Page 105 of East

Not that it’s much of a contest.

“Nora heads the bar of the North,” Rouge explains.

I narrow my eyes. “That’s East, West, and North. Is there a South?”

Rouge grins. “Of course, love. Nothing gets past you. Our barkeep of the South, Gloriana Goode, is busy this evening. One of her waitstaff will be taking over for her. But you’ll meet her soon enough. She’s a peach of a girl, a true Southern belle.”

“Gloriana’s bar serves wine, and I serve beer,” Nora says.

“If you serve beer, we’re going to be good friends.” I offer her a smile. This one is genuine.

“Wonderful to see you all getting along so swimmingly,” Rouge says. “If that’s it, I’ll be off.”

A high-pitched throat clear. We all turn toward Kin.

“Sorry,” he says timidly. “I just… What happened to⁠—”

“The previous owner of the Jade Sanctum has moved on to greener pastures,” Rouge says. “She wishes you all the best.”

“It just… It s-seems kind of sudden for her to⁠—”

“Kin! Don’t you have to get ready for the night? It’s Aus’s first evening with us. You’ll want to put your best foot forward for your new boss.”

The three bartenders scatter at her words. Damn, Rouge has some authority.

I turn to her. “Who were they talking about? Are you new as well?”

“The Jade Sanctum is a recent acquisition of mine. I’ve been running my family’s flagship club for years, ever since my father’s health deteriorated to the point where he could no longer handle things.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

She produces a handkerchief out of her cleavage and dabs an eye—though I’m not seeing any actual tears wetting it. “It’s been difficult for all of us. But I’ve been expanding our umbrella. Aces is membership only, but I wanted to open some clubs that operated off covers rather than membership fees. Trying something new.”

“I hope it works out.”

“You and me both.” She leans in, her voice lowered. “The previous owner—the woman the barkeeps were asking about—let this place fall into disrepair. I had no choice but to swoop in and save it in the nick of time.”

“How did you manage that?” I ask.

She stops, her lips twisting into a grin.

“With the help of a friend.”

I don’t buy for a second what Thea said about some kid walking around looking for work.

This is an apartment building. It’s not like we have lawns he could mow, walks he could shovel. My building managers take care of all that anyway. It’s included in my rent.

Based on the lack of color in her face, I’m guessing the person at the door was someone involved in Kin’s murder investigation. Thea’s carrying a manila envelope.

Why is she hiding it from me?

Probably wants to spare me from all this.

Which breaks my heart.

Because if she knew how much I love her, she wouldn’t for a second try to keep this from me.

Guilt twists the knife further. Because I haven’t been fully forthcoming with her either.