Hope to Lie (DeSantos Book 2)

by A. R. Case

  They sipped their beers in silence.

  “Can I come in yet?” Alexis was panting almost as hard as the dogs. Fritz snuck past her and plopped down on his master’s feet. Bark and Bite followed. Snick was the lone holdout, watching Alexis like she held the secrets of the universe.

  “Come in.” Crank reached down to pet Fritz. Chris noticed a medical patch on his arm. It looked like the same kind Tony had been given for pain after his surgeries.

  “It’s warming up out there. Feels like Spring with all the snow melting,” Alexis said. She’d found an old towel and wiped off the dogs, then the muddy prints they’d tracked in.

  “It’ll get colder soon,” Crank observed. “Was that your only coat?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Her coat is shit. That’s why I gave her mine.”

  Crank nodded. “Well then, I guess I better start meddling. You can’t let your little lady go around getting cold. Looks bad.”

  Chris reached in his pocket and handed Crank and envelope. “The rent for this month.”

  Crank opened the envelope and brushed the bills inside. “Thanks. You could have mailed it like normal.”

  “Figured I’d kill two birds with one stone.”

  “You’re short.”

  Chris dug in a pocket and took out another envelope. “Never carry everything in one place, right?” He laughed. Alexis noticed his dimple didn’t show when he did it.

  Crank fanned the money in the second envelope, the same way he’d done the first. She couldn’t see how he’d counted it, as the money never left the envelopes.

  “You good?” Chris asked Crank.

  “All good.”

  They talked about people Alexis didn’t know. Crank had one more beer and called it quits. Chris nursed his only beer. Snick’s ears followed everyone talking. When they got up to leave, she was the first dog up and stayed by Crank’s side when the other dogs crowded Alexis and Chris.

  Alexis walked over to Snick and held out her hand again. The dog sniffed it like before and licked it. She let the dog nuzzle her hand before she opened it to pet her head and scratched her ears. Crank stayed in his chair.

  “You going to be okay?” she asked him.

  “Good as gold. Get.” He motioned her away.

  “Chris!” Crank called.

  He turned. Alexis caught up with him.

  “Take care of Princess here.”

  Both Chris and Alexis groaned.

  When they got onto the highway, Alexis watched Chris closely. “You changed around him. You usually aren’t an asshole. Was it like that with your father?”

  “Yeah.” Chris was quiet.

  “How long has he had cancer?” she asked.

  Chris glanced from the road for a second. “You think it’s cancer?”

  “The patch, limited mobility, pain, hanging skin from sudden weight loss, the dark area around the eyes. Most likely cancer. Not to mention, the dog’s extra tension.”

  “You noticed all that, huh?”

  “My grandmother died from cancer. She lived with us until about a month before the end. Then she had a bad fall, and the bones basically broke from the inside out due to the tumors. She spent three weeks high as a kite on morphine. Then just stopped. It was another week or so on life support.” Her voice trailed off.

  “I think he’s got three, maybe four months.” Spring, he thought to himself. Another reason for war. When he goes, power vacuum is too mild of a phrase to describe the carnage. Either the entire structure would implode, or someone would claw, and kill their way to the top. Ghost had the urge and means to kill his brothers to get that position. But he would be awful for the club. Very bad. It would also be bad for Chris and Tony because while they owned the shop and the business, the club owned the land it was built upon. The closest chapter president could demand the land rent and more. That was the job Ghost was currently eying.

  “You going to be okay?”

  That was the million-dollar question.

  Chapter 9 — Ice Sculpture

  Saturday, over a week later

  “What’s this?” Alexis held an expensive-looking cream invitation in her hand. She’d taken him at his request and cleaned regularly but was finally tackling the pile of junk mail he had separated from the bills.

  “Holiday card?”

  “There’s tickets inside.”

  “Scam. Toss it.”

  “It’s a holiday party at the Borgata, swanky. Aw, for charity.” She walked it over to the waste bin.

