Page 43 of One for the Money

I stared dubiously at the glass I’d just chugged from, wondering if it might have been poisoned. Lucky for me, I’d worked up a tolerance to many poisons that were commonly used in assassinations. You can never be too careful when dealing with criminals.

“Did you manage to see what he looked like, or was his money too distracting?” Erik questioned, his tone sounding rather irked.

The server had the decency to look guilty at the accusation, but that told me that whoever the mystery note was from knew what they were doing. There was an open seat next to me, so I grabbed the guy’s wrist and yanked him down into it. Before he could utter a protest, I had my gun pressed to his ribs. Looking at his nametag for the first time, I learned his name was Oscar.

“Listen to me carefully, Oscar,” I instructed in a low voice that wouldn’t be heard over the din of the restaurant. “Tell me exactly what you remember about this man and your interaction.”

Oscar was now shaking like a scared puppy, but he was smart enough not to call for help. He swallowed so hard I could hear it from how close I was. “Ah… h-he, he was dressed in a nice suit. I noticed because it was way too fancy for him to want to eat here.” He paused to lick his lips. “Oh, ah, I was heading for the bar to get your refills when he stopped me. Normally, people would go to the host stand to leave a message, but he seemed to know I was your server.”

Meaning whoever this was had been watching us for a little while without us noticing. Another point in the professional column.

“Good, what else?” I pressed.

“This is gonna sound weird, but he smelled really good. Most guys wear cologne that’s way too overpowering, but not him. It lingered but made you want to follow after if that makes any sense,” Oscar offered, his cheeks turning a little pink.

Mystery man was hot, even if Oscar couldn’t remember his face. Flashy suit, flashy money, a scent you couldn’t forget—all marks of a person skilled at misdirection. Give the brain things to latch on to that weren’t going to be helpful in them truly remembering the person behind the smoke.

“You said he pointed me out. Did he just say that woman, or did he use my name?” I asked, trying to determine if this was tied to the hit, which had just my picture and The Wolf listed.

“He knew your name, called you Von. I heard your friend call you, so I knew this guy wasn’t pointing at either of the men with you,” Oscar answered. “Please, I promise I’ve told you everything I know. He just wanted you to have the note and to buy you a round of drinks.”

Freeing my hold on the boy, I shoved my gun back in the holster and took the now-crumpled note. “Get up slowly, grab our bill, and as long as you keep this to yourself, I’ll make sure you have a tip big enough to make up for any discomfort tonight might have caused you. However, if you decide to call the police or tell anyone else about this conversation, they will be the last words you ever speak. Now, do we have an understanding?”

Oscar nodded frantically and tried to act normal, but his breathing was labored, and his movements jerky with panic.

Catching his wrist, Oscar looked at me with wide eyes. “Take a deep breath, buddy, or you’re gonna hyperventilate and pass out. Drawing more attention is the last thing you want right now.”

He made a feeble attempt at slowing his breathing, but it was clear this guy wasn’t going to become an actor with skills like that. I watched him walk away looking like a baby deer learning to walk until he vanished into the kitchen.

“You really think he’s going to keep his mouth shut?” Erik asked.

I shrugged. “Could go either way, but since he was about to piss himself sitting here next to me, I doubt he’s got the balls to risk involving the police. Besides, what would he tell them?”

Before I could read what was written on the note, Bear decided it would be a better idea for him to read it first and plucked it out of my hand. “What the fuck?” I snapped.

Of course, he ignored me as he read whatever the note said. With no warning, he shot to his feet, grabbed my arm, and hauled me to my feet, only to then toss me over his shoulder.

“What the hell is going on?” I hissed, bracing my hands on his ass so I didn’t keep slamming into his back as he charged out of the restaurant.

Erik was hot on our heel with a fucking gun in his hand tucked at his side so it didn’t draw attention. How the hell had he gotten a gun? Shaking my head, I rationalized that wasn’t what I should be pissed about right now. Once outside, Bear didn’t slow down—quite the opposite as he fucking jogged across the parking lot, making me nearly puke all over his back.

It wasn’t until I was tossed into the back seat of the G-Wagon that things seemed to calm down, or so I thought. Bear slid behind the wheel while Erik took my seat, barely closing the door before we peeled off into the night. Meanwhile, I was being thrown around in the back like a Caesar salad as Bear used every trick in the book to ensure we didn’t have a tail on us. Finally, I managed to grab the oh-shit handle to keep my ass in the seat long enough to fasten the damn buckle.

“Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on right now,” I demanded, blowing strands of rogue hair out of my face.

“I would love to answer that for you, but I’m not sure myself,” Erik said, twisting to look back at me. “He signaled we needed to go, tossed me a gun, and I didn’t think it was smart to argue.”

“Bear, do you still have the note?” I asked, bracing as he took a turn on what felt like two wheels.

This road took us away from the city but in the opposite direction of home. There was no way someone had been able to tail us with the maneuvers Bear put them through, but something had him worried enough not to give any hint as to where we planned on heading back to. However, that train of thought changed when Bear didn’t make any effort to backtrack, instead continuing away from the city.

“Bear, if you don’t pull over right now and explain what the fuck just happened, I’m going to shoot you,” I warned in a low, threatening voice that no one could mistake as not being serious.

His hands tightened on the wheel, making his knuckles turn white. Stopping was the last thing he wanted to do, but I left him no choice. Soon, we were making our way down a service road with the headlights off before coming to a stop. Bear put the car in park and sighed heavily before handing me the note.

Throwing off the seat belt, I grabbed it and smacked on the overhead light. The windows to the G-Wagon were tinted in a way that wouldn’t show if the inside lights were on, keeping us hidden in the darkness.

Someone recognized Gingersnap as a missing person and called the police. Get out now, and don’t waste your time trying to find me. Stay out of jail so we can have some real fun later.