“Mr. Patras, Mr. Callahan’s here to see you.”
He sighed. “Send him in.”
Lucian eased back in his chair. A moment later the door opened and Shamus stepped in, his perpetually flushed cheeks lifted. “Luche, how’s it hanging?” As he took a seat at the club chair in the corner, he cocked his head, a crown of golden curls falling to the side. “Did you sleep here?”
Lucian stood to join him. “Yeah. I’ve been avoiding the condo. Evelyn and I are on a break.”
Jamie’s eyebrows lifted. “Since when?”
“Four days ago.”
“That explains the rumors.”
Lucian frowned. “What rumors?”
“That you’ve lost it.”
He wasn’t surprised. He’d been screaming at employees all week, setting unobtainable standards, making good workers feel incapable and less than they were. Somehow he thought that would make his own life seem less pathetic. It didn’t.
“I’ve been on a bit of a rampage.”
“Ya think? Georgette looks one loud noise away from bursting into tears, and Seth is running around with sweat stains under the arms. Lucian, if you’re that miserable, go get her back and apologize for whatever stupid thing you’ve done.”
“It isn’t that simple.” He settled into to couch and crossed his legs at the ankle. God he was tired.
“Is it really that complicated?”
“Yes.”
Jamie waited for an explanation. He was Lucian’s best friend. He might as well tell him before he heard it from Slade. “I made a deal. When Evelyn left last fall and I couldn’t find her, I made a deal so that I could save her.”
“What kind of deal?”
“The stupid kind. I’d spent days scouring every alley, dilapidated building, and shelter in Folsom. She was nowhere to be found. The temperature dropped to below freezing and I panicked. She has a friend, from the shelter, a guy.”
“An ex-lover?”
Lucian’s eyes narrowed. “No. She’s never been with anyone but me. He’s just a friend, but he’d like to be more.”
“He’s homeless?”
“Was. I ran into him on the street and asked him if he knew where she was. He had a better guess than anyone. He knew, but refused to tell me.”
“Was she safe?”
“No. The little prick knew that too. He had no way of helping her and we were due another blizzard. He made me an offer. If I agreed, he’d tell me where she was.”
Jamie’s head slowly drew back. Hesitantly, he asked, “What was the offer, Luche?”
He sighed and shook his head. “I had to give him a job.”
“That’s not bad.”
“Wait. I had to give him a job so he could make money and get himself off the streets. I gave him a job as a bellboy at Patras, but told him the minute he fucked up it was done. That was only one part of the deal.”
“What’s the other part?”
“When he was ready, once he felt he’d gotten back on his feet, I had to break up with Evelyn for a month. One month, no contact, during which time he could take a shot at her.”
Jamie’s brow crinkled as his upper lip seemed to snag on an invisible hook. “Are you out of your mind?”
“No. Yes. I was desperate. It was fucking freezing. It had been over a week and I’d used every resource I had to find her only to come up short. What choice did I have?”
“There had to be a better one than that.”
“Tell me,” he said in exasperation. “You tell me what the better choice was. He had me by the balls, Shamus. What was I supposed to do, let my dick and my pride get in the way of saving her life? I love her and there was no way she was coming out of that decline without my help. Her mom’s sick. She was dying and Evelyn would have frozen to death right beside her rather than leave her.”
“What’s wrong with her mom?”
“A ton of shit; mainly, she’s an addict. I found her lying on nothing but cardboard, coughing up blood, in an old abandoned mill by the tracks. I thought she was already dead when I got there. Evelyn wouldn’t leave her, so I carried her out of there, had Sheffield take a look at her, and now she’s checked into rehab. She hates me. She would’ve died had I not carried her out of there, but she’s too fucked-up to care. The woman is a selfish cunt and uses Evelyn, but she’s all Evelyn’s ever had and she won’t abandon her.”
“So now what? Evelyn found out about all this and dumped you?” Jamie asked.
“No, not completely. There were conditions to the agreement. A bellboy makes practically nothing. Sure, Patras employees are paid about twenty percent above the norm, but do you know how long it would have taken to get an apartment in even the shittiest part of Folsom on that salary? I didn’t think there was much of a rush. To protect myself further, I stipulated that the minute Evelyn agreed to marry me, all bets were off.”