Page 9 of Asher Black (The Five Syndicates)
George S. Patton
I wait a few minutes before I leave the restroom. The music in the club has shut off already by the time I reenter the main area of the club, searching for Aimee. There are several police officers inside, clearing out the club. Some of the faces in the crowd show confusion, but in general, everyone looks excited, even though their night is being cut short by the cops.
It’s bewildering.
But I can’t dwell on it, because a pair of hands grab me. I jump, alarmed, already on edge from the hallway incident.
“Relax! It’s just me.” Aimee throws her head back and laughs. “We’ve been looking all over for you! The police are here, Lucy! This is so exciting.”
Zeke nods behind her. “We should leave. We don’t want to be caught in the crossfire.”
Crossfire?
His words, like the rest of this bizarre night, strike me as odd.
I fold my arms across my chest, not budging when he tries to usher Aimee and I towards the door. “Crossfire. What do you mean by that?” I don’t bother restraining the accusation tingeing my voice.
He sighs, and I see him glance at the door with a contemplative look, as if he’s debating just leaving us here.
Don’t even think about it, buddy.
Are all men assholes or is it just New Yorkers?
He turns back to me and gives me a disbelieving look. “This is the Rogue,” he says like it explains everything.
I give him a blank look. “And?”
Aimee glances back and forth between us, a frown tugging on the edges of her red lips.
“And it belongs to the mafia,” Zeke says, sighing again.
Am I just a pain in everyone’s ass today?
And then I process what Zeke said.
The mafia?!
But he isn’t done. “The Romano family, to be exact.”
Oh.
Oh.
Oh, no.
The Romano family.
I grew up across the country and I’ve been gone for a couple years now, but even I know who the Romano family is. They’re one of the five American crime families. The entire Northeast of the United States and parts of Canada are their territory. They’re big time, and the idea of being in a club owned by the Romano family is absolutely frightening.
Can it be that The Hallway Incident is connected to the damn mafia?!
It’s then that I know I have truly fucked up. I can’t come back from this. I interfered with mob business. I can only hope that no one has seen me or cares enough to find me. I remember the fury on Asher’s face, and the memory causes a shiver to ease its way down my spine.
I really need to get out of here. Now. And pray to every god in the universe that no one will find out that I called the cops on the mafia. The Romano family.
Oh, my God.
Everything makes sense now. The guards. Asher’s money. The pat down. The gun. The people who ignored what was happening. Bastian. The 9-1-1 operator. The sheer amount of cops in here right now.
