Chapter 43
Locked in Beau’s office at Hazard in New Orleans, my mind is split between discussing the final details of the nightclub acquisition and Jackie, who I know is walking through the place with his wife.
Even though we’ve been in Louisiana for several days, it’s the first time I’ve brought her here.
“It’s a low-risk business,” I say, referring to the companies I’m buying.
“It’s not just low-risk, it’s completely legit. Little by little, the lawyers will be able, through legal maneuvers, to prove you could have bought them all along.”
“That’s what I pay them three hundred bucks an hour for.”
“They’re sharks, no doubt, but very necessary in the food chain. At first, all eyes will be on you. Acquiring the clubs will draw some attention. Other businessmen will want to know who you are.”
“And who am I?”
“Besides Satan himself?” He smirks, but his face quickly turns serious. “My protégé. You won’t have to hide in the shadows anymore.”
“I like the shadows.”
“I know. But right now you’ve got too much to lose. With Jackie at your side, the shadows are dangerous. I’m not telling you to flaunt her. That’s not what I do with Amber or my kids. But it’s important that every organization and your possible enemies know she exists.”
I nod in agreement. “I never thought I’d be doing this.”
“Settling down?”
“Yeah. And getting married too.”
“Sounds like it’s permanent now.”
“It is.”
“Does Jackie know that?”
“Jackie told me she loves me. If that’s true, she won’t walk away.”
“I believe you. But there’s something you need to understand, Lucifer: women aren’t like us. They need more.”
“More what?”
“You’re still at the start of your marriage, but at some point Jackie’s going to want a real house, not that apartment you live in.”
I nod. “When she was a teenager, she said she’d get married and live on an island. Or somewhere near the beach.”
“Then buy her one.”
I just stare at him, and he knows what my silence means.
“You think she’ll leave when she finds out the truth.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
“You’re only looking at it from one angle, like you always do, Lucifer.”
“From the angle I think she’ll see too.”
“Not if you tell her everything.”
“And what good would that do her?”
“She’s an adult. Stop protecting her. Let Jackie handle her own shit.”
“I’ll have to think about that.”
“You’re stubborn as hell.”
I grin. “And you’re the most flexible man alive.”
“Changing the subject: about the honeymoon, are you sure you’ll be safe on the island?”
“Absolutely. There’s only one way onto the property. You need a yacht, and even then it has to anchor a few miles offshore.”
“I can’t understand how we still haven’t found that son of a bitch hunting you.”
I shake my head, wondering how the bastard keeps hiding like a damn ghost. “I’ll get him eventually.
It’s the twenty-first century—no one can hide that long or that well.
That’s not what worries me. It’s the obsession he seems to have with me.
The attempted kidnapping of Jackie was full of details, which means he plans every move.
Something tells me he never really meant to take her that day. ”
“What do you mean?”
“He took a huge risk. Being my wife, Jackie could have been armed, could have overpowered the bitch who came after her, and brought her straight to me.”
“But you think your enemy knew she wouldn’t?”
“Yeah. He’s studied not just me but my wife too.”
“I want to kill that motherfucker with my bare hands just for coming near her. The damned agreement between organizations, that wives and daughters are untouchable, has never been broken, except for that sloppy attempt by those Los Morales idiots. Other than that, we’ve all respected it.
We live by it. It’s the only thing that lets us sleep at night. ”
“I don’t care about dying,” I say, “but the thought of Jackie falling into the hands of someone who lives like a murderer, without rules, drives me insane.”
“You need to think about who he could be, Lucifer.”
“I already have. And like I told you, I’ve killed every enemy I had.”
“Not every one. You’ve got one left. And we need to find him.”