Chapter 10
Sinclair
Darkness had never been oppressive.
In fact, I’d relished the shadows created, the quietness reserved for the late hours when most people were sleeping in their beds, completely unaware of the monsters lurking around every corner. Only they weren’t demons or witches as so many who embraced the city of New Orleans believed.
They were living and breathing humans, some able to easily blend in with coworkers and members of their church, parents in the pickup line and shoppers on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. They were the masters at crime, protecting their evil deeds with anonymity instead of violence.
Then there were the others, men and women who personified evil, their acts particularly heinous. No remorse. No conscience. No thought for human life or property whatsoever.
I considered myself and my brothers to fall into another category.
Alpha predators.
We were more cunning than most, which had allowed us to live in a lap of luxury, respected by our peers and enemies alike.
Perhaps our methods were no longer considered savage since we’d embraced the use of modern technology over a decade before.
That didn’t mean we weren’t still practiced in the art of torture and killing. It was a necessary evil in our world.
I stood in the parking lot of the strip mall, silently studying the various buildings, shops that had once been the darlings of the neighborhood.
Now they were reminders of the past when shopping had been a pleasure and no one needed to worry about getting robbed or shot while picking up a few things or enjoying a muffin at the local bakery.
From what little I’d learned about Simply the Best it was a shining beacon for so many small businesses who wanted nothing more than their piece of the American dream. I admired Josette for taking the concept head on, refusing to back down to either crime or a shrinking customer base for the area.
Even from where I stood, the small store was inviting. She’d made the most out of real estate afforded her, the hefty rent a solid reminder of how greed overcame goodwill. The Johnsons were landmarks in the community.
Or at least they’d once been.
They’d been immigrants a century and a half before, changing their surname to fit a more American lifestyle.
Very slowly, they’d purchased real estate, amassing a fortune over the years.
Yet they’d become greedy, the new generation of the family using tactics similar to what my family had used over the years.
Only they were inconsistent, never learning one of the most important aspects of business was choosing your friends wisely. From what I’d been able to tell, they’d fallen onto hard times over the last ten or so years. Gambling. Bad business decisions. And greed.
That’s why they should be considered volatile. While it was entirely possible they were offloading the property to the highest bidder and nothing more, my gut had told me there was more going on.
Hopefully, the lovely woman could provide me with some information.
At least I could check her off a list as being a problem.
“Do you want me to go in with you?” Enzo asked.
While I wasn’t normally in the habit of keeping security with me for every jaunt out to a store or the office, tonight I’d tasked Enzo to pay close attention to the comings and goings of customers.
Especially at the gun shop. In my mind it was brazen for them to openly threaten the Don of the most powerful crime syndicate in the Southern United States.
Also, the timing was far too coincidental.
“No need.”
He chuckled. “I know you too well, boss. You simply want some time alone with her.”
I glanced at my watch, pressing the button so the dial was lit up. It was fifteen minutes before closing time. “This is just about having a conversation.”
“Whatever you say, boss. I’ll cruise the perimeter. Call if you need anything.”
If I needed the man’s help for what I was about to do, something was very wrong. Chuckling, I waited until he moved away before heading toward the shop. She’d made the outdoor space inviting with three small tables and flowerpots in strategic locations to try to hide the ugly parking lot.
I was fifteen feet away when the aroma grabbed my attention. My God. Was I smelling chocolate chip cookies? My favorite. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had one.
She was behind the counter, chatting with a customer, her arm motions melodramatic as if explaining how to build a watch instead of talking about her coffee brewing capabilities. Which she was passionate about.
In a crimson top, with her hair in a ponytail like I’d seen before, she was absolutely adorable. Especially given she was wearing an apron. And what happened to be the character behind the lettering of her shop? A golden retriever mix. Just like Indiana Jones.
This woman was almost too good to be true, as if all her cuteness had hidden a darker side. My balls tightened once again at the thought. Maybe I could peel away all her complex layers, exposing her own sadistic needs. Or hopefully masochistic ones. I would be the dominating one.
