“Stacia? Where are you going?” Talon calls from behind me, chasing after me without catching up, sending my heart racing.
“To get a fucking drink. I can’t deal with this shit right now.” I waltz into the pristine kitchen with stainless steel appliances and white cabinets. Sauntering around the island, I head to the wet bar where Talon has a collection of high-end bottles of alcohol.
I grab an ornate silver and glass bottle of vodka and pour a shot. It sinks smoothly to my stomach, warming my insides. Talon cocks his eyebrow at me, watching me in silence. I wave the bottle at him.
“Want one?” I ask, pouring a second shot. I down it, not waiting for Talon to respond.
Leandro shows up next with Esteban behind him. I spot Christos keeping his distance, choosing to stay in the dining room instead of joining us in the kitchen.
I pour another shot. “What about you, Esteban?”
Esteban takes it away before I can down it, tipping his head back and drinking it. He releases a breath and shakes his head. “I’m more of a tequila man, but it’s pretty smooth.”
“I’d expect it to be considering it cost a grand.” Talon snatches the vodka bottle from me, but instead of putting it back on the shelf, he pours himself a glass in a short tumbler.
I snake my arm past him and grab the bottle again. “What about you, Leandro? Do you want one?”
“I don’t drink on the job, beautiful. But thanks.” Leandro moves to the high counter and takes a seat on a barstool.
“I’ll take one, Stacia,” Christos speaks up from the dining room, where he plops down in the chair.
“You ain’t having shit, Count. You’re not a houseguest.” Talon snatches the bottle away from me and places it on a high shelf out of my reach. The bastard.
“You’re really going to be an ass, Talon? You know we can get things done faster if you’re not constantly having to come to my hotel. Don’t you think it’s smarter if we’re all under the same roof? Someone could easily follow you like I did. I even got in without any of you fuckers realizing.” Christos narrows his eyes at Leandro. “I thought you were supposed to be her bodyguard.”
“I am, which is why I allowed you in so that I’d have the chance to fuck you up myself,” Leandro retorts, remaining unfazed by the accusation and attempt to scrutinize his ability to protect me.
“Yeah fucking right.” Christos gets to his feet and steps into the kitchen, puffing his chest out as if he can overpower Leandro, but we both know that Leandro has kicked his ass twice now. Once before he even knew I was his client.
Talon smacks his hand on the light gray streaked marble countertop. “That’s enough. No more fucking fighting under my roof. If you’re going to stay here, you better make sure it’s okay with Stacia first. You are not to bother her or be distracted. We have shit to do and a business to run. We have people to track down. We found the fucker who drugged one of the girls last night.”
My blood cools, despite my body warming because of the alcohol. He just said he found a possible lead and whoever has been drugging people at the Looking Glass.
The knowledge sobers me up enough to grab Talon’s arm, dragging his attention to me. “You found him? Who is it? Do we know him?”
Talon grinds his teeth, not responding to me right away.
I open my mouth to yell at him to stop keeping things for me, but I don’t get the chance.
“We don’t know yet, mamacita. But we will. I got an ID on him through one of my dealers.” Esteban rolls his shoulders, his face hardening. “We will have him soon enough.”
“And then what? Do you think it’s somehow connected to the dead guy?” My legs tremble, my mind spinning. I grab onto the countertop to stabilize myself.
“You don’t need to worry about that, wild child. It’ll be handled. I told you I’d take care of things.” Talon rests his hand on my shoulder before sliding it down my arm to lace around my waist. He manages to make my body relax, and I sink against him, wishing we could go back to when we first arrived. Because I hate this now. I hate how attracted I am to him, but also how many secrets he keeps for me. I hate that my attention continues to be pulled in every which way.
“We will take care of it,” Christos says, staring at me from the corner of my eye. I know he studies how Talon treats me, but he doesn’t say anything. I doubt he will, considering Talon is part of the King’s Court. “If you let me stay, astéri mou. Please. I just want to help you. I want to prove I’m worthy.”
I close my eyes, trying to think things through. If I allow him to stay, it might open some doors I want to remain nailed shut and abandoned. However, he might’ve been right when he told Talon that things would be easier if they were here under one roof. They wouldn’t risk people following them. Especially if I am currently considered missing. I’m sure there are tons of people theorizing what happened. I’ve seen many people across social media do even better work than the police, and for the first time, I’m afraid of them. You can’t really buy off the public like you can the authorities. At least, that’s what Daddy always said.
Opening my eyes, I peek at Talon and then at Leandro and Esteban before looking back at Talon. I half expect him to answer for me.
“It’s up to you, wild child,” Talon says, lowering his voice. “But I’m going to warn you that I will hurt him if he even tries anything. This isn’t turning into an opportunity to win you back. Me and you have shit to talk about.”
Wow. He did not just say that. I did not just love that he did either. Who am I kidding?
I slowly bob my head, glancing at Christos. “You can stay, but you have to stay down here. You can sleep on the couch. I don’t want you sneaking around upstairs.”
Christos shifts his jaw but doesn’t argue. “I won’t sneak around. You’ve cleared things up about your boundaries, and I can see things as they are.”