Thursday arrived and departed much like the day before. Vincent commanded his kingdom from his laptop, which included all the prep for our trip to Italy, while I handled business on my end. This meant telling Charles I would be out of town from Sunday to Tuesday. Not the best opening line on your second day of work, but I would only miss one day's progress. Charles kept his questions to a minimum, although he did predict that Vincent would propose. I humored him with a smile and a 'We'll see', but as far as I was concerned, Vincent was already mine.

When Friday dawned, I felt the siren call of the club, and just before lunch, Sylvie texted me that one of our favorite DJ's would be at Mojo's. Like the self-respecting girlfriends that we were, we set to work recruiting our boyfriends as escorts. Vincent indulged me with very little coaxing, although we both knew it would be a shit show with both of us landing in the news recently. Still, the drama would be worth it for a night of dancing.

I texted Monica and Jen with our ETA, knowing my usual posse would be interested in joining, and when eleven o'clock rolled around, we were inside the club enjoying a refreshing beverage. Sylvie and I wasted no time getting onto the dance floor, leaving the brothers to guard our booth. Although I preferred to have Vincent bumping and grinding on me, I enjoyed reading his facial expressions as he watched me and Sylvie grind on each other. About five songs in, Vincent and Colin waved us back to the booth, and I noticed a scowl on Vincent's face when I scooted in next to him.

"What gives, Vincent? You look pissed."

"Assholes at two o'clock," he said, pointing through the crowd to the other side of the dance floor.

Right away I recognized CW and his melting chin slinking along the perimeter of the club. An older guy, about half the size, led the way. Both were dressed to impress, which made them conspicuous as hell at a place like Mojo's.

"I recognize the taller guy," I said to Vincent. "He's the one who ambushed me at the law office."

"The short guy is his boss," Vincent informed me as he spun his bottle of Perrier between his fingers. The other hand had my thigh on lockdown. "He's known as MC. Milt to the enemies who want to piss him off."

"MC? As in the MC who's after the amulet? This could be problematic."

"Humans," Colin said at the end of a snort. "Cocky bastards."

"They would rather go out in a blaze of glory than surrender to the status quo," Vincent said. "Got to admire them for that."

When the acronym brothers finally reached our table, MC addressed us, resting his weight on the table with one hand, like he was there to take our order. "Pleasant evening, gents... ladies. How fortuitous it is that we meet at the same establishment on the same night. I trust everyone has been accommodated. The owner does what he can, but I like to make sure my investment is being handled properly."

"If you came here to brag about your investments, I can get that from my shareholders," Vincent, said, triggering a narrow-eyed gaze from MC.

"How thoughtless of me to forget your position of wealth and power, Mr. Valentino. Clearly, I misjudged the dollar amount of my initial offer, the one CW made to your lovely date. Or, should I call her your mate? There has been talk..." He grinned at me, making sure I knew it wasn't a kindly gesture, and I felt the vibration of Vincent's growl as it resonated through his body. Did this guy know Vincent's big secret?

"We are not interested in doing business with you, Milt," Vincent said. "So, tell your buyers they can get their kicks some other way."

MC looked annoyed, but he seemed to be holding back any obvious sign of aggression. At least the cocky bastard had enough smarts to avoid a fight with a guy twice his size. "I will tell them you refused their offer, but they are not used to hearing the word no, so I can't be held responsible for the outcome."

Vincent's eyes flashed like balls of mercury, and he leaned forward to speak over the table. "Your attempts to intimidate me are weak, like you. And, if you or your associates ever go near Reese again, I will flatten you all like the insect scum you are."

MC casually brushed a hand over the shoulder of his tailored jacket. "That's a mighty big threat from a peacekeeper. What would the chief of police say if he learned that a man of your standing and unique character murdered someone in cold blood?"

"He would say good riddance, which is what I'm saying to you now." Vincent stared pointedly at MC until the guy backed-off the table.

"Have it your way," he said. "We will see each other again, I'm sure. Especially you, sweetheart." MC's dark, squinty eyes zeroed in on me, and Vincent's hand tightened around my thigh, making me flinch.

