Aiden and Charlotte sat outside Club Cain — a club owned by Dominic Grayson, the second most powerful mob boss in Chicago.
Having lunch there with Charlotte would be the perfect way to take a look around without being noticed. It's dangerous, but it might be worth the risk to learn more about Dominic and his.
"Let's have lunch there. I think that's a great idea," he told Charlotte.
She smiled back at him. "Yay!"
* * *
As Aiden and Charlotte entered Club Cain, Aiden looked around. The scale of the space was impressive — nearly as opulent as The Sapphire Club, only with a darker, seedier vibe.
As they walked through the club to find a table, Aiden noticed that a lot of the clientele were carrying weapons tucked into suit pockets or in the back of their pants.
I've gotta watch my step around here. Everybody in here's armed.
After Charlotte and Aiden finished lunch, they sipped on cocktails, soaking in the atmosphere.
"Well, that was delicious." Charlotte stared into Aiden's eyes.
"Not as good as The Sapphire Club, but almost," Aiden said with a wink.
Charlotte leaned in closer. "So, tell me more about yourself."
Aiden hesitated. "I think the music in here is a bit loud for deep conversation, don't you think?"
"Don't do that. Don't deflect. You said you work for Cyrus? What do you do for him? I want to know more about you."
Aiden chuckled. "I'm sure your life is way more interesting than mine."
She smiled. "Nobody ever wants to hear about me."
"I do."
There was a loaded pause between them. Then Aiden overheard two men talking at the next table.
"There's a rumor going around that The Tiger is alive, and he's back in Chicago."
"Well, even if that's true, he's certainly no match for Dominic Grayson."
Aiden cocked his head to one side, trying to eavesdrop.
"But don't you think we should try to find him?"
"Shut up, Johnny. We should do nothing. The Tiger isn't going to change anything. You can't even compare The Tiger to Dominic."
The man named Johnny sighed. "Okay, whatever you say."
Charlotte, who had also been eavesdropping, scoffed and sipped her drink. "Those idiots must be drunk. I wouldn't dare talk about The Tiger in Dominic Grayson's club."
Aiden blinked at Charlotte. "You know about The Tiger? And Dominic?"
She nodded. "Of course, everybody knows about The Tiger in Chicago. He's basically a legend. Whoever he is."
Then Johnny piped up again. "Look, all I'm saying is that everybody knows that The Tiger and his mob are serious business. If he really is back, don't you think we should—"
"Dude! I'd shut up if I were you," the other man interjected. "It sounds like you think The Tiger is better than Dominic."
"Well, maybe he is," Johnny replied.
The other man groaned. "We'd better get out of here before somebody overhears your loud mouth."
Without another word, the two men stood up and hurried out of the club. As they did, Aiden noticed something strange. In a corner booth, sitting by himself, a peculiar-looking man in a dark suit had been watching them leave. He quietly tossed some cash down on the table, stood up, and followed the two men out.
Charlotte's voice snapped Aiden back to reality. "Look, there's not much to know about me. I'd really prefer to hear about you!"
He had almost forgotten he was still sitting at a table with her.
He didn't reply. Instead, he watched carefully as the man in the dark suit pulled out a gun and exited the club.
"Would you excuse me for a second, Charlotte? I've just got to… get something out of the car."
Without wasting another second, Aiden jumped up and began trailing the man in the dark suit. Charlotte called after him. "Uhm, okay, but you're coming back, right, Aiden?"
Aiden kept moving, not responding. I have a feeling something's about to go down. I need to see where this guy's going.
* * *
Aiden followed the mysterious man out of the club and into an alley, careful not to be spotted. He clung to the shadows as the sun sank lower in the sky.
After a few minutes, he reached a dead end in a back alley and spotted the man in the dark suit along with a handful of other thugs. Carrying bats and guns, they surrounded Johnny — the man Aiden had overheard sticking up for him in the restaurant.
A few of them beat Johnny with the bats as he yelped in pain.
"This'll teach you to badmouth the boss!"
"Where's your precious Tiger now!"
The thugs jeered and laughed as the beating continued. Aiden stepped forward from his hiding place.
"Hey!"
His voice echoed through the alley. All of the thugs stopped and turned to face him.
"Back away from him, and nobody has to get hurt. This ends now."
There was a moment of silence. Then all of the thugs started laughing. The man in the dark suit stepped forward. "Oh, yeah, what are you gonna do to stop us?"
Aiden cracked his knuckles. "Let's dance, big guy."
* * *
Without wasting another second, Aiden charged at the thugs before they had a chance to pull out their guns. Several of them fired shots at him. Aiden snatched the lid from a nearby garbage can and flung it at them. The lid smacked one of them in the head and rattled off the others like a pinball.
Aiden grabbed the gun from one thug's hand, disarming him, then used the butt of the gun to knock another unconscious. With his free hand, he punched the man in the dark suit square in the jaw.
The last remaining thug charged. "You son of a bitch!"
Aiden heard him coming and ducked, narrowly missing a burst of gunfire. While crouched, he swept his leg out in a wide circle, tripping the thug. The man fell to the ground with a sickening crunch — his leg breaking on impact.
"Agh! I think you broke my leg!"
Aiden smirked, staring down at the goon. "Yeah? Well, I hear that's good luck." He kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious.
Aiden stood over the group of thugs, triumphant. From behind him, he heard Johnny's voice.
"W-who are you?" Aiden turned around to face him, smiling.
"I'll tell you who I am, so long as you promise me one thing."
"Anything, anything." Johnny quaked as blood dripped from his nose.
"This secret stays between you and me."
Johnny nodded.
Aiden grinned. "I'm The Tiger." Without another word, he headed back out of the alley, the low sun silhouetting him like an action hero.
* * *
After the fight, Aiden drove Charlotte home.
"You can drop me off on the corner."
Aiden pulled the car over. "Thanks for joining me for lunch."
"Oh no, thank you. I had a great time." She smiled and tossed her auburn hair once more. There was a moment of silence between them. Aiden could feel the tension. No, I can't be attracted to her. She's my fiancée's best friend.
"Goodnight, Aiden." She stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk, waving at him as he drove away.
* * *
That was one of the longest days of my life. Aiden chuckled to himself when he returned to the Stone mansion. He was covered with bruises from the fight, and his clothes were all scuffed up. They're not going to like how I look right now. But at least I've got some good news for Ava's parents about my new job. I'm one step closer to winning them over.
As he walked toward the living room, he could hear Sandra, Robert, and Ava arguing.
"How could he do this to us?! He's already made a mockery of this family." Sandra shouted, crossing her arms.
"It's a disgrace, an absolute disgrace!" Robert huffed.
Ava exhaled sharply. "I'm going to have words with him when he gets home."
"Uh, when who gets home?" Aiden interrupted.
Sandra rolled her eyes. "Ugh, there he is, my future son-in-law! You better have a good explanation for this, young man!"
"Do you have any idea how this makes our family look?" Robert tapped his foot.
Ava paced back and forth. "If you pull one more stunt like this, I'll lose my inheritance and we'll both be screwed!!"
Aiden's head was spinning. "Slow down, slow down! What on earth are you guys talking about?"
Without skipping a beat, Sandra produced a tablet, turning the screen toward him. "That little scene you made at The Sapphire Club today. It's everywhere! Our family's reputation could be ruined by this if they find out you're connected to us!"
Aiden glanced down at the tablet. On the screen, he watched a video taken by a bystander of his fight with the drunken man at the Sapphire Club.
His breath grew shaky. I'm already on such thin ice with the Stones. How am I going to explain this to them?