  “Wait! I think it’s important.”

  She froze, half bent over. “Not a scam?”

  He snapped his fingers and motioned at her to bring it back.

  “Don’t snap your fingers at me like I’m some pet. We’re not with your biker godfather anymore.”

  “What? Oh. Sorry about that.”

  She stared at him, or glared would be a better word.

  “I said I’m sorry.”

  “Magic word?”

  “What are you, twelve?”

  Alexis bent over the garbage again, with the tickets dangling from her fingertips.

  “Please?”

  “That’s better.” She handed him the tickets and invitation.

  He shuffled through it. “Shit.”

  “That sounds like a bad shit, not a good shit.”

  “It’s a benefit tonight.”

  “Still not seeing why that’s bad.”

  He looked up from the desk where he’d been glued most of the morning to make up for missing work Friday. “I was supposed to take Vi.”

  “Oh.” Alexis hesitated for a moment. “So take her.”

  Chris’s face morphed to mock disbelief with one eyebrow comically higher than the other. “Seriously?”

  Alexis shrugged but ducked her head so he couldn’t see what was going across her face. “You promised to take her, take her. It’s not like we’re dating or anything.”

  He sat for a minute staring at her. “Do you know the last time I saw her, she was taking a swing at an FBI agent?”

  “Wow, real party chick. I might like her if she wasn’t the type of bitch who leaves her boyfriend to celebrate his birthday alone.”

  Chris shook his head. “Mini crepe bar.” He whispered to himself. “Not doing it. You want to go?”

  “Me?” Her voice pitched high. She did a quick scan of the oversized Steelers sweatshirt she was wearing, and the yoga pants she put on for housework. Then she tugged on her hair. “Me? At some swanky, probably black-tie thing?”

  “Ah, hang on.” Christ got up and disappeared into his room. He came back out with a dress. “Vi left this here a while back. I don’t know…”

  Alexis put up a hand. “I’m not wearing some ex-girlfriend’s cast-offs, and certainly not drunk tank pink.”

  “Wow, that’s a good description for that shade.”

  “It’s hideous.”

  “Yeah.” He scanned the dress again. “I’m not even sure it’s hers.”

  “Oh? You have strange women leaving their clothes here that often?”

  He almost blushed, and the dimple started to appear. “Crazy party. The first and only one I had here, not my idea.” He shuddered.

  “I’ve got a sequin thing I use when I work with a couple of lounge bands. My black dress must still be at Dylan’s.” Alexis disappeared into her room and brought out a bunch of strings, shimmery gold fabric, and sequins. She rearranged it a bit and held it in front of her. “What do you think?”

  “You have shoes to match?”

  “Of course.”

  “Huh.” He was staring at the dress.

  “Is that a good huh, or a bad huh?”

  “What?” He looked up at her.

  Alexis rolled her eyes. “You were imagining
me in the dress, weren’t you?”

  “Not exactly.” Damn, why did he have to tell the truth? She figured him out in a half-second.

  “Out of the dress?”

  “I’ll plead the fifth on that one,” he said and turned back to his drawing program. He was determined to be a gentleman and not take advantage of her. But his thoughts went straight to sex around her. It was in the way she moved, the subtle way she tipped her head when she talked to him, and the hyper-awareness he had every time they were in the same room. It was as if he knew exactly where she was by sensation alone.

  She started to go back to her room with the dress but stopped. “You certain it’s okay to take me?”

  Chris rubbed his neck. “I have to go. There will be a lot of casino executives there. In order to keep in front of the competition, it’s important, but,” he paused, “Vi’s father will be there, too.”

  “So, I’ll stay home.” It was stated so matter-of-factly, Chris looked up to check her face for disappointment. It wasn’t there.

  “I really don’t want to go alone. Especially if Vi ends up there anyway.” His stomach turned over thinking about the ways she’d try to humiliate him if she was still angry. It twisted again when he thought about what would happen if she wasn’t. That was new.

