She held up the folded piece of paper between us. “Her inheritance,” she said, handing it to me. “It will make you a very powerful man. More powerful than your friends will ever be.”
She rose from the chair, forcing me back, and my body filled with a sudden unease. She’d gotten under my skin, and she knew it. But I hadn’t affected her in the least.
“I’ll wait until tomorrow to tell Mr. Torrance your answer,” she told me. “Just in case I hear from you tonight.”
I reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. “I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my life,” I said, standing at her side. “I won’t be making any more.”
She looked up at me and pulled her arm out of my grip. “I hope not. You’ve made too many.”
She moved to leave, but I blocked her again. Slipping the paper she gave me into her jacket without looking at it, I retrieved the picture instead. I made a show of looking at it.
I needed Damon.
And I needed in that hotel.
But if he wasn’t there…
I looked down into her piercing eyes, remembering the smell of her hair, the sight of her smile, and the feel of her fear and excitement. She was the one thing I’d ever seen him possessive of.
If he wasn’t in the hotel, then she was leverage.
“Tell him we’ve got a deal,” I told her.
She blinked up at me for a split moment, and I knew she hadn’t been expecting that.
But when she reached for the knob, I put my hand on the door, keeping it shut. “But I’ll pay for The Pope,” I clarified. “Instead, my wedding present… will be you.”
She whipped around, and I finally saw some emotion on her face as she glared at me. “I’m not on the table.”
And I couldn’t help but smile down at her, my dirty mind finding the double meaning.
“You work for me until the wedding. That’s the deal. Go and tell him my terms.” I backed away, suddenly very confident. “And you’ll find out that you’re exactly what I said you were. Toy or tool. Nothing more.”
I left her side and walked back around behind my desk. While her position with Gabriel perplexed me, I knew that man would sell his soul to make a buck. There was no chance one little girl was of that much value that he wouldn’t sacrifice her to see me agree to his terms.
“And, Banks,” I said, seeing her yank open the door, a small ember of the fire I remembered in her all those years ago finally showing itself again. “Once he agrees, gather the keys, codes, and blueprints for the hotel and bring them to me. I want in tomorrow.”
She didn’t turn or acknowledge my order, but I saw the little snarl on the side of her face before she left the office, slamming the door behind her.
My chest shook as I let out a quiet laugh. Following her out, I watched her stuff her hands back into her coat pockets and ignore my friends who stood in the lobby. I stopped next to the front desk, seeing her disappear out the doors, and moments later a black SUV charged off.
“What did you do?” Michael walked over.
But I just kept staring out the doors after her, mumbling, “She said ‘tear apart the city, looking for him.’”
“What?”
“She said that she didn’t care if I tore apart the entire city, looking for him,” I said again, louder. “I never told her I thought he was in the city.” And I nodded, now more sure than ever. “He’s here.”
I turned to head back to the office.
“You’re not getting married,” Michael called out after me.
I glanced back. “I’m not getting fucking married.”
Banks
Devil’s Night