As soon as I walked in, her gaze flicked toward me. I don’t know what I expected, but the fire in her eyes had nothing to do with remembrance of the passion we’d shared. She was genuinely angry if not disgusted I’d bothered to stop by.
And she’d invited me.
Fascinating.
I waited in line while she continued to chat with the young man, watching her every move.
She was suddenly self-conscious from my appearance, her actions stiff.
That likely meant she’d learned who I was.
Clever girl. While there were plenty of glowing articles on me and the family, there were enough to keep nightmares filling the darkness for months if not years.
Getting to know her any better was going to prove a significant challenge.
But I was up for the task.
“Thanks for coming in, Jack. I appreciate it. Say hello to your lovely wife for me. I can’t wait to see the adorable little boy when he finally makes his appearance.”
Jack lifted his cup. “I will. Thanks for the muffins. She has cravings at all hours of the day and night.”
Josette sighed, watching him a little too closely and with a flush of emotions as he walked out the door. She didn’t acknowledge me, instead moving further away. I noticed her phone was close, her fingers drumming on the screen. Was she thinking about calling the police?
Seriously?
I was more amused than anything.
When I stepped up to the counter, she took her time pretending as if she didn’t see me, even though she’d tossed her head over her shoulder.
“We’re about to close.” As if to emphasize the time, she jerked off her apron, tossing it aside, the move highlighting her displeasure with my sudden appearance.
Her words were clipped, not quite angry but close enough. “I’m aware, which is why I’m here.”
She half laughed. In her nervousness, she blew hair from her face out of exasperation. Now her eyes were darting toward the front door.
“You’re frightened of me.”
“I’m not frightened of anything, especially someone like you.”
O-kay. This wasn’t going to be easy.
“Then how about a cup of that special hazelnut brew?”
She eyed me warily and I’d be damned if she wasn’t judging me on everything from the tie I was wearing to the watch I’d selected, frowning almost instantly. “We’re all out of hazelnut.”
So she was going to play hard to get. Little did she know that only enticed me even more. “Anything you choose will be wonderful.”
At first, I thought she was preparing to toss me out.
Then a slow, sly smile crossed her face.
“Fine.” Spinning away, she yanked a cup from a stack of them, almost knocking the others off the counter in the process.
With fastidious hands, she made some concoction, slamming the lid with enough force, liquid slipped from the side.
As soon as she shoved it in front of me, the smirk intact, she folded her arms.
If she thought that would keep me from her, she was dead wrong.
“That’ll be fifteen fifty.”
“For a single cup of coffee?”
“Twenty if you keep asking.”
“Wow. Inflation, huh?” I pulled out my wallet, tossing her a fifty. “Keep the change for a tip.”
“Not a chance. I wouldn’t want to be beholden to you under any circumstances.”
Before I entered the salacious debate, another customer walked in, her eyes immediately drawn to whoever it was.
While it was brief, I noticed a flash of not quite fear but something close.
“Can I help you? We’re about to close.” She turned her full attention toward the customer, biting her lower lip as she did.
I left the fifty, heading to a table on the far wall, sitting down in a chair where I could see the front window and door as well as whoever she was interacting with.
“Black coffee.” There was a quietness about the man’s deep voice. He was nothing special. Just a guy dressed in dark fatigues and a bulky sweater. With no evidence of ink covering his fingers, I doubted he was a member of the biker gang Alexander had warned me of.
Yet I was a cautious man.
On the surface, nothing about him should bother me. Only her reaction to his presence did.
He didn’t make a scene, paying for the small cup with cash.
But the fact she hadn’t asked him anything about his preferences meant he’d ordered from her before.
As soon as he grabbed his coffee, he moved to another table against the opposite wall.
Looking away from me. Preventing me from seeing his face.
Even the reflection in the glass did nothing to allow me to see his features.
While he wasn’t paying any attention to either one of us, my instincts remained on alert.
Meanwhile, Josette busied herself with wiping the counter and turning off machines. From my vantage point, I continued to notice she was anxious. About me or the other gentlemen nursing his coffee and glaring at his phone?