Chapter 8 #2
'There's a drawer that's locked here,' I say to the guys who are still looking through the shelves.
Blake comes over immediately, producing a small case with all of his tools inside. He unzips it and takes a couple of the thinnest ones out. Kneeling down, he quickly picks the lock. I hear the click, and the drawer opens.
Inside are several folders, which we get out and spread over the desk.
'Here,' I say, pulling one out of the pile. 'Fussell & Meyer. Is that the lawyer you were talking about?'
Shade nods. ‘Yeah, that’s them.’
I open the file, but it's empty and I let out a noise of annoyance. ‘Where else could he have put everything?’ I mutter, drawing a blank.
‘I don’t know,’ Shade answers. ‘As far as I know, everything should be in here. Pop didn’t keep papers anywhere else.’
Mav flicks through the other folders. ‘There’s nothing in the rest of these that’s important, at least not to us.’
‘Wait. What’s this?’ Blake asks, bending over the drawer, reaching back, deep into its depths.
He comes back up with a ripped and rumpled piece of paper that looks like it got stuck and lost at the bottom. It has the lawyer’s name on it.
He puts it in his pocket without looking at it. ‘Let’s go. The longer we’re in here, the more chance someone will see us, and I, for one, don’t know how I’d explain why we’re rifling through a dead rich guy’s office.’ He glances at Shade. ‘No offence.’
Shade frowns. ‘None taken,’ he mutters dryly.
We leave the office, making sure there's no one lurking in the hallway. I re-lock the door, and Mav puts the key back on the tall shelf outside. I say a quick goodbye to Stevens, who tells me again that he’s glad I’m alright. Then we leave my late stepfather's estate.
On the way back to Richmond, Blake pulls out the scrap of paper that he found in the drawer and stares at it.
‘Well?’ I ask. ‘Is there anything useful on it?’
‘It says your name,’ he mutters, and I snatch it from his fingers.
I peer down at it and, right there, amongst the legal phrases I don’t understand, it says, ‘Marguerite Evans’.
‘What could it be about?’ I mutter to myself.
Mav takes it from my hand and stares at it. ‘It says ‘Winters’ too.’
‘So, it’s something to do with my mom, maybe?’ I ask dubiously.
No one answers, but it’s clear we’re all annoyed that we didn’t find more in John’s office.
We get back to Sauvage's hotel and find Lu waiting in the lobby.
She rushes to me with a gleeful shriek.
'Where were you?' she practically snarls in my face, shaking my shoulders. 'I was so fucking worried.'
My teeth rattling, I extricate myself from my bestie’s grip and step back. 'I’m sorry you were worried. I was sort of kidnapped and taken back to England,’ I whisper, conscious of the strangers around us.
'Like, OLD England?’ she hisses. ‘No fucking way. Who did it? That son of a bitch, Banderville?’
‘I don’t know for sure.’ I shake my head. ‘I never saw who it was, but it was probably John, maybe Joseph too.’
Lu nods. ‘At least both those fuckers are dead.’ She grimaces when she notices Shade. ’Shit. Sorry, Novelle.’
'No problem. We’re going to head up to the room,' Shade says, squeezing my shoulder. 'You guys should catch up.’
Mav nods and gives Blake a look when he hesitates. ‘It should be safe enough in Sauvage’s hotel,’ he says.
Blake doesn’t look happy but he nods. ‘Don’t leave the lobby, okay?’
I nod and the guys walk off in the direction of the elevators.
'What happened out there?' Lu asks as I give her a belated hug.
I give a rueful chuckle, ready to make light of the whole thing now that it’s over.
'Just the usual,' I say. 'Basically, my life is not my own unless everyone else wants it to be.'
'We gotta get you free,' Lu says. 'This is a bunch of bullshit, is what it is.'
I nod. ‘No arguments here,’ I sigh. ‘I just need… Maybe now that John is dead, I can get Andrew, Shade’s twin—’
‘Hold up,’ Lu interrupts, her eyes very wide. ‘You’re telling me that Shade Novelle has a twin brother? Why have I never heard of this guy, or ever seen him?’
‘He goes to Harvard and he’s not… He doesn’t look like Shade’s twin. They’re fraternal, not identical. He’s…not like Shade.’
