There was always the chance he’d been perfectly content with Vance, but he would be even happier with a couple million dollars all to his lonesome. He’d just freed himself up to run if he had the opportunity to recover the hidden money.
While we waited for Winter to come back, I considered dropping Piers off at a fleabag motel somewhere and getting a couple of guys to help me tail him, but he went over and sat on the bed, doing a good job of acting sad. I started second-guessing myself.
Sighing, I pulled my phone out and called the Courtesan.
“Hello, this is the Courtesan Hotel. How may I assist you?” The snippy voice that smacked at my ear belonged to Darcy Winters, and I was glad. I didn’t have time to play twenty questions right now.
“Need a hand. It’s RJ.”
He sighed and it was the type of sound that came all the way from his cold, barely beating heart. A lot of people didn’t like Darcy, but I thought he came by that attitude honestly. “What type of assistance do you need, sir?”
“Little bit of a cleanup.”
He hummed and his irritation was clear in the tone. “We don’t normally provide that service outside the hotel, sir,” he said waspily.
“Ask your mother. She’ll okay it. This is something that she has a personal interest in.”
He huffed. “Fine, sir. We do aim to go above and beyond here at the Courtesan. Address?”
I gave him the street and building number for Beaulieu, nothing more, nothing less.
“When the man arrives who takes care of this type ofbothersome requestfor us, please excuse his appearance. He doesn’t always dress professionally. I would not choose to annoy or threaten him in any capacity, but please, feel free to test his patience.” Darcy hung up without a goodbye, and I contemplated that last bit of zing from him.
I swung around to Piers. Shit, I had to trust him to stay put for a few minutes. “If you run away, you won’t like what I do.”
He nodded frantically.
“Damn it.” I didn’t want to leave him, but I also didn’t want to give him a chance to do something stupid in front of the police. In the end, I made my peace with leaving Piers for a few minutes.
I snuck downstairs along the back stairwell and went out the door and around to the front of the building in time to see Winter walking out of the lobby door while laughing with two cops. I strolled closer and poked around on my phone so I wouldn’t look like I was staring.
“You see, it was quite a shock coming in to all the jewelry missing, but the deliveries had been made and one of my employees forgot to document the transactions. I’m so sorry for panicking and calling you.” Winter beamed at a tall cop who was probably twenty years younger than me and closer to his age.
I fucking hated it. The man was built with sharp features that couldn’t be called anything except handsome. Jealousy reared its ugly head and I wanted to go over there and snatch Winter away from the man.
“It was no trouble at all, Mr. Janvier. It’s so wild that the elevator falling sounded like a gunshot. I’ve never seen a mess like that. You’re lucky you weren’t on it. Make sure you contact Vane Elwood and let him know that happened. I would say it’s worth bothering him at city hall. Call me, personally, anytime you have any other issues.” The cop flashed him a smile and shook his hand. The asshole held on to Winter too long and didn’t let go until his partner whapped him on the back as he went to get behind the wheel, and then the cop flirting with my boy finally got into the police cruiser, and they drove off. I wasted no time stomping over to glare after the black-and-white.
Winter startled when he noticed me but smiled. “What’s that look for?”
“I didn’t like him touching you.” I frowned.
Winter snorted and tipped his head back, his white-blond hair gleaming in the sunlight, and there was a small smile on his lips. “He shook my hand.”
“Heheldyour hand.” I grabbed his wrist and laid a kiss on his palm, marking my territory.
Winter drew his arm away and curled his fingers over the spot where my lips had been, and that gave me a warm swirly feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Men sometimes like to do that with me. Should I tell them no from now on? Tell them I have a boyfriend who would be angry if he saw me making time with another man? Should I say,my Daddy says I’m not allowed to be flirted with?” he murmured, eyebrows dancing upward.
“Brat.”
He smiled, but it wilted as a shiny black van with a couple of dents in it, which no one had bothered to pop out, pulled to a stop at the curb. A short man dressed in black leather from head to toe got out. He had burnt orange tipped bangs and brilliant blue eyes lined in black that he used to stare all the way into my soul when he met my gaze.
“Are you searching for a solution to a particular problem?” he asked with a toothy grin.
“You’re the man the Courtesan Hotel sent?”
He fluttered his eyelashes and stepped closer. “No one sends me anywhere. I’m Undertaker.” He stuck out his hand, and I couldn’t do anything else except shake it. Winter’s lips twitched toward a smile as he stared pointedly at where I touched this man, and I ignored it. He shook his head at me as soon as I let go of Undertaker.
“Is that your real name? I only ask because my name is Winter and it’s unusual, but I can’t see a parent naming someone Undertaker.” Winter blinked at him. “I like it. Good job.”
