Savage (Park Avenue Kings #1)

10. Lachlan

10

LACHLAN

T HE ELEVATOR OPENED and I stepped out onto the second floor at Libertine, which contained our members-only fine-dining establishment, along with my current destination—Elixir.

There were more members than I’d expected for the late hour, but we all had something we needed to escape, didn’t we? Like bad decisions. Or the temptation to turn around and repeat them, consequences be damned.

I headed straight for the bar, needing something strong to take the edge off. Despite coming like a fucking geyser inside of Cooper’s tight ass, I was still riding the high of adrenaline, and this was the safest outlet for me right now. The alternative was roaming the streets looking for trouble, and I was already caught up in an untenable situation. I didn’t need to add more to my plate.

The bartender looked up, saw me coming, and held up a finger to those he was serving to rush over to me.

“A double whiskey on the rocks,” I said. In a matter of seconds, the glass was in my hands, and I took a long, much-needed swallow.

“Drinking at the bar alone? What trouble have you been enjoying?” Alessio smirked as he slid in beside me, and the bartender was already back and ready for his order. “A Negroni, thanks.”

“A man can’t drink in peace anymore.”

“He can. If he’s got something to hide.” Alessio frowned as he studied my face. “Where’ve you been?”

“None of your business.”

“Really?” He leaned in to sniff me, and I shoved him away.

“What the fuck?”

“You smell like sex. Did you just come from the fifth floor?”

It would’ve been easier to just say yes, that a visit to the more salacious parts of the Libertine club was where I’d chosen to get off, but I wouldn’t put it past Alessio to check the security feeds later just to see who was coming and going.

And the last thing I needed was his ass sniffing around.

“No.”

“No. That’s it?”

I side-eyed him. “That’s it.”

Alessio took a sip of his drink, and just when I thought he’d let it go, he narrowed his eyes. “You’re full of shit.”

“And you’re annoying as shit. Jesus, I just want to enjoy my fucking drink. Is that too much to ask?”

“No, but you look like you’d rather drown yourself in it than actually consume it.” Alessio shrugged. “In my experience that means one of two things. You regret what you did, or you don’t and know you can’t have it again.”

Fucking Alessio. If he wasn’t such a good friend, I might’ve knocked him out just to shut him up. But the truth was, if anyone knew about regret, it was him. And in this very moment I definitely fell into the second category, and that was pissing me off.

“Ah, I see, you want what you can’t have.” He gestured to the bartender, his eyes never leaving mine. “Sucks, doesn’t it?”

I grunted and downed the contents of my glass in one long swallow just as the bartender arrived.

“He’ll take another,” Alessio said, and as the bartender made what was no doubt to be the second of many drinks I was about to consume, Alessio leaned into the counter and ran his eyes down over me.

“Would you stop looking at me? It’s creepy.”

“I’m looking for clues.”

“This isn’t a How to Host a Murder Mystery party.”

“Are you sure? Last time we chatted, there were a few bodies left in your wake.”

I narrowed my eyes on the sarcastic prick. “Don’t you have some computer to hack? Some government to infiltrate? I thought you only ventured above ground once a month.”

“This is that one time. I was coming to stock up on some gin but when I saw you, I thought?—”

“‘Why not go and annoy the shit out of my friend?’”

“—I haven’t seen Lachlan for a few days, wonder what he’s been up to. Especially after he took a vested interest in a certain…Cooper Patterson.”

My spine stiffened—not to mention something else below my belt.

“You know, for someone as stealthy as you generally are, those stiff shoulders are a dead giveaway, friend.”

“Fuck you.”

“Thanks, but I don’t like playing second fiddle.”

I rolled my eyes as I reached for my refreshed drink and took a sip. “You don’t play any fiddle these days.”

“It’s a choice.”

“It’s a punishment, but whatever floats your boat. Unlike you, I’m not a nosy bastard.”

“Whatever. It’s my job to gather information.”

“When it’s needed.”