‘Oh,’ she nods sagely, ‘like that old movie where one twin gets all the hotness and brains, and the other one is short and ugly…’
‘Sort of,’ I answer, not really sure what she’s talking about. ‘Anyway, Andy is coming home from Harvard. Maybe I can convince him that I don’t need all this guardian crap and then I can live my own life.’
Lu nods, peering around the hotel lobby.
‘Do you want a coffee?’ I ask, pointing over to the entrance of the hotel bar.
She nods and we go in, finding some plush chairs and couches. I sink down on the closest one and Lu sits down next to me.
A waitress comes over and we each order a latte. She seems to know that I’m Sauvage’s guest because she doesn’t ask for my room number, and there’s no talk of paying.
'So, what's going on with you?' I ask after she leaves us alone.
Lu rolls her eyes. 'Family stuff. My cousin got arrested.'
'Oh, no. I'm sorry,' I say, hoping that the cousin is okay while also wondering that they did.
'Oh,’ she waves a hand, ‘don't be. It's his own damn fault. He's not the brightest spark, young Jimmy.'
Lu and I spend the next few minutes chatting and watching people come and go from the hotel.
'It's so weird,' I murmur, 'just being out here in the open. I feel like I spent the last couple of months hiding away.'
'Dude, you did,' Lu says. ‘But that's all in the past. It's a brave new world, or it will be soon.'
I give her a smile, hoping that she's right.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mav coming towards us quickly, and I frown.
'Is everything okay?' I ask when he gets close.
'Yeah,' he says. ‘We just... We got a little antsy upstairs.'
'Antsy?' I ask.
‘Worried,’ he clarifies with a grimace and looks around at the café as if someone’s going to come out of nowhere to kidnap me again. ‘We sort of realized we want you with us, you know?’
‘So, you want us to come upstairs?’ I ask, fully okay with us all being together because I’m sort of feeling the same.
‘Yeah,’ he murmurs ruefully. ‘Sorry, Tulip.’
I smile. ‘It’s not a sorry thing, Mav. I get it. You want me safe.’
He nods. ‘Yeah. Safe. Exactly.’
Lu gets up. ‘Well, this is sickeningly adorable,’ she says in a cutesy voice. ‘I gotta go anyway. I have a shift at Grinder in a little while. I’ll see you later, Daisybear.’
I grin. ‘Okay, Lulu. Thanks for coming. It was really nice to see you.’
She points at me. ‘Message me later.’
I nod.
‘Oh! I almost forgot.’ Lu delves into her purse and comes up with a rumpled piece of paper. ‘This was in the files Shade asked me for. Found it under my bed in my dorm. My bad. It must have slipped out.’
I look down at it. It’s a photo of a keychain.
’Uh, thanks.’ I fold it up and put it in my pocket.
As Lu leaves the hotel, I stand up and go with Mav. In the elevator, he pulls me close and holds me tightly.
‘What’s up?’ I ask.
‘Nothing,’ he breathes. ‘I just didn’t realize how I’d feel when you were not with us. That, and I want to find the answers you need, you know?’
I hug him back. ‘We will.’
Blake
I'm reading and re-reading the paper I found in the drawer. It’s in the kind of lawyer-jargon that makes your brain want to ooze out of your ears. When Mav brings Daisy upstairs, she focuses on me and I bask in her attention like a neglected puppy.
'Figured anything else out?' she asks immediately, looking a little apprehensive.
'Well, your name appears, but there’s a lot of legal jargon that’s not really in context because we don’t have any of the other documents,' I say. 'Legal stuff isn’t really my forte.'
'Mine either,' Mav says apologetically. ‘Plus, it’s like a tiny piece of the middle of the story, you know? And the date is only from a couple of months ago. Stevens said stuff had been coming over years. There must have been a ton more documents before the folder was cleared out.’
I give her the paper that I've read through.
'Can you tell anything?' she asks, perusing it slowly.
I take the paper back.
'Well, this lawyer is the one that Stevens was saying to us was the one that started sending letters to John, and they were the same letters that John didn't want your mother to see.'
'But my mother was a Winters, or at least she had been. Why didn't he want my mother to know about these when her family’s name is on it? It doesn’t make sense.'
‘We could try to contact the lawyer directly,’ Mav says.
'They aren't going to tell us shit,' I murmur, staring at the page. 'But, maybe, if they have servers online, I can get in and find out more...'
