Chapter 19
Corvus
The tailor Mother has booked us with is only a couple of subway stations away, and we manage to arrive on time.
I’m confused by the silence hanging over Dalton and myself like a cloud of smoke.
I don’t know what fantasyland he lives in, but the truth needed to be told.
And why would he be upset in the first place?
He’ll get a new chance at life, freedom from debt, my protection, money to spend on whatever he likes, and room and board in a beautiful, spacious home, as well as access to Van der Horn connections.
He seems to be attracted to me too, so I would consider the availability of my body yet another perk. How come is he this upset?
I really need to calm down and think, so I reach into the pocket of my coat, retrieving the antique silver cigarette case I carry my smoking supplies in.
Some of the tenements are obscured by scaffolding, like teeth stuck in braces, but fortunately not the one we’re heading for.
The front of the shop has that vintage look that promises quality comparable to how things were done in the good old days.
Behind large panes of glass are faceless wooden men wearing suits in both conservative and modern styles, but if I’m to survive the next hour, I need some nicotine in my system.
“You should go ahead. I’ll join you shortly.”
Just as I say that, a customer I recognize walks out of the shop.
Simon Kemper is the owner of the casino affiliated with our family, the one in which Dalton lost all the money he never had in the first place.
This is as good of an opportunity as any to ask some questions about that night, but I can’t do that until Dalton’s gone, and he’s standing there, eyeing Simon like a tiger assessing potential prey.
Despite the earlier sulking, he leans in and gives me a quick kiss on the lips, which has me stiffening, because we’re surrounded by people. It’s a good thing this is New York City, and the strangers walking past us wouldn’t even care if I wore full plate armor. “You good?”
I am in fact not ‘good’, but I’ll live. “Tell everyone I just need a smoke,” I say and offer Dalton my best smile. I don’t believe he buys it, because the one he offers in return is equally fake. I suppose I just have to bear with the tension between us for a while longer.
“Simon.” I nod, acknowledging my associate as Dalton disappears inside the shop.
I shouldn’t be surprised to see him here, as the guy is always dressed so sharply it figures he gets his suits made to measure. He’s a few years older than me, a smart businessman, and a loyal associate. Pretty handsome even. Not that it matters.
“Corvus…” he says, staring at the door where Dalton disappeared. “What’s happened there? Isn’t that the guy who was supposed to…”
“There was a change of plans,” I tell him, summoning a little smirk, because I like having the power of deciding whether someone lives or dies. “I see he was memorable to you too?” I ask and light one of my cigarettes, and the first inhale of tobacco and clove instantly puts me at ease.
He lights one of his own, eyebrows raised. “I don’t think I recall his name, but he fucked up big time. I was sure he was a done deal.”
“How come he lost so much money?” I ask, watching two men argue on the other side of the street. I suppose that’s what this cold morning does to everyone. “He only had the credit because you authorised it.”
“He played big, lied through his teeth,” he says a little too quickly for my liking.
But he’s probably confused after seeing us kiss.
“To be honest? I’m surprised to see you with that guy.
He’s a notorious liar, and…” Kemper stands a bit closer, exhaling smoke, “just between us? Any time I saw him at the casino, and that was often, he’d be there with a new guy.
I’d keep him on a short leash if I were you. ”
Heat rushes to my head, and the cigarette breaks between my fingers. I utter a curse and light a fresh one. “That… why did you watch him so closely? He’s just one of many gamblers, surely,” I say to divert Kemper’s attention from my embarrassing reaction.
“Sure, but not many of them are that big, and like to cause trouble when drunk.” He raises his palms. “I’m sorry if I’m misreading the situation, but you’re a solid guy, and I’d rather give you all I know. You can do with that what you will.”
The sour taste of disappointment crooks my lips, so I take a deep inhale of smoke and let it sit in my chest, along with the darkness Kemper has just cast on the new life I’m preparing for.
“That wasn’t what his file said. Did he really? Cause trouble, I mean.”
Kemper stalls for a second, his dark eyes settling on me like a warm hand on the shoulder.
As if he’s feeling sorry for me, and fuck, do I resent that.
“His file would probably not have such minute details, since what mattered to your family was his debt. It’s not like the broken hearts he left in his wake, or the fights would have made a difference. ”
The moments of vulnerability I’ve shared with Dalton are suddenly tainted with the ever-growing danger of being duped.
I try not to choke on it all as I think back to the times where I’ve told him things I probably shouldn’t have.
Have I misjudged Dalton? From the start, he seemed rather naive, but what if it’s only a mask I chose to accept because of how good he makes me feel?
“Broken hearts, you say?”
Kemper chuckles, but when he chokes on some smoke I can’t help a hint of satisfaction.
It might not be his fault that he’s the bearer of bad news, but I resent him all the same.
I know from Dalton’s Grindr that he was popular, but to have the reminder thrown in my face with the suggestion he might cheat if not kept in line?
Every man passing us in the street now feels like a threat.
“He is handsome, you’ve got to give him that, so it’s hardly a surprise, right? Anyway, good luck. This is really not my business.”
A car speeds toward us down the street, and for a strange moment, I’m tempted to push Kemper off the sidewalk, straight under the wheels.
But my own actions are something I can control, so I don’t follow the deadly instinct, because it’s not Kemper’s fault I’m living this messy reality. “Give my regards to your wife.”
He smiles and gives me a short wave. “I will. You have to come over for dinner sometime.”
And he’s off, leaving me with bitterness in my gut . My paranoia rears its ugly head and now I wonder whether I should have had someone tail Dalton on the errands he was doing for my mother. For all I know, he has a high libido and could have cheated on me already.
Fuck.
I should have kept him in the basement.
All the hairs on my arms bristle when I hear Aspen’s laugh from inside, so loud and jarring I want to go inside and find out what’s going on right now. Who fucking invited him anyway? Does Mother not know I hate the kid’s guts?
But if I am to act like a reasonable person in there, I need to finish my cigarette and calm down. I’m not some impulsive troglodyte.