“I know,” Bump says, but when I glare at him, he goes silent.
Without the music and bass beats filling the club, anything we say louder than a whisper is bound to be overheard, even if it’s muffled.
“And she’s actually prepping with Zoe for tomorrow. Gotta be a fucking miracle,” Q adds.
“What did you expect?” I whisper.
“Cops and handcuffs. Three hots and a cot for all of us.”
Bump is practically coming out of his skin with the need to talk, but I shake my head and press my finger to my lips. He nods in agreement.
“I told you not to worry, man,” I say to Q with newfound confidence I didn’t have twenty minutes ago. “Everything is going to work out.”
Before he can reply, Scarlett tilts her head and turns toward us like she can see straight through the mirrored glass.
Fuck.
Twenty-Two
Scarlett
The hair on my arms stands up in the middle of Zoe’s explanation of how the VIP lounges are run at Legend. I shift, glancing over my shoulder, searching forhim, because I swear I can feel his eyes on me. But all I see is my reflection in the long mirrored wall that lines the back of the entire second-floor balcony area.
I return my attention to Zoe, a pretty woman about five years older than me, with straight dark brown hair, but the feeling of being watched doesn’t subside. I try to shake it off, with minimal success, and make mental notes about what she’s saying.
We’ll have three lounges stocked and ready to rock, but they’ll all be connected rather than separated, so we can mingle between all three and not feel cramped. We have a stairway down to the club floor, where we can go shake our shit in front of the DJ booth, or stay upstairs and dance.
All in all, it’s a really nice club, with what appears to be top-of-the-line everything, exceptpatrons.That’s where I come in.
It’s still a little crazy that I’m doing this, but I can’t help it. Call me stupid, but I’m intrigued by this club. And maybe it’s arrogant, but I really think I can help.
Okay, so maybe I’m not just intrigued by the club. It might have everything to do with the mysterious and reclusive owner.
Zoe goes quiet, and I can tell she’s waiting for me to ask something, but I haven’t been paying attention to what she was saying for the last few minutes. Not since I got distracted by the thought of Gabriel Legend’s eyes on me.
I blurt out a question before I realize my intent. “Will Mr. Legend be joining us Saturday night to celebrate?”
Zoe’s kind brown eyes widen with shock. “Excuse me?”
Shoving down the urge to glance at the mirror again, I smile. “Yes, well, he’s the owner, isn’t he? I assume he’ll want to join us and celebrate the new start of the club.”
“Oh, Mr. Legend doesn’t really come out on the floor. He’s not one for crowds. My brother, however, will be here to assist in any way that you may need. His name is Marcus, but he goes by Q, for our last name, Quinterro.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting him,” I reply, but I’m not feeling very appeased. I’m sure Q is a perfectly nice guy, but I haven’t been moaning his name in my apartment.
No, I want to see Legend, and since I’m putting myself out to help him, the least the man can do is make an appearance.
“It’s good for PR, and I’d really like to see Mr. Legend tomorrow night as well. I have some things I’d like to tell him directly. Is that something you can arrange?”
Her earrings, geometric leather shapes hanging from thin chains, dangle beneath her earlobes as she tilts her head to the side, studying me. “Do you have a personal interest in Mr. Legend, Ms. Priest? You’d be surprised how many women come in here wanting to meet the man they’ve watched fight, and you know ... they get a little overzealous about it.”
I’m actually impressed she’s calling me out, but I was raised by a woman who might as well have had a PhD in making things happen.I straighten and meet Zoe eye to eye.
“I can promise you that I’m not like those women. After all, Mr. Legend is the one who brought me to the club and enlisted my help. The least he can do is give me a few minutes of his time after I make good on my commitments. And showing his face after a scandal—or in Legend’s case, a victimless shooting—will send a message that things are under control. Maybe if he showed his face at the grand opening, whoever did it would have thought twice.”
Something that looks a lot like respect flickers in Zoe’s dark eyes. “I’ll make sure to let him know you need to speak to him. Anything else?”
“Not off the top of my head,” I say with a self-satisfied smile.