He’s always weird, of course. Possibly the weirdest person I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something. But the version of him now is fucking night and day compared to the person he’s been since we met this morning.
We get in the car, and he listens quietly while I explain what Kaitlyn told me. It’s almost hard to concentrate with him all dolled up. I wasn’t expecting the makeup, but it also wasn’t a surprise. What the surprise is, is how much it makes my dick twitch in my pants. It’s literally not something I’ve ever thought about before; but as soon as I was looking at all that shimmer on Fallow’s pretty-but-masculine face, I was sunk.
I just have to get through the conversation about Kaitlyn, so we can make a plan. I just have to not get distracted. A little part of me is wondering if he’s going to take it off before the guys see, but mostly I’m thinking fuck it. It’s too lovely a sight to hide because other people are dicks.
I tell Fallow that Kaitlyn has a contact out in California, bouncing between LA and San Francisco, who’s been inserting themselves in mob drama. I’m not sure how Kaitlyn knows this person, she loves to play shit close to the chest. But I know she was semi-mobbed up back in Boston before she came here to track down her son. And since her son—Tristan—is technically a Banna contractor, Kaitlyn fell into our organization pretty comfortably. More comfortably than Tristan, who was pretty much press-ganged into the situation as far as I can tell.
I don’t really care about the details. But I inherited her when I took over here, and she seemed too smart to be wasted on piss-ant drug runs and enforcement actions. We took over the protection contract for this place when we moved into town, but we’re not technically the owners. So, it only made sense to install a manager who was loyal to us. This is more than just a strip club for me. It’s a huge building that I can move shipments of anything I want into and out of without a lot of attention, and that’s more valuable than any simple protection racket.
“Okay so this Ellery person is in California, but what does that have to do with us?”
“Oh, it’susnow? Because five minutes ago I thought you said you didn’t give a fuck about Banna business,” I say, glancing at him quickly and then back at the road.
“I’ll give a fuck about whatever I want. You can wither under the mystery of it, or you can concentrate on answering me like a fucking adult.”
He’s snappish, without the sheen of irreverence that he’s carried around like a shield all day. It’s weird. I don’t know exactly what could have set him off like this.
I shouldn’t care, either. But I won’t lie to myself.
Everyone else I will definitely keep lying to.
I let out a slow, controlled breath, not letting myself get worked up over a little moodiness. It’s not like I don’t deal with worse from the meth heads who work for me every day.
“I’ve been worried about human trafficking in this area,” I tell him. “I meant what I said before; we don’t do that. We have some fucking boundaries, which is one of the things I love about the Banna. No kidnapping unless they deserve it, and no kids. For anything. But there have been more women going missing than usual. Not just dancers, but hookers, too. Not ones that are under our protection, but still. Sure, sometimes girls just leave, but I don’t like what I’ve been hearing. It’s too much.”
Fallow is looking at me intensely from the passenger seat, so I take the cue to continue.
“And I don’t like it either way, but it’s definitely bad for business if it looks like we can’t control our territory. I’d assumed it was the Aryans, because they’ve always been pissed at us and all the stuff with Savage made it worse. They’re the only other operator in this area. But according to this Ellery person, that might not be what’s up. They think there’s a West Coast operation extending its tendrils over here and doing it quietly, which I’m going to be very fucking pissed about if it’s true. Mostly because your father will have me fucking murdered.”
Fallow is staring out the window now, not reacting to my words, and it makes me nervous in a way I don’t usually get. Every time I look at him, the first thought in my head is about how beautiful he is. It’s discombobulating. I feel like I’m babbling to fill the silence, but I can’t help myself.
“He’ll probably have you do it, won’t he? Since you’re here?”
That makes Fallow let out a little snort. More like an exhale, recently, but at least it’s a response.
“I don’t answer to him if I don’t want to. He can try and come punish me, but he’ll fail. We’re not really related, you know. Ourrelationship is one of convenience, and he knows he’s the one getting the better end of the deal, so he won’t do anything to jeopardize that.”
I unclench a little. The thought of dying at all bothers me more than it should, but I hated the thought of Fallow being the one to do it. I mean, his face being the last thing I see wouldn’t be the worst. But I feel like it would bother him, even if he won’t admit it.
“You’re safe from me for now, little rabbit,” he says, his voice so soft it’s almost a whisper.
“I appreciate it.”
I have so many questions. I want to ask about him and Murphy, and how they’re really related. I want to ask about how he ended up here, and if he really likes it. My story is boring and the same as every other thug I’ve met, but I’m sure Fallow has a lot more going on under the hood than any of the rest of us.
But even though I don’t know him, not really, I know that none of those questions would get any answer other than snark.
I let the silence drift between us for a minute before another question occurs to me, and I ask before I can second-guess myself.
“Kaitlyn kept calling her contactthey,” I say, falling silent as I try to figure out how to word my next thought.
“So?” Fallow asks, turning to look at me now.
“You said before that you’re not really a guy. But you’re not a girl, either. Should I call youthey?”
Fallow snorts again, and I can’t tell if he’s making fun of the concept or making fun of the ham-fisted way I’m asking about it.
“Or were you just joking?”
