I started to wonder if in some way I hadn’t been exploiting women who were too weak to do anything about it. As I’d grown older, I’d mellowed out a bit and forgotten the heartbreaks and aches of my childhood. I no longer despised or judged my father. I no longer hated my mother for dying. I no longer ridiculed women who wanted to sleep with me right away and let me know it. The fact was that a lot of the emotions that had made me who I was today no longer existed inside of me. As I’d grown older and the club had become more successful, the more I felt like maybe I’d taken the wrong path.

My ringing phone interrupted my thoughts.

“Greyson, where the f**k are you?” Brandon’s breathing was odd as he yelled into the phone.

“I’ll be there in a minute. Chill the f**k out. What is it? Is Maria pregnant?” I muttered into the phone and hung up as I rounded the corner to the hallway of the girls’ rooms. I saw the open door and walked in slowly.

“Okay, I’m here. what’s going on?” I strode in, feeling irritated and annoyed. Brandon’s face looked back at me with an ashen expression.

“I’m so sorry, Greyson.” His pupils were dilated, and I followed his gaze to the bed.

My heart stopped for a few seconds as I saw a lifeless Maria lying on the sheets na**d. There was blood on her pillow and her body looked like it was blue. I walked over to her quickly, not even conscious of what I was doing. I picked up her wrist and tried to feel for a pulse.

“It’s no use.” Brandon’s voice broke. “She’s dead. Maria is dead.”

Chapter 7

Present Day

Meg

I quickly ran down the hallways. I needed to find David. Even though I didn’t really like him, I knew he would be able to help as an undercover cop. I felt scared. I didn’t really know what to think about anything anymore. It seemed to me that Maria might have been killed because of what she knew about the club. And from the way it was looking, there was a long list of suspects.

What scared me even more than that was the fact that I could be the next Maria or maybe Nancy was the next Maria. I knew from David’s comments and the worry in his eyes earlier that he definitely knew Nancy and that he was concerned about her disappearance as well.

I made my way to the courtyard to see if he was still there, but it was empty. I paused for a second, trying to still my panic and think. Where could David be? What could he be doing? If I were David, I would be looking for Nancy. And if I were an undercover cop, I would be looking for clues. And the first place I would look for clues would be in her room.

I started running again, and this time I tried to think of what I was going to say when I saw him. For some reason, I didn’t want him to know everything I knew. I ran to my room and pushed open the door. I nearly sank to my knees in relief as I saw David standing there.

“Hey.” I watched as he jumped back from my bed. “What are you doing?” I frowned at him.

“I was searching the room to see what happened to Nancy.” He looked at me angrily and I saw him pushing something into his pocket.

“What the fuck, David? Are those my panties?” I walked towards him. “What sort of a sicko are you?”

“Oh, it’s okay for Greyson to have the goods, but not me?” He retorted back at me and I stopped.

“Excuse me?”

“You think I don’t know you’re f**king Greyson every opportunity that you get?” He looked disgusted. “Even in the pool? What a slut you are.”

“It was you in the room?”

“Yes. I came to talk to you. See if you knew anything about Nancy, but you were too busy having fun with the boss.”

“What I do is none of your business.”

“I guess you chose him over me because he has more money.” David reached out to touch me and I flinched.

“Don’t touch me, David.” I glared at him. “And for the record, I would never be with a man like you. Greyson’s money doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“He’d flip if he knew we fucked.” David’s glance grew ominous. “It would be the perfect revenge.”

“Revenge for what?” I swallowed hard and took a step back.

“It wouldn’t just be about revenge. I really do want to f**k you. You’re sexy as hell.”

“Leave me alone, David.”

“When you call out my name, I want you to say Ryan. I want you to scream, ‘Fuck me harder, Ryan!’” David was almost panting, and I looked around the room for an object I could use as a weapon if he tried to assault me.

“Wait, what did you say?” I froze and stared at him for a moment as my brain comprehended what he had just said. “Why do you want me to call you Ryan?” And why did that name sound familiar to me? I didn’t know any Ryans.

“That’s my name.” He shrugged. “My real name.”

“Ryan.” I looked at him again and then it hit me. “Maria’s ex boyfriend wasnamed Ryan.”

It was his turn to freeze then. His eyes grew cold and he surveyed me. “How did you know that?”

“So you did know Nancy then.” I nodded to myself. “Nancy is Maria’s sister and you were her ex-boyfriend.”

“I was her boyfriend.” His voice cracked. “She said she was coming to New York to be an actress. We were still together. She didn’t even dump me. We were still officially dating when she brought that jerk home.”

“That was Brandon though. Not Greyson.”

“Everyone knows that Greyson’s the real mastermind here at the club. Nothing would have happened if it wasn’t for him.”

“So you joined the police force to investigate him?”

“No.” He laughed at me and gave me a pitiful stare. “I’m not in the police force, Meg. That was a lie to gain your confidence.”

“So why are you here then?”

“I wanted to find out what happened to Maria. I want to know how she really died.” His voice choked. “I wanted to get revenge.”

“So why did you get Nancy to come?”

“I’m pretty sure that they are trafficking women. Too many women disappear from here on a weekly basis. I needed someone on the inside who could testify for me. Nancy was going to be that girl.”

“So where is she?”

“That’s what I don’t know.” I could see the fear in his eyes. “We argued and then she was gone.”

“What did you argue about?” I asked him.

“You.”

I was taken aback. “Me?”

“She told me to leave you alone. She told me that she didn’t want to see you hurt.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I was going to make you fall for me. That was why I came and kissed you. I was going to seduce you and make you want me.” His eyes studied my body. “It wasn’t all about revenge, you know. I do think you’re hot.”

