Chapter 16 Asher
IT’S BEEN A week since Cord fucked me against the wall at the murder scene, and I still haven’t gotten it out of my head.
I pull out my phone a dozen times a day to text him, but I don’t know what to say that will convince him to see me again.
I haven’t given up the idea of camping outside his apartment to ambush him, but I don’t have the stomach for the possibility of rejection.
I don’t know what that says about me. It’s been years since I worried about losing. Carlyle groomed me to be a winner, a shark in all transactions. I never back down from a challenge. It’s how I got to the top of the food chain in business. This thing with Cord, however, has me out of my element.
But the phone call I just got may be my way in.
Despite his earlier reluctance, Carlyle contacted me to give me the name of the now-deceased serial killer Smyth’s mentor.
While I have no personal interest in reaching out to the man, I wonder if Cord does.
He said as much when he was beating Smyth, but that was last week. Who knows what he’s been up to since.
Still, it’s an ice breaker. I consider texting him about it, then decide to call instead.
It rings five times and I figure it’s going to voicemail when he answers.
“Yeah?”
Just the sound of his voice sets me off, and I have to fight to control my unruly libido. “I don’t know if you’re still interested, but I heard back from my source about Smyth’s mentor.”
“Smyth?” He’s quiet for a moment, like he’s thinking. Did he forget already? What does that say about his life? “Oh yeah. Is he local?”
“No. He lives in San Francisco.”
“Oh. Well I don’t have time to mess with that. Kind of got a situation going here.”
I take a chance. “Anything I can help with?”
“I doubt it.”
“Sometimes it can be helpful just to have someone to bounce ideas off of.”
I can almost hear his smirk. “Is that what you want, Asher? To bounce ideas off me?”
No, what I want is to fuck your brains out, but I’ll take anything I can get at this point. “Can we meet for a drink?” I hate the neediness in my voice.
He sighs. “Sure, okay. Where?”
I do a mental doubletake; I didn’t expect him to agree. I wrack my brain to come up with a place convenient for him. I know he doesn’t do pretentious, so nothing in my neighborhood.
I recall a place he and I used to frequent when we were together. It’s in a dicey neighborhood, but maybe that will appeal to Cord. “How about O’Hara’s? Seven o’clock?”
“O’Hara’s, huh? Okay, why not?” I can hear a commotion on his end. “Look, I gotta go.”
“I’ll see you later.”
He hangs up without another word, but I have what I want. A chance.
I can barely concentrate for the rest of the day. Our monthly board meeting drags by like a distant dream. I nod in all the right places, but I’m not really paying attention. Elaine calls me on it after everyone leaves the room.
“What’s up with you today?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re distracted. It’s not like you.”
I could blow her off, but Elaine isn’t so easily fooled. It’s one of the reasons she’s so valuable to me. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”
“Anything I can help with?”
The question reminds me of what I said to Cord earlier. “No. It’s something I have to take care of myself.”
She regards me with scrutiny. “If you say so. I’m here if you need me. Don’t forget you’ve got the Maxley meeting this afternoon.”
I groan. Fucking Maxley. He’s the last person I want to bother with right now, but I’ve put him off twice already. After he sent over his books, he’s been relentless in badgering me about making a deal.
I glance at Elaine, who holds up her hand and shakes her head. “Before you say anything, no, you cannot cancel again. If you’re that adverse to talking to the man, just tell him you don’t want to do business with him.”
Part of me wants to do just that. He’s just so…needy.
Sort of like you were with Cord earlier?
“Fine. Let’s just get it over with.”
She chuckles. “The prelude to all great business deals.”
I know she’s right, and ordinarily I would enjoy the process of expanding my empire, but the thought just doesn’t hold the same appeal right now.
I don’t know if it’s a permanent alteration of my attitude or just a byproduct of Cord’s reentry into my life, but something has changed.
Could it be he finally got through to me that day at his apartment? Have I been all about the money lately?
Don’t get me wrong; I still love the chase.
The high I get from closing a deal is next level, but I’m realizing there are more important things in life.
How much more money do I really need? And what is any deal worth if it costs me Cord?
I’ve wasted enough of the time we could have been together.
I miss him, and I want him back in my life, and that’s more valuable than any deal I could close.
And I intend to tell him that tonight.
Whether he believes me or not will be up to how convincing I can be.
