The love on the man’s face as he spoke of his son was awe-inspiring and had me tearing up a little. What must it be like for his son to have a father like Claus? I hoped the kid realized how precious a gift his father was before it was too late.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Congratulations.” I made a mental note to research possible scholarship opportunities to suggest to Claus.
Claus rolled his eyes. “Thank you. So, Byron stopped in and charged drinks and dinners to your account last week. I hope that’s not a problem.”
“Dinners? How many?” I shouldn’t be surprised that the asshole would take one last shot at me.
“Four. He was with an older lady with dark-brown hair and glasses. There were two guys with them. They looked like twins.”
Claus poured a glass of Irish whiskey for me and grinned. “I take it Byron doesn’t work for you any longer. I asked if you were coming over, and he said he didn’t know or care.”
I took a sip. “Yes, he’s left the company. It’s been an adjustment getting used to having a new assistant, but life is full of changes. He’s taken a job in Rockville, and I wish him the best. If he comes in again and wants to put food and drinks on my tab, tell him the tab is permanently closed. If he gives you trouble, call me.” I pulled out a business card and handed it to Claus.
Claus got busy, so I watched the Nationals-Orioles game on the television over the bar. I had another drink and ordered an appetizer of potato pancakes with sour cream and apple sauce.It was my favorite snack, and the chef always gave me an extra pancake.
After I’d eaten half of the three pancakes, Claus brought me another drink. “The two guys Byron brought in are at that table in the corner. Don’t look now.”
I dropped my napkin on the floor and stood from my stool to pick it up. When I was bent down, I glanced over to see two blond men who definitely could kick my ass. They were watching me closely, so I sat up and grinned at Claus.
“Any idea who they are?”
Claus shook his head. “You can go out through the kitchen. I’m sure Dagmar wouldn’t hate a kiss on the cheek as she lets you out the back door. Say you’re going to the men’s room and head into the kitchen. I’ll let you know what happens later.” He held up the business card I’d given him and winked.
I did as he said and skirted through the kitchen, stopping as Dagmar was plating. “Danke für den snack. Er war lecker.”Thank you for the snack. It was delicious.
Dagmar was the head chef and was an incredible woman. She made the best damn schnitzel I’d ever tasted.
She turned to me with that motherly disdain. “Was hast du dir da eingebrockt, Sean?”What have you gotten yourself into, Sean?I’d dated a German study-abroad student in undergrad. I threw myself into learning German so we could communicate. He ended up being a fair-weather lover, but I held no animosity. Another lesson learned.
“Nothing good, beautiful. I’ll see you soon.” I kissed her cheek and rushed out the back door. I had no idea why the twins had been staring at me, but I had a feeling it wasn’t interest in aSean sandwich.
I drove to my condo, parked in front of Potomac Place, and handed the keys to Marco, the doorman and valet for mybuilding. “I’m leaving early in the morning for work. Can you keep it here?”
My vehicle of choice was a BMW 750i because I wanted a lot of iron around me that I hadn’t found in some of the fancy sports cars I’d seen on the streets. The windows were tinted, and that car was fucking curb heavy. I didn’t drive often, but when I did, I felt safe.
“Of course, Mr. Fitzpatrick. What time are you leaving in the morning? I can get her cleaned up overnight if you’d like.”
I reached into my pocket and held out a hundred. “Thank you, Marco. I’ll be leaving around seven. I appreciate it.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Fitzpatrick. Sleep well.”
I went in through the front door, gave a wave to the concierge, Ralph, and headed to the elevator, ready to kiss my bed. After leaving the bar, I’d gone back to the office to review the briefing book Mrs. Lambert had created and added a few more details to the bullet points for a few of the meetings. When I’d glanced at the clock on my desk, I was surprised it was so late. It had been quite a fucking night.
The whole drive home, I’d fixated on why those two blond guys were following me—if they wereactuallyfollowing me. I usually didn’t believe in coincidences, but maybe the universe was proving me wrong?
When I got up to my condo, I let myself inside, closed the door, and exhaled. Tuesday was set up to be just as trying. Had I done the wrong thing by getting rid of Byron? He’d seemed as anxious to be away from me as I’d been for him to go when I learned he was shopping my secrets around town. Why the hell was I second-guessing myself now?
As I was changing into shorts and a T-shirt, I glanced at the clock to see that it was nine in the evening. It was the earliest I’d been home in a while, so I grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen and went into the living room, stretching out on thecouch before I turned on the television. What the hell was my life turning into? The idea of someone following me was driving me nuts—if I was even being followed.
I had no fucking idea what to think. I knew I needed to figure some shit out because there was a cloud over my head that I didn’t like to acknowledge. Something bad was coming my way. I knew it deep in my gut.
Thursday afternoon, I waited until Mrs. Lambert left for the day before heading to Café Berlin. Claus had left a message on my cell phone that morning to drop by, and I was more than a little curious about what he had to tell me. I’d had a dinner meeting on Wednesday night, so I hadn’t stopped by.
I sat at the bar and a drink was placed in front of me. Claus said nothing, but when the chef came out with the potato pancake appetizer, she seemed a bit off.
“Chef, how are you? Is something wrong?”
Dagmar scanned the dining room before she leaned forward and touched my arm. “I can’t say how I know this, but there are those who are looking to hurt you, Sean. Take some time off. Go on vacation. Let things die down.”
