Wait For You - 'Look After You' Sequel - A Michael Jackson Fanfiction

Chapter 5

Evelyn
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Luca had gone in to make contact, and while I trusted him, trust didn't mean I wasn't ready to step out and handle things myself if he didn't come back soon.

When the door finally swung open and I saw him appear under the red glow of the club lights, I didn't move. I just watched.

He crossed the street like he owned it, loosened but alert, and slipped into the driver's seat.

"Well?" I asked, voice even.

He wiped a bit of sweat from his temple, eyes still on the rearview mirror. "The place is buttoned up tight. The staff is trained to keep their mouths shut. Not a single loose thread."

"Good," I said. "That's what you want to see in a place that deals in cash and secrets."

He let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, except I couldn't get a read on the one calling the shots. Ramon, their front man kept it all vague. I can tell he's not the one in charge, but whoever is, they run a tight ship."

"That's the kind of operation worth paying attention to," I said. "It's clean, it's controlled, and just crooked enough to make a profit."

He gave me a sideways look. "You're really considering working with them?"

I tilted my head slightly. "We didn't drive across the country to play it safe. California runs deeper than Chicago ever did. We need allies here, skilled ones. People who understand when to speak and when not to."

Luca's jaw flexed as he thought it over. "You think they'll call us back?"

"They already have," I said simply. "You just didn't hear it."

He smirked, shaking his head. "You always talk like that, like everything's already decided."

"It is," I said. "People who hesitate lose. People who act stay alive."

The silence stretched for a moment. The streetlights flickered across the windshield as we sat there, the club lights reflecting off the hood of the car.

Finally, Luca said quietly, "We're being watched."

"I know," I murmured.

"Two men. Balcony level."

"They haven't moved since you came out," I said. "One of them's testing us. Probably waiting to see if we get spooked."

"So what do we do?"

"Exactly what they expect," I said. "We drive away. Slowly and calmly. Let them think we're the kind who play by rules."

Luca nodded, starting the car. The engine purred to life, soft and steady. He turned onto the main road, the Velvet Room shrinking behind us.

I rolled the window down an inch, letting the warm air cut through the tension. "You get anything useful from that Ramon guy?"

He shrugged. "Not much. He said the club's independent. Doesn't answer to anyone. But you can tell that's bullshit. Someone always owns the floor."

"Then we'll find out who," I said, my tone cool. "Everyone leaves a mark, no matter how clean they play it."

Luca looked over at me, smirking faintly. "You really like control, don't you?"

"I don't like surprises."

"Same thing," he said.

I smiled faintly. "No, it's not. Control keeps you alive. Surprises get you killed."

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "You talk like you've seen both."

"I have," I said quietly.

By the time we reached the hotel, the city had begun to fade, the glow of streetlights giving way to the darkness that lived on the edge of Los Angeles.