? ? ?
I have Benjimen drop me at O’Hara’s at 6:50, assuring him I can find my own way home. He seems dubious about my claim, considering the neighborhood, but he leaves me anyway.
I’m surprised to find Cord already sitting at the bar talking to another guy. I’m assuming it’s one of the men Cord works with because I don’t want to consider the alternative. He wouldn’t bring a lover with him to meet me, would he?
As I get closer I can smell that the guy is a vamp, but there’s something off about him.
He’s dressed in jeans and a leather jacket and practically radiates danger.
I suppose most of the people Cord associates with would fit that category, since they’re essentially in the vampire version of the mafia, but this guy reminds me of a rabid dog I once encountered as a kid; deadly and unpredictable.
I’ve honed my gut to read people in business, and it’s telling me to approach this one with caution.
He looks up at me and narrows his amber eyes as I slide onto the stool on the other side of Cord and motion for the bartender.
Cord glances at me and nods, then lifts his glass to the bartender when he comes over. I order a Jameson neat and he brings the drink and pours Cord a refill, who then rises and motions for me to follow him.
“Let’s get a table.”
“Okay, so I guess I’ll see you around,” the other vamp says as he watches us move across the room.
I wait till we’re both seated, one eye on the vamp at the bar, who keeps watching us for a minute then drains his glass and gets up to leave.
“You know that guy?” I ask.
“No. He just sat down and started talking like we’re old friends.” He looks up the vamp’s retreating back. “I don’t trust fuckers who try to get friendly that quick.”
“Yeah, I got a bad vibe off him.”
He quirks a brow. “So it wasn’t just me?”
“No, I think in this case your naturally suspicious nature is dead on. He give you a name?”
“Owen. Didn’t give him mine.”
“Probably for the best.” I take a sip of my drink and look him over. He looks tired, like he hasn’t been sleeping. Probably hasn’t been feeding regularly either, though I don’t say anything about that. The last thing I want is to start an argument. “So what’s been keeping you busy?”
He runs his fingers through his hair and slouches back in his seat. At first he acts like he isn’t going to answer me, then he blows out a sigh and meets my eyes.
“Outliers.”
I feel my eyes nearly bug out. “Are you serious?”
“Wish I weren’t.”
“Jesus, Cord. How bad is it?”
“Bad. They’re already well-established.”
I stop myself from reaching across the table to close my hand over his. “What can I do to help?”
“There’s nothing you can really do. We’ve got everyone combing the city, looking for these fuckers.”
“I have resources you may not. Give me a clue and I can get my people on it.”
“At this point I’m willing to try anything. I haven’t slept in a week and I’ve exhausted every source I have. So far I’ve come up with dick.”
“What are you looking for?”
“Their leader. He goes by the name the Python.”
“The Python? You have anything else on him?”
“We had an address on the registration of a van we confiscated, but it came up empty. No one has been at the house for a month. The owner is either dead or part of his gang.”
I pull out my phone and start typing a message to Elaine. I know she has even less of a life than I do, so she’ll be close to her computer.
Need a favor. See what you can come up with on someone who calls themselves the Python here in NYC.
How much do you need?
Anything and everything. It’s urgent.
You got it. I’ll reach out as soon as I have something.
Cord is watching me as I tuck my phone away. “That your source?” he asks.
“My PA, Elaine. She can work miracles with a computer. If anyone can find this guy, she can.”
“Unless he’s off the grid.”
“Everyone has a digital footprint,” I insist, quoting what Elaine is always telling me. “It’s just a matter of finding it.”
“I hope you’re right, though I don’t know about bringing in outside help on this. Dante likes to keep his business in house.”
I bite my tongue to keep from saying what’s on my mind. Dante can go to hell for all I care. “I would think he’d welcome any help at this point, especially if it keeps the Black Guild off your back. Have they gotten involved?”
“Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time. That’s why we’re working day and night to find this guy. We don’t need a repeat of New Orleans.”
I vaguely recall that incident. The fallout even made the human news; dead bodies turning up everywhere. They thought it was some kind of ritualistic cult, if memory serves.
“Does it ever slow down for you?” I ask.
He drains his glass and sets it down, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. “Not really. There always seems to be some asshole trying to make trouble. I guess this city attracts them.”
“I hate that for you.”
He grins at me. “Aw, you worried about me?”