Chapter 7
SEVEN
CHANEL
Lights flashed and the thumping of music pounded in my chest. The audience was electric, singing along with each of our lyrics.
“Thank you, New York!” I yelled into the mic and held my arm up.
The crowd went wild, and the screams brought a smile to my face. Beside me Regan spun and danced to the beat. She held her mic out to the crowd, and they yelled our own lyrics back at us. She turned toward me and winked before we both stood side by side and blew kisses to the fans.
Even the security guards were joining in the festivities. A bigger bald guard stood there with his arms crossed and his head bobbing to the beat. This wasn’t so out of place for a guard, but what drew my eye toward him was the teal and pink bow taped to the side of his shining head.
The cop standing next to him had a bow of his own taped to the top of his hat. When he spun around to face me, I recognized him instantly as Louie, Tanya’s son, who’d helped us a few weeks ago in the train station. I gave him a wave, and he nodded back.
I froze as the words hit me. “Cheese and crackers.”
A laser light flew into my eye, blinding me for a moment, and I turned to shake it off.
Regan moved to my side. “Are you alright?”
“Cheese and crackers!”
“What?” she yelled over the band.
I pulled her earpiece out and leaned in closer. “Cheese and crackers! Louie yelled cheese and crackers in the train station that day.”
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“He knows who they are! Cheese and crackers.” I motioned to Louie. “He knows!”
Her eyes widened and she nodded in his direction. “Go talk to him. I’ve got this.”
I gave her a nod and ran to the side of the stage where Louie stood guard and motioned for him to make his way backstage. Behind me, Regan spoke into the mic. “Let’s slow this down a minute. I want to get to know you better, New York.”
The crowd went nuts and a stool was brought out on stage for her just as I dipped behind the curtains.
The stage crew all watched me with wide eyes as I passed under the metal structures that held up the screens around the back part of the stage.
They all had walkie talkie earpieces in their ears and spoke to each other as I passed.
I moved behind a black curtain and down a ramp to where Louie stood.
He was tall, with well-muscled arms and a sleek physique. The uniform fit him well. He held his arms out in a what gives motion. “What’s goin’ on?”
I sucked in a breath and the words tumbled from my mouth. “Cheese and crackers.”
He wrinkled his nose at me. “What?”
“You said cheese and crackers in the train station that day. What did you mean?”
His eyes lit with recognition and his lips pulled up into a smile. “Oh yeah. They’re these old-ass vampire brothers, Kaso and Andreas. They used to run things back in the day. Now they’re just doing business.”
That sounded suspicious. “What kind of business?”
He paused and his hazel eyes darted. “You know, I’m not quite sure.”
Not helpful. “What do you mean by run things back in the day?”
“Oh, man, they were the O.G. mobsters. They might’ve even originated the word.
They had a finger in all the mob ties and made a killin’ off it too.
But they got out of that a while ago and never actually did anything physical to anyone, so there was no turning them in back then.
” He shrugged. “They were good at dancing around the law.”
Still are. These were the guys we were looking for. I was sure of it. “What’s with the cheese and crackers?”
He gave a light chuckle and shook his head. “Well, you know they’re brothers . . . Kaso is Cheese and Andreas, well, it’s kind of like the San Andreas fault . . . so Crackers. As in, the ground is cracking.”
I rolled my eyes. “Really? That’s how they got their names? Really?”
“Hilarious, right?” He snorted.
“Yeah . . . hilarious.” I glanced back at the stage. The crowd had calmed while Regan sang one of her ballads. “Do you know where I can find these two?”
“Yeah, of course.” He pointed over his shoulder and rattled off an address.
I made a mental note of where it was, and I knew I could get there quickly. Regan had three more songs to go in her little set. I could get there and back by then. “Thanks, Louie.”
I turned away from him to head back to the stage to signal to Regan I was going, but he called out to me. “Should I be on the lookout for them? You need me to grab em’ if I see em’?”
“Nah, we got this.” I gave him a little wave and ran up the ramp to the side-stage.
Regan’s eyes darted to mine and I gave her a little sign.
I wasn’t going to engage them, but I needed to know if it was them or not.
She gave me a subtle nod, and I didn’t wait for anything else.
