With Rinaldi at the mansion, she had her chance to break the biggest story of the year. No way would she stay inside and cower like a prepubescent girl at her first dance.
Rachel climbed the last steps and went in the opposite direction of Logan. While she wasn’t glad Rinaldi was here, she was grateful his arrival had interrupted her scene. If Gracie hadn’t shown when she had, who knows what would’ve happened between her and Logan. His unfair view of her and his threat to have her permanently banned from Benediction confirmed he was wrong for her. No one, especially Logan, would prevent her from achieving her dreams. From this point forward, she’d stay as far away from him as she could.
Chapter Four
PASSING THE GROUP of members milling around the entryway of the club, Rachel tried to recall the layout of the house from the tour Danielle had taken her on earlier in the evening. Logan would be watching to make sure she didn’t follow him out the front door. She needed to find an alternative exit. Going through the garage would draw too much attention, since she’d have to open it in order to get outside. But in the den, there was a sliding glass door that led to the backyard of the home.
She strolled into the room and smiled, trying to pretend she belonged there, even though she didn’t fit in any better with this crowd than she had with those in the dungeon. Dressed in formal wear, the mingling guests drank champagne and chatted with each other as if they were at a black-tie affair rather than a sex club.
As she made her way through the space, averting her gaze so as to not invite any conversation, she recognized some of the guests as prominent members of the metro Detroit political and judicial system. Danielle and Kate hadn’t been kidding when they’d told her she’d run into a few familiar faces. No wonder everyone at Benediction had to sign a confidentiality statement. She checked out the colored bands on their wrists to see what kink they were into, wondering what the green and blue ones meant.
Keeping her head down so that no one would recognize her and ask questions about why a nonmember reporter was roaming the rooms of Benediction without supervision, she edged her way to the door and stepped out into the night, breathing the spring air into her lungs.
Even from the back of the house, she could hear the angry voices coming from the front. She slunk around the perimeter of the home, staying close to the walls, until she reached the driveway by the garage.
A beautiful garden filled with ruby and white flowers, small blooming trees, and fat green bushes lined the front of the house. Avoiding the floodlights, she tiptoed behind one of the bushes and crouched down, slipping her hand into her pants pocket for her cell so that she could text her news crew and record Rinaldi. Coming up empty, she patted the other side, clenching her teeth when she remembered she’d left it in her purse at Benediction’s coat check.
Staying low, she peered around the bush, spotting the arguing men. Flanked by Logan and his bodyguard, Adrian, Cole stood toe-to-toe with Anthony Rinaldi. She surveyed the area, sure she’d see a couple of Rinaldi’s own men somewhere in the vicinity. Despite having spent the past several months in prison awaiting trial, he was still considered the head of the Rinaldi crime family.
Anthony Rinaldi looked surprisingly well for a man who’d spent his past months behind bars. His gray hair was cut short, and he’d lost some weight that his petite body really couldn’t afford to lose, but if she didn’t know better, she could’ve believed he’d come straight from a month-long stay at a luxury spa. How did he get out and why was he here?
“Your membership was revoked when you kidnapped my wife and the Feds uncovered the bodies on your property,” Cole said, not yelling, but loud just the same. “I’m not sure how you managed to get past the gate, but I can assure you I will make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Rinaldi didn’t appear at all intimidated, his smile almost friendly. “All charges have been dropped, and I received a wonderful apology from the governor himself. I was set up for those crimes.”
Cole’s hands clenched into fists, and Rachel was sure it was taking everything he had not to beat up the man who’d planned on torturing and murdering Danielle. “I don’t know how the hell you managed that, but regardless, you’re not welcome here. If you want your money back—”
“Keep it.” Rinaldi spread his arms out wide. “After I sue the government for false imprisonment, I’ll start my own sex club. One with a real dungeon.” He grabbed his crotch. “That way, when your pretty bride gets tired of you, I can show her how a real man fucks.”
Growling, Cole lurched forward and grabbed Rinaldi by the collar, holding his fist back, prepared to punch. Adrian intercepted, pulling Cole off Rinaldi. “Cole, let him go. It’s not worth it. You have a family to think about.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t,” Logan said, stepping forward and punching Rinaldi in the mouth. “That was for Danielle. And this is for Kate.” Before Rinaldi could recover, he punched him again, this time in the nose. Rinaldi fell to his knees, blood pouring down his chin and dripping onto the driveway. “If I ever see your face again, you’re a dead man.”
Rinaldi coughed and spit blood onto Logan’s shoes. “Fine, I’ll go. But you’re the dead man, Logan Bradford. Enjoy your last few hours, because you just signed your death warrant.” He stumbled as he got to his feet while Cole, Logan, and Adrian turned to go inside.
She remained hidden, watching Rinaldi begin the quarter-mile walk down the driveway toward the gate. Where were his car and bodyguards? The back of her neck itched, her intuition telling her there was more to the story here.
She had to follow him. She darted from her position behind the bush to the shallow woods that edged the length of the driveway. Staying on the grass, she remained twenty paces behind him, listening to him mumble and curse under his breath about his ride. He staggered as if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Had he been like that before Logan had hit him or was it a result of the punches he’d taken?
When he got to the gate, he pushed a button to open it and ambled out, immediately turning to his left where he stopped by a Lexus parked on the side of the road. She deduced he must have gotten onto the Benediction property by following on foot behind a member’s car as it entered through the gate. No wonder Cole’s security hadn’t known Rinaldi was on the property until he made it to the front door.
If Rinaldi was inebriated or physically impaired from Logan’s beating, she didn’t want him getting behind the wheel. She stepped onto the driveway, intending to stop him, but before she could speak, a dark sedan with tinted windows drove up and pulled to the side of the road behind Rinaldi.
Swaying, Rinaldi swore, sticking his hand under his coat jacket and patting down his pockets then pulling out his jingling keys. He suddenly seemed to be in a hurry, jamming his keys into his car door while looking over his shoulder at the sedan. Who was in the car?
Two men stepped out of the vehicle, dressed almost identically in dark suits. One of the men was massive, wide-shouldered and easily six and a half feet tall. If he wasn’t in a suit, she’d peg him for a professional wrestler or football player. Knowing what kind of business Rinaldi was in, she’d wager that guy was an enforcer. The second guy was as tiny as the other was huge, but in this case, size didn’t matter because in his hands was a gun, and it was pointed straight at Rinaldi.
She moved a little closer, trying to ascertain the men’s identities. After covering the Rinaldi case, she was familiar with the major players in his organization, and she’d never come across these men in her research. With Rinaldi out of prison, it was possible that another crime family or someone within his own organization would take the opportunity to try to eliminate him. So why hadn’t he brought his bodyguards with him?