Colin slipped out of his seat to tower over MC and his chinless henchman. "Can I walk you two to the bar for a drink? Vincent isn't in a talkative mood tonight."

"Is he ever?" MC said as he allowed Colin to guide him away from the table.

Sylvie shook her head after downing a good portion of her beer. "That was intense. Should I be concerned about those two?" she asked.

"Yes," Vincent said. "If you see either of them, text one of us. That goes for you too, Reese."

Vincent didn't have to stare at me long before he got my nod, then he kissed me and the subject was dropped. In a way, running into the thugs had accomplished something, since I hadn't told Sylvie she made their most wanted list. No sense worrying her about it when the gollums were keeping an eye on her.

Monica and Jen sauntered through the crowd, waving at me with their bottled beers, and we accommodated my half-drunk friends in the booth. I wrapped my arm around Sylvie's shoulder in a friendly gesture, causing Vincent to scrutinize us. Just then, a blinding light flashed in my face. Fortunately, I was wearing sunglasses to combat a strobe light aneurysm, but the shades didn't help when the perpetrator popped off several more shots before disappearing into the frenzy of dancers. I was a little surprised it took that long.

When Colin returned from the bar, he looked annoyed and edgy, and Vincent suggested we call it a night. He paid for Monica and Jen's drinks for the evening, so they weren't too disappointed with the blow-off, and during the drive home in the Bentley, Colin continued to brood. When we arrived at Exchange Place, the brothers disappeared into Vincent's office.

Sylvie and I reclined on the couch, and the dogs immediately invaded our space. Sylvie patted her lap and Clyde hurried across my legs to take her up on her offer. "So, what's the story with the wolves of Wall Street at Mojo's?" she said.

"They're after something valuable, and they think I'm the only one to get it for them."

"Are you?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

She scrutinized me with her Tell it to me straight look, and I elaborated.

"My hybrid nature gives me access to supernatural objects that can be found in temples and churches. So far, I haven't seen it as a good thing."

Sylvie pursed her lips in thought. "So, the Trinity job was not just coincidence? It was a fix?"

"I don't think so. I got the job through Charles." I shrugged in resignation. "I'm just letting shit play out at this point."

Vincent and Colin emerged from the office, both busy on their phones as they walked into the living room. Without any kind of preamble, Colin summoned Sylvie with a wave.

"Nap?" he said.

"Hell yes." Sylvie jumped up, unseating Clyde and leaving me with a kiss on my cheek. I watched Sylvie waltz happily out of the apartment with her boy toy as Vincent took up residence on a barstool, still tapping away on his screen.

Our evening at the club turned out to be the debacle we all anticipated, whether intended or by the odds, but my brain still buzzed off the bass, and a buzz of any kind should never be wasted. I unbuttoned my shirt past my breasts and walked over to my boy toy.

I didn't get far before he lifted his nose in the air, catching my scent, and I pulled out the barstool next to him, straddling it seductively. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to my temple as he hit send on his phone and pocketed it.

"I need to be inside you in the next ten minutes," he said, capturing me with those deep, telling eyes. "But first, I want you to know what went down with Colin and Milt at the bar."

"Okay. What went down?"

"It wasn't good. Those two are the worst representation of humankind. They value money and prestige over life."

"I can see the tendencies. Go on."

"They plan to try everything in their power to get the amulet, and they have made you their number one target."

"A target? As in, hand over the goods or we drill you full of lead?"

I cracked a smile. I couldn't help myself. This whole situation reminded me of a syndicated cop drama. Vincent, on the other hand, did not look at it the same way, and his expression hardened.

"How much shit has to happen before you realize Netflix is real? If you have seen it there, it's likely to exist on some level. Picture Milt as a ruthless criminal on The Blacklist who thinks he's above the law, and picture me as the hard-ass who shows him you aren't above anything if you're dead."

Vincent's eyes flared briefly as he claimed my hand and led me toward his bedroom. He had essentially threatened to kill a human, those beings gollums were sworn to protect. Of course, my safety was priority number one, and Milt was a ruthless criminal. But, who were we to label another person's crimes and pass judgment on them? I couldn't help thinking Vincent behaved no differently than the thugs who threatened us. Despite the progress we'd made, Vincent's edges still needed softening.