I knew the restaurant this man had mentioned. It was a normal mom-and-pop type of place that advertised New York’s best milkshakes, burgers, and fries. It was a type of place for teenagers, mostly. Not for business deals or transactions. But I guess it would suit this man’s needs. Whatever they may be.
Not bothering to change, I pulled on a sweatshirt, threw my hair in a ponytail, and grabbed my bag before heading out the door. Mateo could manage the office and the work without me for just a little while longer. With the location being so close, I decided to walk. Alone. I didn’t give a shit what Mateo wanted. I didn’t trust any of the men on our payroll anymore. Besides, I had my own weapon locked and loaded in my purse just in case the Snake wanted to try a third time.
When I got to the restaurant, there were only a handful of people there. It was easy enough to spot this David person. He was in the back, in a booth, wearing a black suit that was slightly too big for him. His blond hair was cut short on the sides, while the top stood up a bit longer. He looked to be only a year or two older than Dante and I, though I couldn’t be too sure. Cat-like blue eyes caught mine across the room, his entire face sharp. To me, he looked a bit like a pixie with the small, pointed nose and thin lips, but when he stood, he was taller than I was.
He got up from the table as I neared, holding out a hand. I glanced down at it warily before he slowly put it back down. “Thank you for coming, Mrs. Rosania.”
“Please don’t waste my time,” I told him, slipping into the booth. I kept my purse in my lap. Just in case. “Why are we here?”
David blinked at me in surprise. “It was safer to talk in public than on the phone.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I believe that you are being watched, Mrs. Rosania. The Snake apparently has eyes and ears everywhere. It wouldn’t surprise me if your phone was tapped. Or tracked.”
I froze. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that my phone had been compromised at some point. I was taken twice by the Snake. One of their goons could have very well tapped my phone.
“What do you want?” I asked, refusing to look bothered.
David Atwell leaned forward, the sleeves of his unfitted suit pulling back slightly. “I want to take you on as a consultant to track down this Snake for good.”
“Why?” I eyed him warily.
“Because they’re a criminal? Because they had a woman shot on the street? Because several officers have gone missing only to turn up dead with venom in their veins?” David snorted. “There’s a lot of reasons why.”
“No, I mean, why do you think I would be able to help you?” It was obvious to anyone who knew about the Snake that they would need to be taken down. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“Because, besides your…husband, you’re the only one who has a connection to this person.” David’s fingers intertwined, those ice-blue eyes of his narrowing.
“Well, I’m not sure I’ll be much help,” I told him honestly. “I have no leads. No idea where to look. You’re better off tracking down Dante and talking to him.”
“Except we can’t find him. And, as I’m sure you’ve heard, the Devil works with no one.”
I tried not to let the use of Dante’s underground nickname bother me. He didn’t know him like I did, but if that name would keep him safe simply because of its reputation, then I wasn’t about to correct it.
“Can I think about it?” I asked slowly. “This is…a lot. Especially considering everything that’s happened.”
He cleared his throat, pulling back. “Of course. Take some time to think it over. If you need to reach out, you have my number.”
I nodded, standing from the table. “Thank you.”
“No, Mrs. Rosania. Thank you.” David flashed me a smile, which I couldn’t say wasn’t all that horrible.
I left him sitting there, in that booth, as I headed out the door and back home. His words turned over in my mind. He sounded confident that, with my help, he’d be able to crack this case, but I wasn’t so sure. There were a lot of things I wasn’t sure about. My fingers ran through my hair as the frustration started to swell. I tamped it down quickly. I needed a distraction. From work. From the families. From Dante’s disappearance.
And I knew just who to call.
Gemma arrived at my house in minutes, seeing as she lived just a floor or so below me. She was dressed in her usual heels, tight skirt, and even tighter top. Her hair was perfectly curled, two long tendrils of hair framing her made-up face. As always, she looked beautiful.
I opened the door wider to let her in, and she flounced past. “Thanks for coming, Gem.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to thank me. I was planning on coming to see you eventually. I just wanted to give you some time since—” She stopped talking immediately, looking almost bashful. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”
“No, it’s alright.” I closed the door, following her to the kitchenette.
“How have you been?” she asked, slipping into a chair.
“Busy.” Gemma shot me a pointed look. I sighed. “I don’t know. Busy is all I know how to be at the moment.”