Hendrix watches my movements, his gaze on my mouth. His eyes flare. Oh my. I put the other slice back in the liquid. “No peace,” he says. “We will never have peace.”
So that’s one question answered. “Why do you want him in prison so badly?”
“I didn’t say I want him in prison. Did I?”
I cock my head to the side. “But you do.”
Hendrix finishes his drink. “Yeah, I do. He belongs in prison. He killed that man merely because the guy found out about the affair. That’s cold-blooded and that’s evil.” His eyes glow with intent and purpose. He truly believes what he says. “Do you ever wonder how the Fairfax security system was fried that day so the interior security system didn’t record the murder? Alexei has a way with computers.”
I sober slightly. “Security system?” I’d gone through all the evidence provided to the defense and hadn’t seen a hard drive.
“Yes,” Hendrix says. “Surely you’re aware of that fact.”
“I’m not.” I make a mental note to visit the police station first thing in the morning. Well, after my hearing. Oh yeah, I have a hearing. I should probably stop drinking. Even as the thought crosses my mind, I finish my martini. “You’re very charming, Hendrix, and I appreciate the offer, but I’m going to have to decline.”
I start to scoot from the booth. He plants one hand over mine, holding me in place. I jolt and look up. His face loses the pleasant expression, and I see the animal behind the facade. To be honest, he looks more like Alexei than I would’ve imagined.
His voice drops low. “I don’t think you understand. I’m offering you an easy way out. If not, you’re going to lose everything.”
“Is that a threat?”
“You can take it any way you like, but you’re three months behind on your mortgage, and I’m about to own your home.”
My heart stutters. I can’t lose that house. I have seven elderly men to care for. “I don’t appreciate the threat.” I glance across the bar to where my friends are watching me. “If I need money, I can get it and you know that.”
He releases my hand and follows my gaze before looking back at me. “That’s true. Although I believe you have too much pride to ask those silly heiresses for help.”
I normally would, but when it comes to taking care of my boarders, pride can get lost. I just lift my chin and glare at him.
He shrugs. “Very well. Perhaps I can’t take your house, but I know how much you care about Merlin and Felix and Percy. Shall I name all of them?”
Fire finally lances through me, and I keep my hand in place on the table, leaning closer to him. “Try me, Hendrix. You don’t want me for an enemy. Trust me.” With that, I stand, turn, wobble only slightly on the heels and stomp my way across the bar.
“What was that about?” Ella asks as I slide back into the booth.
“It was a bribe and a threat,” I say.
Alana glances back at Hendrix who’s now watching us. “I don’t really like violence, but if you want––”
“No,” I say before she can finish a thought. “I don’t need Thorn Beathach to do my dirty work. I can handle myself.” I wave to the waitress for one more drink.
Ella cocks her head. “Are you working tomorrow, Rosalie?”
“I am. I have a hearing at nine in the morning,” I say.
“Oh.” Alana waves at the bartender. “Then we only have about a half an hour to do a couple of shots.”
For some reason, that sounds like an excellent plan to me. Just how drunk do I want to be when I return to my bedroom tonight?
SEVENTEEN
Alexei
At the Amethyst bar, I sit on a bar stool with a shot of vodka that I raise to the assembled men in the room. “To our future,” I say, tipping it back. They repeat my phrase and all drink. There are only eight men here. I recognize most of them, and it looks like we’ve gotten a few new recruits—fresh from Russia. They are not happy with Hendrix.
In the crowd that ranges in age from sixteen to seventy, there are two torpedoes who serve as hitmen and hired muscle, several Boyeviks, foot soldiers, and even a couple of Vor v Zakones who are high-ranking and highly respected members. I’m surprised to even have one Obshchak Keeper, who’s a keeper of communal funds. Hendrix will have them all killed if he discovers this meeting.
“What else has gone wrong?” I ask. They’ve already gone into some length about Hendrix playing with daughters and promising marriage and then backing out after using them.
