees.

“You not enjoying my party, Jax?” Vinny asks, obviously offended.

No, I’m not enjoying it. I’d enjoy seeing all of them hauled out in cuffs, so I could go tell Jade it’s over. Tell her that she and her father are safe, and she doesn’t have to fucking marry Moore.

I want to ask him flat out, but I know that isn’t the safest plan. He could take my boldness as a threat and take me out right here and now. Or he might admire my boldness and let me in on what the deal is with this drug running business. The former is too likely to take the risk. I can’t imagine Vinny much admires anyone.

“When’s my next run?” I ask flatly, “And how much does it pay?” I keep my voice strong but low, so Dino doesn’t hear.

The naked woman is back with Vinny’s drink. “Enjoy the party, Jax. We’ll discuss business next week,” he says but never takes his eyes off the busty woman in front of him.

“Sure thing,” I tell him with a nod. I get up from the couch and walk away without acknowledging anyone else. I need to find Moore and those duffle bags.

I make my way back toward the foyer, taking notice of the faces around me and that I don’t recognize any of them. I don’t know where Donovan has snuck off to. The music still beats loudly, and I turn back to make sure Vinny is occupied. The two women are dancing for the birthday boy and Dino again. Now is my chance to slip away to find anything I can use against Moore.

On the other side of the foyer is a staircase, and beyond that is a long hallway with several doors. I can see light coming from one of the rooms, so I walk that way. I make no effort to be quiet or sneaky since I’m just one of the guys looking for the restroom.

As I move closer to the door, I hear a man is inside, and my eyes widen when I recognize the voice. Donovan. The door is barely cracked enough for me to see the person he’s talking to, which I find just as interesting. It’s the woman who was in the truck with Carlo the other night.

Her face is badly bruised. Donovan moves to touch her face, but she slaps his hand away.

“This is your fault!” she roars, rising to her tiptoes to scream in his face. I doubt anyone other than me will hear them since the music gets louder as the night goes on.

“How is it my fault, Dani?” His tone is firm, but I can hear emotion in his voice.

“Because of you and that jackass at the lot! Why couldn’t you just let Carlo have the job? I thought you were all high and mighty now, keeping your nose clean.” Her arms are crossed, her tone mocking. Apparently, whoever this Dani is, she knows Donovan from his criminal days. She continues. “After you guys left, the cops showed up. Carlo got popped with coke. They had probable cause to search because of the gunshot and finding the spare gun he keeps on him. They locked him up for possession with intent. Vinny is worried he’ll roll over on him because the coke Carlo had he was selling for Vin.”

Donovan lowers his voice. “I didn’t know it was a fucking job; neither of us did. That still doesn’t tell me why your face is bruised.”

“I ran when the cops pulled into the lot. I got away. Vin’s pissed about the whole situation, so he roughed me up because I was in front of him when he found out what happened.”

So, Carlo is in jail, but Vinny hasn’t said a word about it to me or Donovan. What’s the fucking angle here?

I ease the door open and step inside the room. I have some questions of my own. They both jerk their heads in my direction. If looks could kill, I’d be a dead man right now.

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