“Thanks.” I rolled my eyes, trying not to shudder. I couldn’t believe he was so cocky as to think I would actually want to be with him. That I would ever choose him over Greyson. Never in a million years. They didn’t even compare to each other.

“She told me to leave you out of it. I told her it was the best way to get back at Greyson.”

“How would that be getting back at Greyson?”

David laughed. “He loves you.”

“No, he doesn’t.” My heart skipped a beat. “I don’t even know him.”

“Trust me, he loves you. Maybe he doesn’t even know it yet. But you forget, I’ve been here for two years. Greyson doesn’t even interact with the girls once they start. He hasn’t been able to keep his hands or his eyes away from you.”

“It’s just sexual attraction.”

“Who knows? How does it feel to be the devil’s mistress?”

“He’s not the devil,” I whispered.

“He’s going to burn in hell.” David’s eyes flashed. “I’m going to make him pay for what happened to Maria.”

“Shouldn’t we find out where Nancy is first?”

“I could take you right now and it would kill him.” He grabbed my wrists and pushed me up against the wall. “He’d never be able to look at you the same way again, knowing I made you come and scream my name.” He laughed as he kissed my neck. “I know you see. I know what it’s like to lose someone I love and know she’s f**ked another man.”

“It’s not Greyson’s fault that Maria left you, Ryan.”

“He started this f**king club. He uses women for his own gain. If it weren’t for him, she never would have met Brandon. Brandon didn’t even love her. I loved her. I still love her!” He banged his fist against the wall. “I wanted to marry her. Do you understand that? I wanted to marry her and start a family. I loved her so much. I just let her go to New York to try and make it. I always thought she would come back to me. Instead, she came back with a coke habit and a new man.”

“Coke habit?” I frowned. “She was a drug addict?”

“Not when she left!” he shouted, and his hand gripped my neck. “When she left, she was my beautiful, innocent Maria. When she came back, she was a different person.”

“Please, David—I mean Ryan—you’re hurting me!” I gasped and tried to push him off of me.

“Do you think I haven’t been hurt?” His eyes were red as they looked into mine. “They killed her, Meg. I need to get my revenge.”

“But what about Nancy?” I squeaked, barely able to breathe. “If you kill me, we may never find her.”

“Why did she have to go and disappear?” He groaned and released his hold for a second. I kneed him in the groin and pushed him back hard. “What the fuck?”

“Leave me alone!” I screamed. “Leave me alone and I will help you find Nancy!”

Ryan looked at me then with a contemplative look. “I want to hurt you.” His voice sounded pained. “I want to hurt Greyson. I want to make him pay.”

“Brandon is the one who dated her, Ryan,” I said softly.

“But Greyson is the reason for all of this.” He clenched his fists.

“You can still take down Greyson,” I mumbled, ignoring the hole in my heart. “Let’s try and find Nancy first.”

“How?”

“Let me go and see Greyson. Let me try and find out what happened to Nancy.”

“I don’t trust you.” He shook his head. “You’ll tell him.”

“Nancy is my friend.” I shook my head. “Her safety is my number one concern.”

He looked at me thoughtfully then. “Okay.” He nodded. “We can still f**k if you want.”

I looked away from him then and bit my lower lip to stop myself from screaming again and crying. “Let me go and find Greyson now.”

“Don’t take too long.” His voice issued a warning. “I’ll be here waiting.”

“Okay.” I exited the room quickly, my heart beating fast.

I didn’t know what to think or to feel. I walked numbly and made a side trip to the bathroom, where I promptly threw up. I felt sick to my stomach as I sat there trying to calm myself down.

“You can do this, Meg.”

I jumped back up and splashed some water on my face. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and studied my face. I looked like a different person. I could see it in the new lines of my face. There was something more mature in my expression.

I walked out of the restroom slowly. I was scared that I was about to find out that Greyson was just as bad as I’d imagined. I knew that I was going to leave the club. There wasn’t going to be another night for me at the club. I knew that I was going to be scarred for the rest of my life by this experience. I didn’t want to prolong the agony anymore. I’d still try and find Nancy, but I wasn’t going to do it from the club.

I made my way to Greyson’s office and slowly opened the door. I peeked in and saw him sitting at his table, writing something on a piece of paper. My heart stilled as I gazed at him working. He didn’t look like the sort of man who could cause so much pain and heartache. I studied his features, trying to memorize his face for the future. This is how I wanted to remember him.

He looked up then and gave me a broad smile. “Meg, come in.”

“How did you know I was here?” I pushed open the door and walked in.

“I always know when you’re around.” He stood up and walked towards me. “It’s like a sixth sense.”

“Funny.” I smiled weakly, not sure how to say what I wanted to.

“I was just writing something.” He nodded towards the table.

“Oh?”

“But I can share it with you later.” He put his arms around my waist and pulled me towards him. “It’s good to see you. I’ve missed you.”

“Sure you have.” I didn’t want to take his words at face value, but it was hard not to be happy at his words.

“I have.” He kissed me softly on the lips. “You don’t even know.”

“No, I guess I don’t.” I sighed as I kissed him back. I felt my body melt into him, loving the warmth and comfort his arms provided.

There was nothing that felt as good as being embraced by Greyson. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Ryan and his hands around my neck. I couldn’t get the image of the pain in his eyes out of my mind. Ryan was a crazy psychopath, but he had loved Maria. He had really loved her. And he had lost her because of the club. Maria had died because of Brandon and Greyson and the club. I knew that for a fact. I just didn’t know how she died. I instinctively knew that whatever had happened wasn’t at Greyson’s hands. He was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a murderer. I knew that from the pits of my heart and soul. Greyson Twining was many things, but he wasn’t a killer.