16. Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Sylvie
After the funeral service, Marlowe Salazar grasped my forearm and leaned in as mourners slowly filed out of the chapel. “The funeral arrangements were flawless.”
I kept my face somber and neutral. “Thank you. He seemed well-loved, and again, I’m sorry for your loss.”
He stepped a little closer. “My offer still stands. I’d like to call you next week and take you to dinner to show my gratitude. Have you been to Michel Roux?”
He was handsome, charming, and had a suave demeanor. Michel Roux was also the best French restaurant in Vegas.
But he wasn’t Drakos.
If he’d asked me before that first night at Titties, I probably would’ve said yes. The realization that I’d been drawn to Drakos from the beginning startled me.
Smiling regretfully, I took a small step back. “Truly, thank you for the invitation.”
Marlowe inclined his head. “I understand. If you change your mind in the future, and we’re both… unencumbered, please reach out.”
I nodded and moved to the side as an elderly man came over to speak with him. Turning toward the funeral home entrance, I recognized Luna’s old bodyguard, Milo Carlson, standing there watching me and scanning the crowd. Milo worked for Drakos and his partners, and he was a retired FBI agent.
I methodically worked my way over. “Hello, Milo, I take it you’re feeling better. Are you providing security for the Salazars?” Milo had been shot not long ago, and he still looked a little peaked. Mourners were filing past us, and I nodded to several.
“Hello, Sylvie. No, I’m not here for the Salazars.”
I didn’t like Milo on principle. When we first met, he took exception to my last name and I still resented him for it. Leaning in, I murmured out of the side of my mouth, “Then who are you here for?”
“You. I take it Drakos didn’t tell you,” he sighed.
When the last of the mourners filed past, I turned to him, annoyed and intrigued. “No, he didn’t. Why does he think I need a bodyguard?”
Milo scanned the surroundings. “Ivan hacked the OutKast’s clubhouse security feed a few days ago. There have been some developments.”
My heart lurched. I hoped and prayed they hadn’t found anything significant. “Do you know what it is?”
Milo glanced around. “We can talk on the way back to the loft.”
“Got it. I need to get back to work. Nice suit—you blend in well.”
After the graveside service and internment, Marlowe approached me again. He didn’t waste any time getting to the point. “Besides being beautiful, you seem to be an intelligent, competent woman who cares about the families you assist. So, I feel compelled to warn you. Drakos holds a membership to an exclusive and highly erotic club in town. I recognize that telling you this serves my own interests, but I also don’t want to see you get hurt or make any life-altering decisions without all the facts.”
I studied Marlowe as I digested his words. I already knew most of what he’d told me, but not about the club. “Thank you for the warning. You have a nice family, and Ezra told me your grandfather was a good man. I think you must be too.”
He smiled humorlessly. “He was. I, however, am not. It’s been a pleasure working with you, Ms. Spade.”
As I headed back to my office, I reflected on what Marlowe told me. I had heard rumors about some of the partners, but the thought of Drakos visiting that club and visualizing what occurred there made jealousy—and a few other emotions—twist inside me.
When I walked into the funeral home, I heard voices in Ezra’s office. Callum stood in front of Ezra’s desk with his arms folded, and Kilian sat in one of the visitor chairs.
Callum usually didn’t get involved with the day-to-day issues, but after Declan got shot, I wasn’t surprised to see him.
He turned to me when I walked in. “There was another drive-by shooting at Motorheads last night by OutKast. They shot up their storefront.”
Ezra gazed at me. “Do you know why they’d be targeting us, or Motorheads?”
“Not that I can think of,” I lied.
“Drakos Creed and his partners are part owners of Motorheads, and Drakos works in the shop sometimes,” Kilian murmured as he stared down at his phone. My stomach clenched, and I wondered where they were going with this.
Callum folded his arms. “The same MC tried to take out Declan in front of the fucking compound the other day.”
Why were they looking at me suspiciously? Did they know? “That’s a weird coincidence.”
Kilian pointed at me. “I recognize that look on your face.”
“So? This is my annoyed, pissed-off face. I have it a lot when I’m around you guys,” I countered.
Ezra interrupted by clearing his throat. “I asked the cousins to come by today. Is there anything you want to tell us?”
“Nope.” Guilt and paranoia rose in my gut.
He folded his arms and gave me a sad, disappointed look. I felt like a fifteen-year-old again.
“A few days ago, Trina came to my office sobbing and telling me what a kind, patient, loving granddaughter I have. Then she thanked me profusely for paying Camilla’s doctor bills and setting up therapy for her. I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.”
Callum raised an eyebrow. “She said Sylvie is kind and patient?”
I ignored him and stared at Ezra. “I would have told you, but it wasn’t my place.” I also hadn’t wanted my cousins to find out.
