Finale: A Dark Gang Romance (Academy of Stardom Book 4)

Two months later

Stepping into the Twisted Bullet, I rub a hand over my very pregnant belly. My little girl kicks in anger at the loud music that wakes her up from her peaceful, muffled slumber. I already know she’s going to be feisty just like me, and a talented fighter just like her daddy. Any day now she’ll be here causing chaos, and I can’t wait.

“Would you like a mocktail, babe?” Beast asks me as we head towards Pen’s office that’s situated behind the dancefloor at the back of the club.

“A mocktail? Sure, why not. I’ll have a Pina Colada minus the rum.” Our daughter kicks me again and I smile, envisaging her as a teenager keeping court with a bunch of unruly men at her feet. She’s going to be remarkable. I know it.

“Coming right up,” Beast replies, pecking me on the cheek and patting me on the arse as I stride past him.

When I knock on the door, there’s laughter and the sound of people rushing around for clothes. I don’t step into the room, knowing full well that Pen and one of her guys are up to no good. I made that mistake once before, and whilst I appreciate the view of a man’s firm arse, I’m not sure Pen appreciated the intrusion. When York pulls open the door, flushed cheek and his hair dishevelled, I grin.

“Alright, York?” I ask, my gaze flicking to his jeans and his zipper that’s still undone. “You might want to zip up.”

He barks out a laugh and shrugs. “You know how it is, I’ve got to get in there when I can now that Pen’s busy running the club and putting on the best motherfucking dance shows this town has ever seen. No offense.”

“None taken. I know she’s the best at what she does and I’m not in competition with her. Besides, Clancy is a pretty fucking amazing dancer too, and we have a totally different client base.”

“Yeah, you can keep the criminals. I think Pen’s had enough of them to last a motherfucking lifetime.”

“I hope not,” I say with a wink.

“Excluding you guys, of course.”

“Anyway, I gotta dash. Xeno will kick my arse if he finds out I’ve been skiving off.” York leans in and gives me a peck on the cheek, then crouches before me and whispers to my bump. “You be sure to keep your parents on their toes for Uncle Yorky, okay little one?” he says, before rising up and winking at me. I shake my head and smile, watching him as he swaggers down the hallway back into the main portion of the club, disappearing from view.

“Hey Grim, how are you?” Pen asks as I step into the room and take off my jacket, throwing it over the back of the chair before sitting down. Her cheeks are flushed, and she gives me a wry smile.

“Feeling like a bloated whale, you?” I ask with a raised brow.

She laughs. “I’m feeling great, thank you very much, and you look beautiful, as always. Can I get you a drink?”

“Beast is bringing me one. He’s at the bar as we speak.”

“I love how dedicated he is to keeping you happy. I didn’t know he had it in him.”

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about Beast. He hides a lot.”

“Don’t tell me he gives you foot massages and head rubs too?”

I grin. “Shh, don’t tell anyone.”

“Well, I’m glad he’s looking after you so well. It’s really good to see you, though I was a little surprised you wanted to come here tonight. I know you’re crazy busy with Tales. Clancy tells me that her shows are a hit.”

“They are. She’s working those girls hard, but they love it. I couldn’t want for a better bunch of dancers.” I grin. “How are things here? I know you were looking for some more dancers to add to the troupe. Found any yet?”

“Not yet. I’m starting auditions next week.”

“How’s it been, dancing in the shows and running the place?”

Pen laughs. “Bloody hard work, but also amazing. I just feel so… lucky, I guess is the right word. Not everyone gets to live their dream. Most days I have to pinch myself.”

“It’s not luck, Pen. You deserve all of this and more…” My voice trails off and I sigh, hating to burst her bubble.

Pen cocks her head, looking at me thoughtfully. “Come on, Grim. Spill. Why are you here? You’ve given me all the advice I could ever want or need over the past month since we’ve opened up, so I know you’re not here on business. Is everything okay with you and Beast?”

“Of course. We’re good. Really good.”

“Okay then, so what is it?” she asks gently, moving around the table and dropping into the seat next to me.

“I’m worried about Christy,” I blurt out. Coming here was a difficult decision, but ultimately I trust Pen and her guys just as much as I trust Beast and Hudson. I couldn’t go to Hudson because he’s already busy with his family and businesses, so Pen was the obvious choice.

“Why?”

“Remember I told you once that she’s… sensitive to things?”

“Like the Deana-dhe, you mean? Or at least Arden, I don’t know about the other two.” She shivers involuntarily, but hides her instinctive fear behind a smile. She’s right to be scared of them. They may just be men, but they’re far darker than many I’ve met in my life, just in a different, more unexplainable way.

“Yeah, like them.”

“So what’s going on with Christy?”

“She’s been having these dreams… visions I suppose. They’ve become more and more regular lately, and a lot clearer.”

“You’re worried about her… mental health?” she asks, trying to understand. I know it’s not easy to wrap your head around stuff like this. It took me a long while to accept what Christy was telling me to be true, but she’s never been wrong. Not about anything.

“Not her mental health because she isn’t sick, Pen… I’m worried about what she’s seeing in her visions.” Blowing out a long breath, I place my hand over my belly. I’ve never felt more strong or as weak in my entire life carrying this baby. It’s been a sobering experience, that’s for sure. “The past couple of nights she’s dreamt of men shadowed in darkness. They come for her in the dead of night.”

“Shadowed in darkness?” Pen asks. Her face pales, and I know what she’s thinking.

“This isn’t the Deana-dhe, Pen. I know what you saw that time you danced for them at Tales, but this isn’t them.”

“How can you be sure? What if that’s the debt, Grim? What if Christy is payment?”

I shake my head. “No. They said they wouldn’t ask for something I wasn’t willing to give. My family and friends are something I will protect until my last breath. They know that.”

“So who then…?” Her voice trails off when she sees the look in my eyes. “You don’t think…”

I nod. She’s correct in her assumption. “Last night Christy dreamt that she was lying in a room with iron bars at the window, in a place far away from here. She described three men standing in the shadows, each of them wearing a mask…”

“Oh God, Grim. What can I do?”

“If Christy’s right and they come, whenever that may be, I’ll need someone to look after our baby.”

“You want me to…” Her face pales as her eyes drop to my stomach.

“Yes. Christy is gifted, Pen. She sees things that no one else does. If she says this is going to happen, then there is nothing I can do to stop it, but that doesn’t mean to say that I won’t do everything in my power to get her back. So will you help me? Will you and the Breakers look after our little girl when the time comes?”

“Yes. You know I will,” she replies immediately.

“Thank you,” I whisper. “There is one other thing…”

“What’s that?” she asks.

“Just in case something happens to us, I want our little girl to know where she came from,” I say. Reaching into my handbag, I pull out a diary and hand it to Pen. “This is Beast’s and my love story. It might not be the fairytale she’d expect, but it is our fairytale and she’s a part of that too.”

Pen takes the diary from me and clutches it against her chest. “I’ll take care of this, and I’ll do what you ask if anything bad happens. I promise.”

And I know, without a doubt, that she will.