Page 96 of Nails
“Hey, superstar,” Aussie said casually, looking up.“How was your hot date with the boss man?”
Riley gave him a look.“I didn’t realize sleazy, illegal business meetings counted as dates now.”
Joker chuckled, patting the cushion beside him.“Come on, we’ve been waiting to hear the scoop.Don’t leave us hanging.”
She walked in and took the chair closest to the coffee table, sinking into the cushions.Before she could open her mouth, footsteps echoed from the hall.
Snow walked in first, giving her a slight nod and an easy, “Hey, Riley,” as he claimed a chair on the other side of the room.
Then came Nails.
He looked wrecked.Not physically.He wasn’t bruised or beaten, but there was something in his eyes, a weight to his shoulders that hadn’t been there before.He didn’t say a word.Just moved past her, avoiding eye contact, and sat on the edge of the couch beside Joker, elbows on his knees, eyes on the floor.
The tension in the room shifted immediately, and everyone felt it.
Riley straightened in her seat, keeping her focus ahead.She wanted to talk to him, but first things first.
“Alright,” she said, her voice even.“Here’s what happened.”
The room fell silent.
“Adam called me in because he wanted to talk about last night.He saw the footage and knew what had happened.And—” she hesitated for half a breath, “he told me Anya was the one behind it.”
“What?”Bear sat forward.“Are you serious?”
“She paid Kumar to leave that section of the VIP floor.That’s how I ended up alone with Ranjit and his friends.”
“Bitch probably drugged you, too,” Duke muttered darkly.
Riley agreed.“Wouldn’t surprise me.Adam said she was jealous and blamed me for her suspension.”
“Typical mean girl behavior,” Aussie said.“Except with felonies.”
“She’s gone now,” Riley added.“Fired.Which led to the next thing.”
She took a breath.
“He offered me a new position.VIP hostess for his private suite.”
She could see that got their attention.
“Wait,hissuite?”Joker leaned in.“Like second floor, private access, high-profile-only kind of deal?”
“Yep.During the week I’ll still be on the main floor, but on weekends I’ll be upstairs.”
“That’s huge,” Snow said from his seat, nodding.“You’ll be where the real dirt happens.”
“Exactly.”She met each of their eyes in turn.“It’s the access we’ve been needing.The surveillance room is on that floor.Plus, the way he talked about the space, I wouldn’t be surprised if his office is nearby, maybe even where he stores the physical backups.”
“So what’s the catch?”Bear asked, brow lifted.“There’s always a catch.”
“He has big shots coming in tomorrow night.He didn’t name names, but based on how he spoke about them, they’re important.He’ll be in the suite the whole time.”
That drew a quiet murmur from the guys as they exchanged looks, piecing together the implications.
Questions followed—how big was the suite?How much security did she see?What could she gather before tomorrow night?She answered what she could, filing away the rest for when she had more intel.
Through it all, Nails said nothing.Not one word.
