through and into the private rooms without a word, nodding at me respectfully and keeping her eyes away from us both. It reminds me of how everyone in the Bay treats Lips and has me smiling a little.
I wait until we’re seated in the plush lounge before I update her on how the evening has gone. She doesn’t have any questions about her brother, only about my safety, but I tell her I’ll have more to say about him tomorrow anyway.
I don’t have very high hopes.
“The enforcer of the Chaos Demons is here. They’re going to notice their brother is missing and come after the hotel,” Aodhan murmurs, and I shrug.
“The Oakridge has very strict rules. If they ask about him, Charlotte will inform them that he broke a rule and paid the price. They can get angry about it but, honestly, this place is more valuable to them than some underling. I can’t imagine they’d wage war over Jones.”
Aodhan nods and then straightens slightly as Charlotte walks in, two drinks in her hands. “Sorry! I only know what Beaumont drinks so you’ll have to forgive me, Stag.”
He shrugs and says, “I’m keeping my head about me tonight.”
She smirks at him and takes a seat, handing me a glass and then clinking it with her own. “It’s been too long! You should visit more often.”
I roll my eyes at her. “You’ve been too busy to even notice how long it’s been, Gamble. The revenues have tripled here since you took over. A lot of money in murder.”
She grins at me again, all teeth and smugness, sipping away at her drink. Aodhan stares at her for a moment too long, like he’s trying to memorize every little part of her face, and I know he has no idea of how he should be acting in this situation.
“So why are you protecting the senator? He’s well-known around here, the type that gets up everyone’s asses and has the whole club bitching about him.”
I shrug and take a sip from the glass. Margaritas are my preferred drink of choice but the gin and tonic she mixed for me is top shelf and smooth enough. “He’s on my protection list for now.”
Charlotte sighs and smirks at me. “And that’s all you’ll tell me? Classic Beaumont.”
I take another sip as Aodhan’s eyes bounce between us before focusing once again on Charlotte. “This is an… interesting business. Did you inherit it or build it?”
She smiles at him in a way I don’t at all like and his face tightens up a little around the edges in response, clearly not happy with her interest. “I inherited my half of the business from my father. He built it with an old friend. The two of them designed each and every one of the rooms here, they came up with all of the rules and vetted each and every member. It’s not for everyone but I wasn’t made for living a clean life. I always wanted blood.”
He gives her a curt nod. “And the other owner? Do you get along with them?”
Charlotte grins and flicks her eyes over to me. “Avery and I go way back. There’s no one else I would want to share Oakridge with.”
I ignore the flash of Aodhan’s eyes as they snap back to me. “Technically, you share it with Ash and I now that Senior is gone, but he wants the place burned to the ground. I’m a little more business savvy than that.”
Charlotte smirks. “And thank God for that. I’d hate to have to go straight if this place shut down. Can you imagine me bartending for real? No fucking thanks!”
I refuse a second drink, even though she tries to insist, because running on zero sleep is finally starting to hit me now that I know Blakeley is home safe and the adrenaline has seeped out of me.
We make our excuses and head back up to the main floor to the other set of elevators to get to our room. Dozens of people are walking around, completely unaware of what is taking place under their feet.
As we stand at the main elevator, waiting, Aodhan takes my hand in his again and brings my knuckles up to his lips. “Why does Ash want this place destroyed? He never seemed squeamish to me and it obviously has its uses.”
I shrug. “He’s not but I almost died down there once… and it’s the first place Ash ever killed someone. Not that he cares about that sort