“This is needed. You’re playing with fire for this guy, and if King finds out…”

He didn’t need to say what would happen. I was already walking a thin line with King, and if he found out I’d been following Cooper, that I’d just spent the night inside him? Let’s just say I liked being alive.

“I know. All right? You don’t need to keep harping on it.”

“Apparently I do,” Alessio said. “Did this guy weave some kind of spell over you that night in the alley? You’ve been a man obsessed.”

He didn’t know the half of it.

“Was tonight the first night you’ve seen him?”

Not wanting to compound my fuck-ups by lying to my friend more than I needed to, I decided to skirt the truth instead.

“It was the first night I fucked him.”

Alessio opened his mouth like he was going to say something but then clicked it shut. “But not the first night you’ve seen him?”

I raised a brow, and he stared at me for a long moment before calling down the bar, “We need shots, and keep ’em coming.” Then he picked up his glass and gestured for me to follow him to a private U-shaped booth in the back corner.

He didn’t wait for me to fully slide in the booth before saying, “Tell me everything. And don’t even think about leaving out why you’re wearing your leathers instead of a suit.”

“Christ, you’re?—”

“Perceptive? Yeah. I am.” He nodded at the bartender setting a couple rounds of shots in front of us.

“He doesn’t know it was me.”

“Clarify.”

I reached into the inner pocket of my coat and set the mask on the table between us.

“Are you fucking insane?”

“Yeah.” I tossed back a shot, relishing the burn. “I think I am.”

Leaning in, he lowered his voice even though there was no one around our booth to hear us. “You fucked him in your mask ?”

The whiskey was making its way through my system, warming my insides and taking the edge off. Unfortunately, that also meant my lips were looser than usual.

I nodded. “I did.”

“And Cooper…wanted you to?”

“Christ, Alessio, you think I’m some kind of predator? He invited me in.”

“Oh. The guy’s got some hero worship goin’ on.”

“Don’t fucking call me that.”

“It’s true, though.” He dangled a shot from his fingers, a knowing smile on his lips. “You saved his life and he decides to thank you with his body.”

“That’s not—” I stopped, let that thought roll around my brain. I would’ve known a thank-you fuck. “It wasn’t like that. He would’ve fucked me as Lachlan too.”

Alessio choked on his drink and coughed. “What?”

“You really underestimate me, don’t you?

“No. No, no, no.” He shook his head and pointed at me with his shot glass. “You did not introduce yourself to that guy. You didn’t. And how do I know that? Because you’re a smart asshole and you’d know better than to let this shit get messier than it is.”

“I’m aware. You don’t think I’ve told myself the same thing over and over again? I don’t know what it is about this guy. Maybe the fact he seems so…out of place here?”

“And you thought you’d, what? Break him in to the seedier side of New York?”

“Gee, thanks, fucker.”

“You’re the one acting like a stalker.”

“Whatever.” I downed another shot and slumped back in my seat. “It’s over now. Tonight was it.”

“Yes, because if you weren’t jonesing for the guy before you had your dick in him, you definitely won’t be now.”

“Remind me again why we’re friends.”

“I know all your secrets?”

He did now.

“Right?” Alessio said. “This is the only thing you’re keeping from me? Because I can’t help you if I don’t know.”

“Because you were such a help the other night?”

He picked up one of the last two shots and slid the other to me. “You and I both know the only person who comes before us is?—”

“King.”

“Right. So stop busting my balls over that and drink your fucking shot.”

We both downed the fiery liquid in one gulp, slamming the glasses onto the table.

“And one last thing,” Alessio added. “If you plan to start stalking your little misfit?—”

“Boy Scout.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

“Make sure you check in with me. Last thing I need is for you to wind up dead on my watch.”

“Such a good friend.” I snorted, ran a hand through my hair, and froze.

Oh fuck. Fuck…

I shoved my hand in my pocket for my gloves, and that was when I realized I’d left one of the damn things at Cooper’s. When I entered the club, my head had been so jumbled that I didn’t even realize I’d only taken one off.

Goddamn it.