by Maris Black
“Video chats?” I looked over at Jamie, who was still face-planted on the surface of the desk. “What kind of video chats?”
I knew I sounded jealous and paranoid, but when I heard video chat, all I could think about were the ones Jamie and I had shared during our time apart. If I found out he was having video chats like those with anyone else, things were about to get really uncomfortable.
“I do interviews,” Jamie said. “Watch live streams, sit in on conference calls. Business stuff.”
His voice was flat. Traumatized. He was clearly still reeling from being walked in on in such a compromising position.
“Oh, yeah. You mentioned something about live streams before.”
I felt like an idiot for even allowing such a crazy thought to enter my mind, but I was a relieved idiot nonetheless. When I turned my attention back to Steve, he was still shell-shocked in the doorway.
I glared at him. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not getting much work done since Jamie’s been spending time down here?”
Steve’s eyes got even wider, and he put a hand to his chest. “Kage, you know me. I’m great at my job, and good luck finding anyone as dedicated as I am. Do you know how many shifts I have to pick up when other people call out? I practically live here.”
I ran a hand through my hair, suddenly feeling like I needed to sit down. The meds were kicking in pretty hard. The edges of my vision had gone a little fuzzy, and there was Steve in the center, looking like a pastel martyr all shocked and hurt. And I’d just practically accused Jamie of webcam cheating.
“I guess I could have locked the door,” I admitted begrudgingly. “But you don’t need to be spending all of your time in here, either. Save the socializing for after work hours, okay?”
Steve nodded and walked stiffly away, leaving the scent of God knows how many beauty products in the room with us.
“Well, that was embarrassing,” Jamie said after he’d gone. “How much do you think he saw?”
I laughed as the absurdity of it all finally caught up with me. “Well, I’m pretty sure he saw you drooling my jizz all over your pants. Oh, and my dick. He probably got a good enough look at it to identify it in a police lineup.”
Jamie smirked. “Well, let’s hope you your dick doesn’t ever have any reason to be in a police lineup.”
“I don’t know…” I leaned down and kissed his lips until he moaned against me and relaxed. “It gets pretty crazy when you’re around. No telling what illegal things it might end up doing.”
Jamie laughed quietly. “Now I’m just intrigued.”
“We’ll explore those possibilities later.” I stood and stretched a little, the pain having dulled to a persistent ache. “But right now I have to leave. Somebody got my pants all messy, and now I have to go change.”
Jamie furrowed his brow and looked down at his own pants. “I have to do the same, but I’ll let you go first. If we go up together, you might never make it to that appointment at all.”
“Good idea. I knew that college degree would come in handy.”
I kissed him again and left him with a big grin on his face that matched the one on mine. All things considered, this day hadn’t started out too badly.
That is until I stepped into the elevator and received a text from Steve. I clicked on it without thinking, and a selfie popped up. Steve in black lingerie. The caption read, Payback for what I just had to witness, you perv. I’m seriously traumatized.
After the urge to bleach my eyeballs subsided, I replied. This is Kage. Why are you sending my boyfriend sexy pics?
To which he responded, OMG. Forgot you had Jamie’s phone. I am so embarrassed right now. But you really think it’s sexy?
I shook my head and laughed against my will. Fucking Steve.
CHAPTER 3
KAGE
Somewhere between leaving Jamie’s office and flopping into the backseat of the Uber, my apprehension had returned. I was under no illusion that the doctor fairy had felt sorry for my busted up body and dropped a magical appointment into my lap, so that only left my theory that this was some sort of cloak-and-dagger meeting.
I offered up a silent prayer to please let it be Aaron and not another ambush, because I had no doubt that another meeting with Theodore Brown’s Matrix crew would mean certain death.
I looked out the window of the Uber car and noticed a man standing across the street. There was nothing particularly remarkable about a guy in a baggy hoodie and jeans, but my gaze had snagged on him before I realized I was staring.
