Page 19 of Ravage
Yes, please. “A gin and tonic.” I smile at her because hers is freaking contagious, and I dig into my bra for cash.
“Great! It’s on me.” She mixes the drink and slides it over to me, then takes on her next customer before I can thank her.
I watch her for another minute as she flits around from customer to customer, mixing drinks and sharing her glowing smile with everyone she meets. Like a sparkling butterfly or something.
Huh.
The drink is perfectly mixed.
Of course it is.
When I make it to the door, I knock three times and open it after Elias calls out to come in. He’s sitting behind his desk and computer, still dressed in his gray suit and looking just as put together as he did first thing this afternoon.
He looks up from his computer when I plop myself down on one of the two sofa chairs in front of his desk and raises an eyebrow at me after taking me in. Then he leans back and steeples his fingers together over his leg he’s crossed over his knee. “Welcome back, Girl-with-no-name.”
I take another sip from my glass and then set it down on his wooden desk. His eye twitches as he looks at it. “Elias,” I greet him with a nod. “I’m here about those resources you offered me. Are they still available, and what do they cost?”
His gaze doesn’t move from my glass like it’s offended him for being there. He leans forward, pulls something from his drawer, then picks up my glass to wipe the condensation from the desk and places a coaster beneath it before setting it back down. He shifts back into his seat as he was before and answers me without missing a beat.
“What resources are you in need of specifically?”
I scoff and roll my eyes. “Really? You’re a neat freak and you own a nightclub, of all things?”
He chuckles. “The two aren’t mutually exclusive. I can have a clean nightclub.”
“Sure, whatever. It looks like I’ll be in town for another few days, but it may be longer than that. You mentioned something about a place to stay? I can work in the club most nights or clean during the day. You can keep me off the books and make money off of me if I can use one of your apartments rent-free. And I’d like to keep any tips I make.”
His eyebrow raises, and he taps his steepled fingers together. “Do you have experience working in a nightclub?”
“I do. I can bartend, barback, dance, clean…anything but cook.” It’s the same arrangement I had with my first boyfriend. I had to dance and bartend at his club to cover my side of the rent and utilities, but this time, I’m keeping one hundred percent of my tips.
Elias watches me carefully and then nods. “I have an open one-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor. Use it for as long as you need. You can also work when you need cash to get tips, but don’t worry about rent. All I need from you is your ID, so I have proof you’re over twenty-one.”
Ah, fuck.
He sees the look on my face and sighs. “No ID?”
I smile cheekily at him. “Nope.”
“How old are you?”
My shoulders lift in a casual shrug like none of this bothers me.
It does. A little.
“Twenty-two. Give or take a month.”
“Eventually, I’d like to hear your story. Hopefully, my resources can earn a bit of your trust in me, so I can actually help you.”
I squint at him because I just can’t figure out his angle. Why would he be bending over backward to help a complete stranger? Why would he care about me when I’ve given him nothing? “You first. Why are you helping me? I can’t trust you if I don’t understand why you would offer so much to someone who could be a serial killer for all you know.”
Which I am, technically. If it means someone who kills multiple people. And there being a trend for the victims. Because my targets are all tied to Gifted Enterprise. I’ve honestly lost count of how many people I’ve killed.
For and against GE.
I’m the villain here. Exactly as they wanted me to be, except for one key detail. I’m aimed at them instead of their enemies.
Elias nods and smiles. “Understandable. I’ll share my story with you then, with the hope that you’ll give me a bit of yours. It goes without saying that whatever we’re sharing right now remains between the two of us, correct?”