I nod to myself, already thinking about how I'm going to do it. I need to do this for her. My gut tells me that there's something here. Something important.
I'm so wrapped up in my thoughts that, at first, I don't realize Daisy is standing next to me. I look up at her.
'What is it?' I ask.
'Nothing,' she says, just standing next to me.
My lips curl up into a small smile that I don’t let her see.
She clearly wants my attention, so I make it easy for her.
I scooch out my chair and grab her, plonking her on my lap, wrapping my arms around her, and smelling her.
Even though it's been almost twenty-four hours, I still can't get over the fact that she's here, that we have her back, and that she's safe. I hold her carefully, breathing her in.
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and take it out.
Sauvage. I frown at the name.
'What does he want with me?' I say aloud to myself.
'What is it?' Daisy asks.
'Frenchie wants me to go to his office.'
She squeezes me and gives me a quick kiss on the lips before getting up. I’d let the asshole wait, but clearly our girl has a soft spot for him too. I sigh and heave myself to my feet.
‘Fine,’ I mumble. ‘Back in a minute.’
I take the penthouse elevator down to his floor. As the door to his office opens, I see that Sauvage is behind his desk as usual. He looks grim.
'You wanted to see me?' I ask, neglecting to voice the other thing that I was going to say, which was why the fuck are you summoning me? I don't fucking work for you, asshole.
Sauvage doesn’t mince words. 'I have received news that you no longer work for Monsieur Kormak.'
My stomach drops.
'He sold the debt,' I say quietly, sinking down into one of the chairs in front of the desk.
'Oui,' Sauvage says. 'I only know because I've had ears to the ground regarding this matter.'
'Why?' I ask, feeling confused. 'Why do you care?'
'I do not,’ he snorts. ‘But ma petite fleur does, and so I will run through these motions to ensure that what she adores, ses objets de valeur her valuables, stay safe. Well, as much as I can when her valuables are garcons incompetents incompetent boys.'
'I'm a valuable?' I ask, quirking a brow and ignoring the fact that he thinks me and my friends are incompetent kids.
'Oui. To ma petite fleur. You are. Like une babiole a bauble.'
'So, who owns me now?' I sneer, almost not wanting to hear the answer.
Pierre Sauvage purses his lips.
'It is not good news for you, I am afraid, Monsieur Blake. It is Mariana Reyes.'
My stomach turns. I feel sick. I’ve heard of her. Everyone who spends time in the Richmond underbelly has.
'The cartel queen,’ I say faintly.
Fuck.
'Oui. I have heard that you will be asked to meet with their representatives soon. You will be given a task. A test.'
Pierre Sauvage sighs.
'I would pay this debt if I could. But there are politics here. If it appears that I am protecting you… She and I are not friends, and if it is known that you are a liability for me, a chink in my armor, they will kill you simply to bother me. You must not tell them that we know each other.'
'I understand,' I say.
'If my name comes up, tell them that the only reason we are in business is because of your friend, Jack Novelle, and that you do not personally know me at all. And NEVER mention Marguerite.’
'I understand,’ I say again through clenched teeth.
'Bon. I thought I would give you…how you say…a heads up.'
'I appreciate that,' I say, my voice sounding wooden as I turn away.
I leave quietly, step back into the elevator, and push the penthouse button. The ascent seems to go at a snail's pace.
'Fuck my dad,' I mutter.
No wonder he wanted me to go to the prison. Inmates loyal to the cartel were probably watching me the whole time.
‘Fuck,’ I mutter again.
When I get into the penthouse living room, I find Daisy and Mav making out on the couch. I get a beer from the fridge quietly, and I sit in the chair. I watch them.
When they come up for air a minute later, Daisy looks a little bit bashful when she notices me. I force myself to grin like I don't have a care in the world.
But the truth is, I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified. Working for Kormak has been bad enough, but I figured he wouldn’t bother with Daisy. He doesn’t give a shit about that stuff unless you become a problem to him.
But the cartel is different. No mercy, no loyalty.
I hated that Sauvage knew that Daisy existed at the beginning, but the cartel knowing about her is a thousand times worse, especially if they realize the French mobster likes her, too.
What if they already know?
The smile on my face cracks a little.
No, Sauvage would know. She’s safe for now, but I’m going to have to do everything they want and make sure they never, ever find out about her.
Because if they do, she’ll be in even more danger than she was before.