Something about him… The posture. The stillness. The way he seemed to be staring right back at me, even though his face was almost completely hidden within the shadows of the too-large hood.
My car pulled away before I could study him too closely, but as I turned to look through the back glass, I was disturbed to find that his head had turned to follow the car.
Fuck. A chill went through me.
I tried to forget about the strange man, but even Cliff-the-Uber-Driver’s babbling couldn’t wipe the unease from my mind. I thought about him all the way to the doctor’s office.
I did manage to pick up snippets of Cliff’s one-sided conversation. He talked about Las Vegas traffic, his girlfriend’s unwillingness to commit to marriage, and his brother-in-law’s drug addiction among other things. It made me think of bartenders and hairdressers, who were known to be sort of lay-therapists to their customers, and I had to wonder why it always seemed like the roles were reversed with Uber drivers. Maybe it was just my luck to get the mouthy ones.
By the time we reached the doctor’s office, I was so stressed out from worrying about Cliff’s issues on top of my own, I was out of the car before it even came to a stop.
Fuck you, Cliff,” I thought. You think you’ve got problems? Try walking in my shoes for a day. You’d be in rehab right alongside your brother-in-law.
As the car pulled away, I stumbled into the sparsely populated waiting room and gave it a quick scan. There was a lady with a walker, a man in a Braves cap, a bald man reading Cosmo, a businessman tapping on his cell phone, a woman with a sleeping baby, and a man in a leg brace.
No men in trench coats, thank God.
With no other obvious options, I approached the receptionist’s desk. She was on the phone, so I stood on unsteady legs and waited. When I heard her say goodbye to the person on the other end of the line, I took a step forward, and that’s when I felt the hand on my shoulder.
Aaron’s voice.
“Follow me out the back door,” a familiar voice said close to my ear.
Aaron’s voice.
He stepped in front of me, wearing an Atlanta Braves baseball cap, jeans, and a pink Polo. He’d dropped about thirty pounds, and his dark brown hair, which I’d only ever seen buzzed, had grown long enough to reach the collar of his shirt. It was full and lustrous, and he was sporting a neat jaw full of stubble that could almost be classified as a beard.
“I didn’t even recognize you,” I called after him, trying to keep up as he practically sprinted down the hallway. My words came out thick and slow, like the last bit of syrup from a bottle, and I found myself wishing I wasn’t so dulled from the pain pills.
Once we were through the door, Aaron got into the backseat of a waiting black sedan, and I followed him inside. The driver wasted no time getting us out of the parking lot.
“You look so different,” I said, gaping at him. “I figured you were the one who sent me the text, but I looked straight at you in that waiting room and didn’t recognize you.”
Aaron smiled. Not a full-on smile, but at least the hint of one. “I’m dressing a little differently these days.”
“Yeah, in someone else’s body. Jesus, man. I mean, I still know your face when I look closely, and your voice is the same, but—” Words finally failed me, and I just threw up my hands and laughed.
“You look a little different, too,” he said, his dark brown eyes flicking down and back up as he gave me a quick on
ce-over.
I shrugged, feeling a little judged. “I’m carrying about twenty extra pounds these days. Nothing a little cleanse won’t fix.”
“You got any fights coming up?”
I heard echoes of Marco’s bitching and looked out the window. “Yeah, in a couple of months.”
He whistled. “And you went and got yourself all jacked up by Theo’s boys.”
I nodded. “It’ll be fine. I’m Michael Kage.”
“Well, Michael Kage, you’re making some pretty stupid decisions these days. You know that, right?”
“How do you figure?” I was being purposely obtuse as I mentally waded through my ever-deepening pile of colossal mistakes.
His laugh was a low rumble in his throat. “Well, let’s count them off. One, you pissed Theo off. Two, you’re not training like you were. And three, what in God’s name were you thinking getting fucked up before coming here today? I could have been anyone.”
