The Sinner's Club [18+] Complete

chapter twenty-three

"THE DEAL IS off. You need to leave."

Dario stares up at Nathaniel in shock as he slides in front of Gabi, blocking her from Dario's wandering eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"I said get out of my club. And don't come back."

Gabi glances back at me in confusion. "Nate?" She asks.

"Go with Wren to the changing room and wait for me there," Nathaniel commands without looking away from Dario for even a moment.

Gabi doesn't hesitate to comply, turning in her tall heels and coming towards me, entwining her arm with mine and leading the way toward the hallway.

Reaper passes us, laser-eyed and glaring at Dario, ready to kick him out if he protests or refuses to leave.

I look over my shoulder to see Dario and Nathaniel exchanging heated words, then they are out of sight as we head down the dimly lit hallway and toward the changing room.

"What was all that about?" Gabi asks me once we're inside. Her voice is always smooth and soft, almost like a lullaby.

"That man was going to invest in the new franchise. But apparently he's some stalker creep who followed women from another club." I shudder at the thought.

Gabi goes very still, her olive skin paling.

"I'm sure it's going to be fine," I rush to assure her. "Nathaniel and Reaper will take care of it."

She turns away, wrapping her arms around her body.

I don't know what to say or how to comfort her.

We wait in tense silence for five or so minutes and then the door to the changing room opens and Nathaniel comes inside, Reaper a silent shadow behind him.

"Is he gone?" Gabi asks, her voice so quiet I can hardly hear it.

"He's gone. It's fine, Gabi; he won't come near you again." Nathaniel sounds so sure of himself.

I have always thought it was just plain confidence, but now I wonder if some of his bravado is merely a front.

"What are you going to do about the franchise?" I wonder.

He shrugs. "There's always more investors. Or I'll just front the capital myself if I have to." His eyes ping over to Gabi. "Reaper's going to drive you home. You should take tomorrow off."

"I'm fine," she whispers.

"I said have the day," Nathaniel presses, a hard edge lining his voice. "Come on, Wren. My driver will take you home."

"I'll take Amelia," Reaper cuts in. "Your driver can take Gabi."

Nathaniel glares at him and the tension in the room chokes me.

For a long moment, I don't know what Nathaniel is going to do. "Let's go, Wren," he grits out, holding his hand out for me. Apparently he doesn't deem Reaper worth arguing with.

I exchange a glance with Reaper, but this fight is not worth earning Nathaniel's ire. So I walk forward and let him slip his palm onto my back, leaving Reaper to take Gabi home.

Outside the club, I inhale clean, crisp night air. A black town car pulls up to the curb of the road and Nathaniel leads me over to it, holding the door open for me.

I slide inside onto supple leather and am surprised when he climbs in beside me.

"You don't need to escort me," I tell him awkwardly. "I'm alright."

He doesn't reply, telling the driver my address and then sitting back with his elbow resting on the armrest, his thumb rubbing along his bottom lip as he stares out the window.

We drive in silence for a minute or so before I quietly say, "Tell me about you and Gabi."

He goes still, refusing to look at me. I study his profile, the beautiful lines of his face, the high cheekbones and straight nose. "What do you want to know?" He's tense now, borderline uncomfortable.

I shrug. "You clearly care about her."

"I don't care about anyone, little bird," he bites back.

I just shake my head. "You're so full of it."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You're full of shit."

He turns to stare at me, eyes narrowed. "Since when did you get such a mouth on you?"

A long sigh leaves me. "Maybe I got tired of men's bullshit."

The corner of his mouth nearly curls up. He studies me for a few beats. "I've known her a long time. She was in a bad situation when I met her and to be honest, I wasn't doing much better. I don't have family...but if I did, she'd be it."

I shake my head, confused. "And yet, you still have her working for you in that club. She doesn't like it and you know that."

He scoffs. "Yes, I know that. You think she'd still be working there if it were up to me? Of course not. But Gabi is fiercely independent and she doesn't want my help, or anyone's help for that matter. If I said she couldn't work there anymore, she'd just go somewhere else. At least if she's close by, I can..."

"Protect her?" I question and he says nothing as we turn onto the street of my apartment building. "I don't understand why she won't accept your help if you've known each other for so long."

"Because she's smart. She doesn't want to owe anyone a thing and she doesn't trust anyone."

"I think you're worth trusting." The words escape me before I can swallow them, before I can bite them back. I don't know what compels me to say it or where the sentiment comes from, but to me it does ring true. Despite how much of an asshole he's been, Nathaniel has proved himself trustworthy.

He glares at me, as cold as a glacier, the air in the car turning frigid. "Then you're just as naive as you were the first time you walked into my club. You haven't learnt a damn thing."

The car pulls to a stop right outside my building. He reaches across me, his shoulder brushing my chest, and I am momentarily caught up in his scent—in burgundy and sandalwood. He shoves open the car door and sits back.

"Get out." He dismisses me, like I am nothing more than his employee. But I am even less than that; I don't work for him, I just owe him. It's slavery more than employment. You can always quit a job, but I can never quit this debt, can never quit Nathaniel Sterling.

"Fine." I won't argue with him. I slide out and walk away.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: A short chapter, I know, but I feel like we're finally getting to know a tiny bit more about Nathaniel (when you think about it...we know almost NOTHING). I hope you enjoyed and thank you so much for reading!