Ezra clasped his hands on top of his desk. “They’re not just our employees, Sylvie. If Camilla’s attack had something to do with Trina working for us, we all have a right to know.” He didn’t raise his voice, but his censure stung.
“Who attacked her?” Callum asked softly. I kept my mouth shut.
Ezra turned to them. “An OutKast member, but Camilla won’t say which one, and she’s afraid to testify.”
Kilian leaned back. “Why not?”
I kept my eyes on Ezra. “Because her rapist probably told her she has a nice grandmother, and it would be a shame if anything happened to her. He also likely threatened to come back.”
Ezra turned to Kilian. “Tell her.”
“One of my contacts sent me a video from Tittie’s bar that was taken last August. Drakos Creed is there with a dark-haired woman in a hideous dress and tattoos on the same night those two OutKast MC members went missing.”
“So? What does that have to do with me?”
Callum cut in. “When the woman smiled, she had dimples.”
Well, fuck.
Ezra shook his head. “Why didn’t you come to us?”
I put my hands on my head and exhaled. “Because I didn’t want anyone to start a war with them, okay?”
Kilian crossed his arms and studied me. “Why were you there with Drakos Creed? And now you’re living with him. What’s going on with you two?”
Callum nodded. “I respect the man, but he’s a cynical, deviant womanizer.”
Ezra leaned back and studied me. “He and his partners went through some horrible things, and I admire them for what they’ve built. But they’re ruthless and cold. Roman marrying Luna was bad enough.”
“It’s not like that,” I muttered lamely.
Ezra studied me. “I’m bringing your cousins into this mess, and you’re going to tell us exactly what happened.” My grandfather was the glue that held my world together when everything else fell apart. I loved the man unconditionally, and he probably understood me better than anyone, but he’d just thrown me under the bus.
A prickling sensation rolled over my shoulders. “Fenn is standing behind me, isn’t he?” I kept my face neutral. My cousins were like sharks—if they smelled nerves or fear, it would be a bloodbath.
Callum glanced over my shoulder. “Yep.”
I slowly turned around to face Fenn, and the fury in his eyes made me take a step back.
He folded his arms and glared at me. “So you put a fucking target on your back to protect us? You don’t get to decide that on your own.”
“Fenn, I–”
“Shut. Up. You’re going to tell me what the fuck’s going on. One of our employee’s kids was raped by a fucking biker , you’re at Titties with Drakos Fucking Creed, and MC members are going missing.” His voice got louder, and he ran his fingers through his hair. “Talk!”
I shook my head. “You just told me to shut up. So which is it? Do you want me to talk or shut up?”
He growled and Ezra sighed loudly. “Quit bickering, you two. Sylvie, tell us what happened.”
“Camilla begged me not to say anything. The only reason I found out was because Trina called me from the hospital, frantic.”
Kilian shook his head. “If an MC member raped her, it was aimed at the Spade family. We need to know who it was.”
I started pacing. “Camilla is… struggling. She’s stopped going to school and won’t leave Trina’s apartment. God, this is my fault.”
“It isn’t, Sylvie,” Ezra murmured quietly.
“It is, okay?” To my profound embarrassment, my voice cracked. “If I hadn’t spent time with them, maybe they wouldn’t have targeted her. Her attacker could have seen us at the park playing chess, or at her robotics competitions, or even here at the mortuary.” My throat closed and I struggled to finish. “Why didn’t they come after me instead?”
Fenn swore under his breath and Ezra flinched.
“Do you know who her attacker is?” Kilian asked quietly.
“Was. He’s no longer breathing.”
Fenn nodded, and Ezra paled and slowly sat back. “Please tell me someone else took care of him.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want us to start a war with a goddamned motorcycle gang if the man acted alone.”
“Did Drakos do it for you?” Ezra asked hopefully.
“No. I told you, I took care of it, and your gender bias is showing, Grandpa.”
A faint frown tugged on Ezra’s lips. “That’s not true.” I raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged faintly. “Alright, maybe it’s a little true. I’m sorry, sometimes I’m a product of my era.”
“He needed to die, and I got the job done. That’s all you need to know.”
Fenn grunted and pulled out his phone. “If you aren’t going to tell us the whole story, I’ll get it another way.” He walked out into the chapel area to make his call.
“You’re a lot like your mother. Even if she was drowning, she’d try to save everyone around her first,” Ezra murmured. For all her faults, Mom had been a strong champion of the marginalized and downtrodden.
“Minus the flair for dramatic, permanent exits,” I muttered, then winced. Maybe I was still a little angry at her.
He looked down at the scars on my arms. “If you keep trying to save everyone but yourself, you may end up making a dramatic, permanent exit yourself.” Sometimes, the truth cut a little too close to the bone.
I heard Fenn raise his voice out in the hall. “Who is he calling?” I wondered.
“The only other person who knows what happened that night,” Kilian replied calmly.
My eyes went wide. “Oh, damn,” I whispered.