Page 44 of Graveyards & Greed
“I’ll tell you what I told my partners. She and I need to talk first, and then we’ll decide what you need to know.”
He stared at me with an eerie, blank expression for a few seconds, and I wondered if he would try something. Then, he started laughing and turned to stride into the mortuary. His reaction threw me off. I reluctantly followed him, thinking he really was crazy. My senses were on high alert, and our steps echoed in the empty, quiet space. Ezra's office door stood ajar, a sliver of light cutting through the dim hallway.
Sylvie leaned against Ezra's mahogany desk wearing a black suit from the funeral she’d worked that day. Her irritated, worried eyes found mine, and the air crackled between us. The woman was a stunning contradiction, and I wanted to walk over and wrap my arms around her protectively.
Ezra sat in his chair behind his desk, and Callum and Kilian quietly talked in the corner.
“You told them.” I guessed. “That means I need to tell my partners too, but it doesn’t go any further.”
Her head snapped back a little as if I’d slapped her.
Fennick stepped around me. “She hasn’t told us a goddamned thing. Why do you think I dragged you here, dumbass?”
I ignored him and kept my gaze on Sylvie. “Can we talk?” My voice was steady despite the turmoil clawing at my insides. “Alone.”
“No,” Fenn snapped. “One of you needs to tell us what the fuck is going on, how you two really know each other, and why you were together at that bar.” He turned to Sylvie. “Which reminds me, are you up on your tetanus vaccine?”
Sylvie rolled her eyes. “Yes. And I do need to talk with Drakos—privately.”
Ezra stood and walked around his desk. “Hello, Drakos. Come on, Fenn.” Kilian and Callum were already heading for the door.
Fennick studied Sylvie for a few seconds, then he turned to me. “Why do I get the feeling you just screwed the pooch? Alright, five minutes, fancy fuck boy.”
I crossed my arms but kept my face neutral. If Fenn knew the nickname irritated me, he’d call me that for the rest of my life.
Sylvie didn’t take her eyes off me. “We won’t need that long.”
“What do they know?” I asked when Fennick closed the door.
“Just what they saw on the video and what they’ve already guessed. Despite whatever you think about me, I keep my promises. One of Kilian’s contacts saw the video and sent it to him. It doesn’t matter. Whatever this weird thing is between us, it needs to stop.”
I felt a primal need to protect her, but I’d offended Sylvie, and now she was trying to freeze me out. It didn’t matter, I wasn’t going to let her. “No.”
“No?”
“That’s what I said.”
Her nostrils flared. “Go home, fancy fuck boy. I don’t need your protection or your judgment.”
I shook my head. “I don’t give a fuck what you told them, and I wasn’t implying you broke your promise. We’re well past that at this point. Now what do they know, and what do you want to tell them?”
She studied me with shadows in her eyes, then exhaled. “What they saw in the video, and that two bikers are missing.”
I slid my hands in my pockets to keep from touching her. “My partners saw the video too. We need to tell them about that night and swear everyone to secrecy. But it’s only a matter of time before someone at OutKast puts it together—if they haven’t already.”
She nodded. “Okay. I think we should—”
“I’m not giving you up.” Losing the battle, I stepped in front of her and pulled her close. “Ivan can fill the partners in. We’ll tell your cousins together, then go home, make dinner, and decompress in the hot tub.”
Her body slowly unlocked, and she laid her cheek on my chest. “I… Alright. That sounds so good right now. We need a game plan, though, because those drive-by shootings cannot go unanswered.”
She wrapped her arms around me, and I rested my cheek on her head, wondering how I could keep her with me and ensure her safety.
Chapter 18
Sylvie
I contemplated what Marlowe told me about the exclusive sex club as we walked into the loft that evening. It hadn’t been much, so I decided to have Alexa look into it. Marlowe’s disclosures about Drakos and that club had me more distracted than the drive-by shootings, or even the Titties video surfacing.