  “And if I go and it causes a scene?” She draped the dress over his easy chair.

  A smile flashed on his face. “All the better with that crowd. I’m already on the gossip list, might as well keep my reputation in tatters. They’ll love it.” He was only half-joking. If there was one thing better than dating Vi to get noticed, it would be dumping her first. He weighed the fallout against the notoriety.

  “Then it’s settled. I’ll go. Even if you don’t seem thrilled about it.”

  His hand dropped from his neck. “There’s a whole lot more going on right now, and going to a party just seems...”

  She stepped in and began to rub the spot he’d been digging at a moment before. “Crank.”

  “Yeah, he’s part of it.”

  She worked in silence for a minute or two until a groan of appreciation escaped from Chris. “Maybe it will help kick you out of the tailspin.” She suggested. “Besides, I bet I can kick east coast sorority ass in a fight.”

  Her remarks got the laugh she’d been angling for. She softened her tone. “You need a friend there, I’m there. Disclaimer, if Vi starts shit, I’m tossing her at the ice sculpture.”

  “How do you know there will be an ice sculpture?”

  Alexis frowned. “There’s always an ice sculpture at swanky winter parties. It’s like those little mushroom canapes that are half cold, and champagne you’ve never heard of, but apparently, it’s better than the stuff you have heard of. You know, staple shit.”

  His attention focused on her. “You’ve been to a few of these?”

  “Worked. Singing with a jazz band, or waitressing, or bartending. The food usually offsets the shitty pay. Especially the chocolate desserts. Mmmm.” Her face morphed under the blissful memories.

  Chris nodded. “There better be good food there.” Not that he’d eat much.

  He tapped the other shoulder and she rubbed it for a minute. “Thanks.”

  She patted his shoulder. “On the house. Maybe you can discount next month for back rubs?”

  “No, I was talking about going with me. Thank you.”

  Her stare was unreadable. “It isn’t a big deal.”

  “You didn’t go to the Cave last night, you’d be missing out tonight, too.”

  “No big.” She shrugged and collected her dress.

  “You haven’t been back there since the coat was taken. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She ended the conversation by leaving the room.

