Pongo sighed. But when he spoke next, his anger had drained away; it wasn’t his natural state and he couldn’t hold onto it long. “So. You beat up some rich kid, huh?”
“Okay, first off, I didn’t beat him up. What are we, twelve? I sent him a message so he knows to back off. And I didn’t know there were cameras.” If he had, he would never have worn his cut, and might have pulled on a ski mask before he shoved his way inside.
“It’s a safe bet to assume there are cameras everywhere.”
“Hmph.”
“And what sort of message? Did he rip off one of our dealers or something? I didn’t see the kid, but the dad was definitely giving off ‘spoiled kid who snorts a lot of lines’ energy.”
“Nah. It wasn’t club shit. He…” Shep hesitated. If he told the truth, was he admitting to something? No. No way. He was being paranoid, which wasstupid. “He was messing with Cass.”
Pongo’s brows went up. “Raven’s sister Cass?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit. What’d he do?”
“Tried to date rape her.” He held up a hand when Pongo sucked in a breath. “He didn’t. She called me, and I got her out of there. But I can’t have that shithead thinking he can justdo thatto her.”
“Damn. Well. I’m glad she’s okay.”
Shep nodded and kept eating.
“Still, though. You were wearing your cut.”
“I know.”
“Things have been good for us lately.”
“Iknow.” Shep sent him aleave itlook.
“I’m not gonna say anything to Mav.”
“What a prince,” Shep drawled.
“I’m just saying: if something like that happens again, maybe clue me in so I don’t get blindsided on the sidewalk. Yeah?”
Shep wanted to tell him to fuck off on principle. But hehadlanded the guy in the shit. He nodded. “Yeah. Alright.”
“Cool.” Pongo rapped his knuckles on the bar. “You can buy me lunch.”
“Fuck off.”
“Nope.” He popped the P, and waved to catch the bartender’s attention. “Hey, I’ll have what he’s having.”
Six
Cass assumed Jamie would take a day or two to get over herself, and then things would go back to normal. That Jamie might even apologize for blowing things way out of proportion and acting like getting in good with Sig was more important than her friendship with Cass.
That did not happen.
Jamie froze her out completely all week.
Ordinarily, Cass would have sought her sister’s advice. Raven had wined and dined and charmed her way through a variety of cities around the globe, and she had a knack for inspiring the admiration of others. She didn’t havefriends, though. At least not many. Chief among her friends was the person Cass turned to instead.
Though he was doubtless busy running the world or some such, Ian gave her predicament due consideration, stroking idly at his lower lip with a manicured fingertip and rotating his chair slowly back and forth, back and forth. Behind his desk, a floor-to-ceiling window offered a breathtaking view of the city and a corner of the Park, the fat, slowly falling snowflakes the clouds had begun sifting over Manhattan an hour ago.
“Hm,” he hummed. “What have you tried so far?”
