“Of course not. But I have experience. And I’m very persuasive.”
He didn’t seem convinced. “I don’t know, Annie—”
“April,” I corrected. “And I do know. I can do this.”
“Are you nuts? Something like this is dangerous. You’re talking about going deep undercover to research one of the most notorious clubs in the city, active or not. Owned by a deadly and extremely dangerous man. We can’t guarantee your safety.”
Was I daring the devil? Maybe. But I wasn’t going to back down.
“I’m not expecting you to,” I said. “Look, Underground has never done anything like this. It could really change the way people look at us.” He met my gaze, and I noticed a spark in his eyes. “We have attention now that Dave’s post went viral. People are going to expect us to do something big again, to churn out more content. What’s bigger than exposing the truth about a club everybody thinks is gone? It’s hard to go outside and not bump into somebody who’s been personally affected by at least some sort of club or gang activity.”
I hoped to play into Chris’s ego.
Clearly, being the best mattered to him. He seemed to get off on attention. If I were right, and I was pretty damn sure that I was, the idea of being the news (and I used that term loosely) outlet that was responsible for outing the return of the Hell’s Seven would be too good an opportunity to pass up.
Chris leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin in thought as he stared off into space. As the silent seconds ticked by, my anxiety ramped up. He was taking far too long for my liking to decide. I could almost see the rejection coming my way, and I wasn’t going to let it happen.
“Listen, I’m coming to you as a courtesy.” I spoke up, switching my approach. “I’m going to do this. I know I have to. If you don’t want me to, that’s fine. I’ll take what I find to somebody else. Maybe TMZ or one of the other larger websites…” I let my words hang in the air and made a move to stand up.
Chris extended his hand, motioning for me to sit. “All right, all right, let’s not be too hasty. Calm down.”
“Oh, I am calm. This is the calmest I think I’ve ever been. You pride yourself on letting your employees ‘go with their gut’ and ‘write what they feel,’ yet you hesitate to let me do something that could make a difference. I’m clearly wasting my time and yours. I’d rather be out there writing something more meaningful than the top-thirty celebrity divorces of the year.”
For the first time since I met him, Chris actually seemed impressed. I wondered how many people had ever stood up to him or spoken out like I had. Probably not many, because his demeanor changed.
I felt like I finally had his full attention.
“That’s fair enough,” he said. “Although that top thirty got us a hell of a lot of clicks. But I see your point.” He studied me closely. “You really think there’s a story here?”
“Of course there is! If we can prove the gang is back in action, that’ll be huge for us. I already gave you my pitch, and I’m not going to run through it again. What do you say? Will you let me do this, or do I have to go somewhere else?”
Chris tapped his fingers on the desk. “How about we switch the focus of your research?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t focus on the gang as a whole. Focus on this mysterious leader. He’s what’s going to make this article. Don’t get me wrong, proving the gang is back is definitely a story. However, a profile on the new gang leader that nobody can get a beat on? That is what’s going to sell and make it stand out.”
I tried not to grin.
Little did he know, it had been my original idea to focus on Vorn, but I didn’t think Chris would go for it. If I had marched in there and led with that, I figured he would have laughed me out of his office. The gang as a whole had seemed a safer option. Chris played right into my hands.
“I mean, if you think that would be best,” I said as nonchalantly as I could. “It would definitely make a much better story. If we can expose Joshua Vorn as the gang leader, he can’t hide in the shadows anymore, and he wouldn’t be able to run from the cops.”
“Sure he can.” Chris waved his hand dismissively. “But that’s not up to us. Let the cops deal with that.
“Regardless, the story does have potential.” He studied me again and then sighed. “Well, if you’re going to do it anyway, fine, go ahead. At least I can say I had a part in it.”
Look at that scumbag, I thought to myself. He didn’t even try to hide his assholery. Of course he’d make this all about him, but that was nothing new. He’d pulled this shit several times before—not on me—but other employees, taking credit for their hard work. The man would sell his grandma for the next big story. Rumor had it, he had. But rumors were half-bullshit, so who knew? I only knew Chris was a creep, and whatever I found undercover, he’d likely try and say it had all been his idea. I’d cross that bridge if I came to it.
Either way, I was on the case.
Eager to leave, I stood. “You won’t regret this.”
“Oh, I’m sure I will. Now get out of my office.”
I didn’t waste any time.
I left, letting myself grin like an idiot. On my way to my desk, I could feel Dave watching me again (my face, surprisingly), but this time, I didn’t bother to give him the time of day. He had no idea what I had planned. Neither of them did. This article could boost Underground NYC for sure, but it would help me so I could actually leave this job and find another—well, at least one that had a boss who was in it for the right reasons. Underground NYC had given me a chance when nobody else would (trust me, I’d tried), and for that, I was grateful. I could build a paper airplane the size of Texas from the number of rejection letters I’d received. But soon, I understood why. The turnaround rate was enormous. If I played this right, and the article made the splash I hoped it would, I could get any reporter job I wanted.
And honestly, it was all I’d ever wanted: to be a respected reporter. I had no desire to write for slimy tabloids. I wanted to seek out truth and justice and not answer to a slimeball who’d do anything for a story, regardless of how it came about, even if it meant creating falsehoods to make it “juicier” for click-bait articles. The thought made me sick.
At my desk, I grabbed my bag, shoving my tablet inside, and picked up my cell. There was no way I was going to spend the rest of my day sitting at my desk. I had important shit to do, a cover story to make, and a job application to fill out.
Before I tucked my phone away, it began to ring, my father’s name appearing on the caller ID. I ignored it.
3
Vorn
I stood naked in my studio apartment, staring out the large expansion of windows at the darkening cityscape. I’d never been much of a morning person. I’d always functioned better at night, and that was one of the reasons I’d bought Sinner’s Lounge. I needed a way to make money without having to get up so goddamn early to do it.
Me and the boys had gotten back late last night after taking a road trip to Narraganset Bay, visiting the Rhode Island chapter, stopping for a beer at Suzi’s Tipsy Motor Shack to chill. I’d hooked up with one of my no-strings girls after I got home.