  Chris was not convinced she was telling the truth.

  ~~~~~~~

  That night

  “How do I look?” Alexis spun around. The string fringes flared outward. She had the sides of her hair up in twists like a 40’s pin-up girl. The rest of it was in soft curls that weren’t as wild as her normal style.

  “Gorgeous. You ready?”

  “Let me get my coat.” She pulled her fake leather out of the closet.

  Chris frowned.

  “What?”

  “Hang on a second.” He brushed past her and dug around in his bedroom for a moment. He came back with a large flat box. “Try this on.”

  “More of Vi’s hand-me-downs?”

  “This is new.”

  Alexis took the box. It was surprisingly heavy. It barely fit on the bar counter. “New? When did you buy it?”

  He looked down, “It was about five weeks ago.”

  “So you bought it for Vi.”

  “Just try it on.” His tone was impatient, and Alexis detected more than a hint of disgust.

  Because of it, she couldn’t help but needle him. “Does she know you bought it for her?”

  “Of course not. It was supposed to be her Christmas present.”

  “You’re making me feel all fuzzy about this.” The sarcasm dripped from her voice.

  He sighed. “The truth is, I have bought her presents that took a long time to pick out, were expensive as fuck, and she hated them. This one, I saw it, thought it was cute. It was a happy medium between being pricey but not expensive, so I bought it. She would have returned it anyway, so I’m not sure it counts. Right?”

  “That’s so passive-aggressive.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Alexis took the lid off the box and moved the tissue paper aside. Her fingers brushed across the soft fur that was just a shade too soft to be real. There was a card in the box explaining the sustainable, non-animal methods used to create the fur. “It’s pretty.” She took it out and shook out the folds. “Wow.” The coat mimicked a leopard print, but some of the inner spots were gold, not a tone of yellow, but metallic. They were almost the same color as her dress. It was lined with creme silk printed with tiny dots of the same gold. When she put it on, Chris sucked in a breath.

  “It looks like I picked it out for you.”

  “Let me borrow the full-length mirror in your bathroom for a minute?” She didn’t wait for his nod of approval and practically danced past him. He straightened up the tissue and the box while she was gone.

  A few moments later, she came back and brushed a quick kiss on his cheek. “It’s perfect. Thank you!”

  “I did good?”

  “Technically, no, but I’m not complaining because this is one seriously awesome coat and I’m evil that way.” She paused as Chris opened the door. “I solemnly promise not to get anything on it, or let this one get stolen, so you can return it in one piece. Cross my fingers.”

  “Not returning it. Let’s go.”

  “Hang on,” She put her hand on his arm.

  “What?”

  Her eyes searched his. “We good with this?”

  “We’re good.” He didn’t look at her.

  “Thank you.” She lifted his chin up to catch his eyes. They were soft.

  “You said that before.”

  “I’ll keep saying it, okay?”

  He smiled. It lightened the weariness of his face. “I kind of like it.”

  Luckily, he was too busy opening the door to notice her quick frown. He deserved someone who would treat him better and lift the pain from his face.

  The grand ballroom was dripping with glittery, twisty decorations and lights. Alexis paused in the doorway to look at the entire room. On the way over, she discovered part of the contrasting silk detached to become a wrap, which she casually draped over her arms when they took the coat. Chris took advantage of the pause to let his eyes explore the bare shoulder nearest to him.

  She had tiny freckles there. He wanted to touch them to confirm they were real. Luckily, she distra
cted him before he did something stupid.

  “See? Ice sculpture.”

  There was a long table with white flowers and red metallic twisty things. Amongst the arrangements, was an equally twisty ice sculpture. “What is it supposed to be?”

  “Uh, abstract? I think you’re supposed to think about what it means to you and how it makes you feel.” Her hands played with shapes in the air.

  “Never understood that shit,” he said.

  “What, the abstract representation of winter?”

  “Is that what it is? It looks like a frozen orange rind.”

  “Maybe it’s supposed to be the twist of fruit in a cold drink?”

  “Ha! What’s that got to do with winter?” It did look like an apple peel.

  “No effing clue.” She was laughing with him now.

  “Thank God I’m not the only one confused by it.”

  “DeSantos!” An older man with a stately sweep of gray hair at the temples and the peak of his pompadour. He grabbed Chris’s hand and started pumping it. “Good to see you made it.”

  “Ellis. How’s the new property?”

  “Agh. Don’t remind me. The city council is still tying me up in permits, I swear if it was still legal, I’d buy an alderman. Who’s your lovely lady friend?”

  “Ellis, meet Alexis Canens. Alexis, Ellis Franco. He sucks at poker but has good taste in cigars.”

  “A pleasure.” Alexis allowed him to turn her handshake into a kiss of her hand.

  “It’s all mine. My favorite color is blue.” He winked at her.

  Chris snorted. “I thought it was green.”

  Ellis laughed. “Green, as in money, but today I think I like blue better. She yours?”

  “I found her in my driveway.” Chris deflected his answer and ignored the side-eye Alexis was giving him.

  “Really? You have always been a lucky man, Chris. You need to use that luck on something bigger than signs. A beautiful woman is just the start. When you’re ready to take the plunge, you let me know. It would be great. I shake hands, you do the work.”

  Chris nodded and smiled. Ellis teased offers like that. Since it would never happen, there wasn’t much to say about it.

  “Dodged a bullet, I believe.” Ellis pointed his nose toward the bar. Vi’s father was there in a cluster of men. Vi was hanging on a much older man. Her father was frowning.