I met his gaze and raised my t-shirt, revealing the nasty bruises all along my side. “Does this answer your question?”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay. I guess you get a pass. But you need to be more careful, Kage. If they come after you again, that first beating will seem like fun times.”
I dropped my shirt and stared out the window again, noticing we were pulling into a parking garage. “I know I’m fucking up, Aaron. But I’m confused. I don’t know what to do to fix things, and every move I make seems to be the wrong one.”
“For starters, you can tell me everything that you said to Theo Brown. And everything he said to you.”
I struggled to remember and to articulate. “Basically, he just told me he’d known my brother and me when we were kids. And my dad. We had a drink, and I asked him a few questions about my family. Then I told him I was thinking about shutting down the art gallery, the horse stables, and his hotel. I told him he could come work at the Alcazar as the casino manager because I was thinking about firing the current one.”
“So you were going to strip him of his current position in the company and obliterate his income. Sounds reasonable. I can’t imagine he didn’t go for it.”
My face colored. “Well, I did tell him he’d still make the same salary he’s making now as a hotel manager.”
Aaron laughed, but it was a harsh and humorless sound. “You thought he was just a hotel manager? How could you have been living with your uncle all these years and still be so clueless? It’s a wonder you made it this far without stepping off in it.”
“Nobody ever told me anything,” I said defensively. “You think Santori ever gave me the time of day? The only time he had anything to do with me was when he wanted to bitch or threaten me. You of all people should know that.”
“I did know you were oblivious. I just never could understand it. You were aware that your uncle was involved in illegal activities, and you knew he wasn’t a good guy. The two of you rarely got along, he had you watched like a hawk, and he controlled every move you made. Yet you just—” He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
My eyes watered, but I willed the tears away. “I ignored it all because it was easier that way. Fighting was my way of coping. I could pour every bit of my focus into that one thing, and everything else didn’t seem so bad.”
“Fighting wasn’t your only outlet,” Aaron said, eyebrow raised.
I glared at him. “Now you want to talk about my sex life?”
“No.” He had the decency to look chagrined. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. You were a good kid in a bad situation, and you did what you had to do to get through it. Believe me, I get it.”
I slammed my fist down on the armrest of the car door and growled. “I thought when he died, it would all be over. I thought Jamie and I could get married and run the Alcazar together. I could fight in the UFC for a while and maybe get that fucking belt my uncle was gagging for. But now it seems like things are worse than they were before.”
“That’s because they are,” Aaron said. “Much worse.”
I laughed. “Don’t try to sugar coat it or anything.”
“I’m not here to sugar coat anything, Kage. I’m here to pull your head out of your ass and tell you exactly what’s going on.”
“And what exactly is going on?” I was pleading now, because this bullshit had gone on long enough. I needed help, and it seemed like Aaron was the only one in any position to give me that help.
Aaron turned his entire body to face me, hitching a knee up onto the seat. The driver had pulled into a parking space deep in the garage, and we were just sitting there in the semi-dark with the car running.
I turned to face Aaron, mimicking his pose and wincing when I twisted a little too far for comfort. “So are you gonna tease me or tell me?”
“What do you think of the journals?” he asked.
“I read some of the first one. It jumps around a lot, and it seems like an emo teenager wrote it, but it’s very enlightening. I got to the part where Peter moved in with Gio Rivera, and… well, I had to read all about him losing his virginity, because he spared no details in describing that.” I shook my head and chuckled at the memory of his words. “Are we even sure my uncle wrote that stuff? He drew hearts, Aaron. Cheesy little hearts with arrows through them. And Peter Loves Gio 4-Ever in bubble letters.”
Aaron smiled. “I thought it was kind of sweet. In the beginning, anyway. Enjoy the hearts. They’ll be gone soon enough.”
