“Not yet, no.”
“How do I know you weren’t here to rob me. Or to take Violet from me by gunpoint?”
Ray’s mouth contorts. “Take Violet from you. From you…”
“Ray…” I start.
“Violet,” Kill cuts me off and shakes his head.
I pull my lips tight. I wanted to remind Ray I’m not his any longer.
Ray looks at him with astonishment. And then his eyes bounce to me.
“What should I do here, Iadanza? You try to fuck me over for money. I make an arrangement with you to pay me back instead of doing what many other men in my position would do…” Killian pauses for a long moment. The silence is practically deafening before Killian speaks again. “You’ve broken our arrangement twice. That’s not respectful. Maybe I should do something that’s not respectful. Maybe I’ll do that something tonight. You get me?”
My eyes bounce between them.
“One more chance,” Ray pleads. “One more.”
“You seem to think I’m much more generous than I actually am, man.”
“I know. I apologize. I’ll do whatever I can do to make this right. With you and with Violet. Babe… I love you. I’m sorry. You’ve gotta forgive me, Vi.”
My mouth opens, but before I speak I look at Killian. I know by his face he wants me to say nothing, so I close my lips and say nothing.
Killian fiddles with his phone, looking like he’s sending a text message.
“You can go. Tony will see you out. Call me when you have my money. Don’t show up unannounced. Once bitten twice shy, but three times, Raymond?” Killian lets that hang.
“You’re gonna let me go?”
“What do you think?” Killian replies.
“Can I have two minutes with her?” Ray asks.
“Absolutely not. And you piss me off one more time, you won’t have any more kindness from me. You get me?”
The door opens and the big security guy waits.
Ray rises.
Killian nods at the guy and Ray gives me a look filled with longing before he leaves.
The door shuts.
I look to Killian and he’s standing there, flexing his jaw and glaring at the closed door with a sourness on his face that’s frankly chilling.
I’m surprised that went the way it did.
“Um, I’m kinda shocked.”
“Kinda shocked?” Killian parrots. “Why is that?”
There’s a bit of an edge to his voice.
“That it went so calmly.”
He scoffs as he rises. “You said don’t hurt him. For that reason, he’s getting his third chance. Though gotta say, I rarely give a second.” He shoots me a look that makes me bristle. “Let’s go. I’m done with this night.”
He opens the door and waits for me, gesturing for me to go ahead.
My cheeks flame as I head that way.
Minutes later, I’m in the back seat of the SUV that brought us, courtesy of Killian holding the door for me. “I’ll be five minutes,” he says while leaning in but not getting into the SUV. He slams the door and heads to the entrance where I see Jagger and Jessa standing there. She’s smoking a cigarette and her brother is casually leaned against the wall, eyes on Killian as he approaches them.
Killian speaks to them briefly and then they follow him inside.
I bite my lip and lean back against the heated leather seat.
No more than five minutes pass before Guy is approaching the SUV. He makes the universal gesture for unrolling a window and I press the power button.
“Here’s his keys; something came up. He wants you to go back to his place and says he’ll see you in the morning.”
“Oh.”
“Your driver will walk you to the door. Stan?” Guy calls in and the driver turns his head and gives Guy the thumbs up.
“Killian said he’s gonna shoot you a text with the security codes, Flower.”
“Okay,” I say, only half smiling at him calling me Flower.
“Have a good one, Stan,” Guy waves.
“Copy that,” the driver waves and starts the SUV.
Guy waves. “Have a good night.”
“Thanks, you, too.”
He’s looking at me with concern as Stan pulls away from the curb and takes us into the night.
I get a text alert.
Killian: 2582 to get in the condo. Stan will walk you to the door. Hit ‘arm’ when you get inside.
I reply with shaky fingers.
“Ok.”
28
Killian
“No,” I tell Jessa, leaving zero room for misinterpretation after she tries to move in for a kiss in the hallway while Jag’s in the men’s room. “I have shit to do and have no time for your garbage. Go home. We’re done, Jess. We were done last time we spoke.”
“You’re obviously not going home to fuck that brunette,” she states, “otherwise you wouldn’t have sent her off. I can take care of you. For old times’ sake. I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just disrespect me, but you’re skating on thin ice, Kill, so be careful here.”
“Psycho bitch,” I grumble only half under my breath.
She flashes me flirty eyes. “Psycho bitches make for great bed buddies though, don’t they, Pooky?”
Bitch really is off her rocker.
“Don’t put your hands or your mouth on me again, woman, or you’ll be sorry.”
She pouts.
Jag is back and it’s not the first time I think that of the two of them, he got all the common sense when it was doled out in their mother’s womb.
“Get her gone, man,” I gesture toward Jessa. “I do not need her bullshit tonight. You shoulda known better than to bring her here, man, especially with the concerns I had about tonight.”
“Jess,” Jag grumbles and grabs her by the elbow. “Sorry, Kill. Meet you for racquetball tomorrow before I head back?”
He gets a chin lift from me, but I also shoot him a look as I move past them to the door for the staircase. I tap the security panel with my thumb, feeling my patience slipping further as it takes a beat to read my print and grant me access.
The time it takes me to jog down the two flights of stairs to the basement and walk down the long hallway to the security booth helps me tamp down my anger. Marginally.
When I step in, I find Tony and two guards sitting and watching the surveillance monitors, and there sits Iadanza on a metal folding chair that they’ve set up so that his back is to the monitors.
The wall of monitors displays external zones as well as all internal areas; only my office is turned off because the camera for that zone is disabled while I’m in this building unless I turn it on. The two security guards sit up straighter at my arrival.
Iadanza is practically pointed at the corner looking like he’s minus one dunce cap. And he looks frazzled.
“Boys,” I greet and get a “Sir” and a “Hey, Killian.” Tony says nothing, just eyeballs Ray with an expression that can’t be mistaken for anything other than, one wrong move and I’ll kill you with my bare hands.
Something catches the attention of the guy that said hey, his nametag says Carl. Carl grabs his mic from his shoulder and calls out, “Floor team, arcade zone. Watch that guy in the blazer, green button-down, leather tie. He’s nosing around the bar shiftily.”