“I don’t see how you can possibly draw that conclusion. I enjoy luxury as much as the next man.” I tried very hard to keep the defensiveness out of my voice.
He shook his head and scratched at his belly, tucking his hand into the towel around his waist. I had a sudden urge to rip that stupid towel off him. “Sure, you’ve got the fancy cars and expensive suits. You’ve got properties like this around New York, I bet, and you splash your cash when you need results. But none of that gels with someone who sees money as an end in itself.”
I slammed the laptop shut and stood. “I told you before, Sigmund. Don’t try your tricks on me.”
He didn’t even flinch at my use of his least-favorite nickname. He just smirked as though he saw right through me.
“Be ready to leave by the time I’m out of the shower,” I told him. In the bathroom I checked that the door was locked three times before I got into the shower and jerked off mechanically, emphaticallynotallowing myself to think of Baxter Flynn. It had been too long between drinks, I told myself just after I splattered the wall.
That wasall.
Sex had always been a weapon for me. Hanson had been right in what he said that last day I’d seen him—lifewaseasier for me, in many ways, because of the way I looked. And Tino had refined my raw skill, encouraged me to use my looks and my charm before threats and violence, or to combine them for greater effect. I’d seized my full power on the day I lured a Clemenza Capo into a seedy hotel on Tino’s orders. I’d slit Giorgio Benetti’s throat while he was distracted by his own orgasm.
I’d killed before, but never in such intimacy. I lay there a long time after I’d done it, watching the blood spread through the sheets like a tide on the beach. It was hot, wet, and there seemed no end to it as it blossomed.
When I went to wash off in the moldy-cornered shower, I’d felt a nauseating mix of justice and horror at what I’d done. Benetti had done terrible things, killed more than one good man from more than one Family, and Tino had decided enough was enough. He’d deserved to die, I’d reminded myself under the tepid water, and if I were a real man I would be celebrating the death of an enemy.
I’d forced myself into the orgasm I’d denied myself with Benetti as pink water swirled around my feet.
I would never forget Tino’s praise, his pride in my turning a man’s desire against him, his encouragement to use what he called myunfortunate inclinationsfor greater purposes.Hispurposes.
You understand now what it means to be a weapon, body and soul. You will be my guardian angel, eh? And I will be proud to have you by my side.
Yes, sex was my weapon as much as the knife and the gun. I just had to be careful that I didn’t lose control of it.
* * *
The hotelopposite Greco’s apartment building was old and not entirely clean, but I’d been expecting that. I’d packed my own sheets and pillows, so the first thing I did was strip the bed and set a cockroach trap under it.
“There’s only one,” Baxter said, watching me.
“What?”
“There’s only one bed.”
“With those observational skills, we should crack this case in no time,” I said.
He snorted like I was joking instead of being sarcastic. “I’m just saying.”
“We won’t be sleeping at the same time,” I told him. “We’ll take it in shifts to watch Greco and sleep.”
He turned away to rummage in his own bag, but I saw his face fall before he did. I knew exactly where his mind had been headed—that I’d booked one room and one queen bed with other plans in mind. And the truth was, Icouldhave booked a twin. I’d hovered between the twin and the queen, but I’d reminded myself that a queen allowed for more spreading out and a better sleep.
Sleep was important, so I’d gone with the queen.
“You hungry?” Bax asked.
“No.”
“I am.” He waited, then turned around to watch me setting up the surveillance equipment. “Seriously, you’re not hungry?” he asked after a moment.
I sighed. “Bax, if you’re hungry, go get something. Just keep the hoodie up, wear sunglasses, and pay in cash. Don’t get made.”
“Hanson always said I was shit at this kind of thing,” he said, and laughed.
I gave him a look over my shoulder. “You are. But you’ll learn.”
“Maybe you can teach me.”