I turned and ran as fast as I could through the backstage area, into the bowels of Madison Square Garden, past metal beams and walls made of thick concrete, and through an exit, shoving my shoulder into the door and running out into the street.
My wings popped from my back, and I shot into the air.
Wind whipped by me as I soared high over the city.
The lights of Times Square glowed like a beacon in the night.
I turned away from them, heading toward Central Park.
The world flew by, and I was at their building in moments.
It was on the opposite end of the park, nowhere near The Emerald.
Even so I found it hard to believe these two were in the same city and we had no idea they existed until now.
Louie said they were mobsters back in the day.
How long had these two been at this game?
Their building came into view, and I dropped down on the balcony of the penthouse suite.
The balcony ran the expanse of the entire top floor.
Modern chic outdoor furniture was arranged in such a way that if they entertained, there would be multiple places for people to sit and chat.
Small tables sat at the center of each grouping with flickering mini-fireplaces in each.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows was a large living room with large white furniture, black walls, and black marble flooring.
It screamed bachelor pad, with its oversized TV and lack of any decorative flares.
I slid the door open and strolled inside.
The door automatically shut behind me. It had that just cleaned fresh scent, and the noise from the city was drowned out by the thick glass doors.
I ran my finger over the marble countertop.
The stone held the cold from the apartment and sent a shiver over my spine. It was too still, too quiet.
“I didn’t realize Virtues were in the habit of breakin’ in,” his deep, rumbling voice came from the darkness.
I startled and spun around to face him. “You.”
“Me?” He strode forward with his hand pressed to his chest.
“You,” was all that came out again.
The corner of his mouth pulled up, and he ran his hand through this dark hair.
His golden eyes bore into mine as he stood there with one hand in his pocket.
His button-down shirt was rolled up to his elbows, and the collar was open.
His suspenders hung off his waistband and down by his thighs. “I think we’ve been over that it’s me.”
I hadn’t thought this far in advance. I just wanted to make sure they were who we thought they were. I wasn’t supposed to be facing off against one of them yet. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here.” He motioned to the space around him. “What’re you doin’ here?”
“Making sure it’s . . . um . . . you.” Speak, Chanel. For the love of all that is holy, get your shit together.
“Now that you have, whatya’ gonna do about it?”
Nothing. I had no proof, nothing to go on but the fact that he was him. “Kaso, is it?”
He licked his lips and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. “It is.”
“Great, that's all I needed to know.” My heart hammered in my chest and panic set in. I turned for the door. I didn’t like the way he casually looked so hot, or the way he smirked at me like he was seeing everything beneath my clothing, or the way that I might’ve wanted him to.
He was too beautiful, too bad, and way too much trouble.
“Are you sometimes blonde?” he called out after me.
I froze and glanced at him over my shoulder. “What?”
“A few weeks back, on Megelle Island at the parade, that was you, wasn’t it?” He arched one eyebrow and let his gaze slide down my body.
I stood up straight. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He took a step forward and was suddenly an inch from my face, his warm breath sweeping across my cheeks. I didn’t back away, I didn’t even flinch, but my body heated up like a furnace with him so close. I balled my hands into fists to stop myself from doing something stupid like touching him.
“Rapunzel in the pajamas was you,” he basically purred, sending goosebumps down my arms. “Now it’s pink.”
He reached up with one finger and twirled a loose pink strand of my hair around it. Then he tugged on it, not lightly. To my horror, a little gasp left my lips. We were now a hairline from having our bodies pressed together.
That sexy smirk I remembered tugged at his lips. “And real.”
I licked my lips and squirmed inside when his golden gaze tracked my tongue. If I just pushed up on my toes, I could kiss him, and it was taking every ounce of self-control I had not to do it. “I hear you’re old enough to understand how magic works.”
“I didn’t know it was you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I didn’t know you were a Virtue.” He licked his lips again, leaving yet another wet trail in the wake of his tongue just to torture me. “When I . . . hit on you.”
“And now that you know?”
He gave a soft chuckle as his lips curved up on one side in the sexiest sideways grin. “I’d do it much more blatantly.”
Ballsy. I had to give him that. “Right, well . . . great.”
I turned for the door once more. He stopped me by calling out again. “You leavin’?”