I swallowed hard, dreading what was to come when the hearts were gone. I may have been flippant when speaking to Aaron about the journals, but deep down I was rooting for eighteen-year-old Peter Santori. The guy whose father had abused him all his life deserved some happiness, and it seemed like Gio truly cared about him. At least from Peter’s point of view. When I compared the young man in the journal to the man who had raised me, I knew the rest of the journals couldn’t be all hearts and bubble letters and declarations of love. Mainly because I’d never heard of Gio Rivera, the man whose hotel I now owned.
What had happened to him? Had my uncle bought him out? Forced him out? It was a question I wasn’t sure I wanted answered, because the Peter Santori I knew didn’t seem to have much of a conscience to speak of.
As for the rest of the crew mentioned in the journals, none of their names rang a bell. Except for Theo, of course. He was still hanging around like the after-effect of a bad meal.
“So what’s Theo’s deal?” I asked. “How do I get rid of him?”
Aaron laughed. “Get rid of him? My poor, deluded boy. You can’t fire the boss.”
“Boss?” My head was suddenly spinning worse than before. “What are you saying?”
Aaron shifted a little in his seat and looked me in the eyes with an expression so serious it scared me. “Theo has always been the one running things, Kage. Your uncle was nothing but the money man. Peter Santori never wanted to get his hands dirty, but Theo… Let’s just say he doesn’t have a problem with it. He was Gio Rivera’s right-hand-man.”
“But I thought he was just some kid. Peter’s best friend.”
Aaron shrugged. “Apparently, he was a fast learner. He started out as Peter’s best friend, but after Peter got him hired on with Gio, things changed.”
“And what happened to Gio? Why haven’t I ever heard of him? I didn’t even know my uncle was gay or had ever had a lover. And now I find out have his hotel.”
“You’ll have to read all of that for yourself in the journals.”
I groaned. “Aaron, stop being mysterious.”
“I’m not trying to be mysterious,” he said. “It’s not my story to tell. I think you will understand it all better coming directly from your uncle, however emo his delivery may be. Besides, you may discover some things I failed to notice. I was reading with a detached professional eye. You actually have some emotional investment in the story.”
“Fine. But that can’t be all you’re going to tell me.”
“It’s not,” he said. “The most imp
ortant stuff has to do with what you’re going to do for me. And for yourself.”
I swallowed. “And what would that be?”
“Are you sober enough to retain information, or do we need to reconvene at a future date?”
“I can’t wait for a future date. Things are getting real for me now if you hadn’t noticed.”
His gaze flicked down to my rib cage, where the damage was lurking beneath my shirt. “Yes, they are. More real than you know.” He took a deep breath and stared out through the window at the darkened parking garage. “What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this car. Do you understand me?”
I nodded, knowing that I was making a pact of secrecy that was going to be hard not to break. “I promise. It doesn’t leave this car.”
“The entire time I was working for your uncle, I was actually undercover with a certain government agency I’m not at liberty to name. Your uncle was laundering money for some big-time players in the crime world. Drug dealers, gun runners, and just all-around bad guys. We’d been looking at him for a while, and when he put out feelers for someone with surveillance experience, I happened to fit the bill. It was a perfect setup. I could get in close to him, monitor things, and keep my eyes open. The goal was to find out who his clients were, bust them, and get out. Peter Santori was supposed to be the gateway to a wealth of information about who we needed to be targeting, only he proved to be a dead-end.”
“A dead-end?”
“Yes. He was a slick bastard, your uncle. Believe it or not, the Alcazar is a legitimate business. There is absolutely no illegal activity tied to it. Theo is the one running the show, and somehow Peter always kept his nose clean. But getting in close to Theo Brown is next to impossible. If there’s one thing I learned in the last few years, it’s that he trusts no one.”
“Great,” I breathed, feeling the clock of my own mortality ticking. “If he doesn’t trust anyone, what am I supposed to do?”
“Well, I may have misspoken when I said no one. He did trust your uncle. And that’s why you’re our only hope if we want to salvage this operation.”