Page 43 of Deranged
I took the seat on the opposite side of the aisle and buckled in. He popped the champagne, took a long swig straight from the bottle, and passed it to me.
“I don’t generally drink before noon, even on a private jet.”
He shrugged and took another draw of the bubbly. “You’re loss. D always has the good stuff.”
“Where exactly are we headed?”
A gleeful expression split Zeus’s face, and he yelled, “Vegas, Baby!”
There was nothing in the world I’d rather do less than go to Vegas with Zeus, especially right now, but I kept it to myself and said, “Great.”
We took off and made it to Vegas in a couple of hours, but time inches along differently when I knew every second I spent free Kory didn’t. Zeus took me by private car to one of Donny’s hotels and let me back to a spacious office segment behind the check in desk. I didn’t want to know how many times Zeus came here for business or pleasure.
When we finally made it to an office that could only be Donny’s, I breathed a sigh of relief. The man himself stood up from his desk when we entered and buttoned his suit jacket.
I shook his hand and surveyed the ways he’d changed since I last saw him years ago. He wore his hair the same in a buzz cut, and a class ring on one finger. A scar down the right side of his face the only mar to the lovely profile women swooned over. He had the build of a prize fighter, and I didn’t doubt it was hard won in the gym. Donny never lacked discipline.
We all sat as the tension grew between us. I broke the silence first as I did have the favor to ask. “It’s good to see you, D.”
“You can call me Don.”
I shook my head. “Of course, my apologies.”
“What can I do for you? I got your message. The delay was simply a calendar error. I meant to call you back sooner.”
I shifted under his scrutiny, like he could see into my soul with those black granite eyes. “It’s fine. I wasn’t sure if the number was the same which is why I reached out to Zeus. This isn’t an easy thing to explain, so I’ll try to be brief.”
He steepled his fingers and waited.
“The daughter of a prominent politician is being abused and wrongly imprisoned in a mental facility. I want her out of there. I went to the press to push the story, but I was stonewalled, lost my job, and my medical license was suspended.”
He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. I couldn’t read if he was interested or studying my ever twitch. “And you want me to what? Help you get your job back?”
I jumped up. “No, please, I just want Kory out of that facility. It’s why I risked everything in the first place.”
“Kory is your…”
Zeus interjected, “Patient.”
Don’s eyes flashed to Z for a heartbeat and back to me. “You’re fucking a patient. Why Ash, I didn’t think you had it in you.” His tone spoke of games and scandal not the serious matter at hand.
“What Kory and I have done isn’t relent. I just want her free from her mother’s control. You can use the story yourself, sell it to a high profile newspaper, I’m sure it will work if the right paper took the story, someone with political leanings toward Senator Sito’s opposition.”
Zeus slapped his hands on the chair rails and pushed to his feet. “I think I’ll let you two boys catch up while I go check out the roulette tables.”
We both watched him walk out. I didn’t expect him to help me, but I also never expected him to abandon me either. I met Don’s eyes again. “Can you help?”
Don leaned forward and pressed his elbows into the polished wood of his desk. “I might be able to help, but I need to know why you are doing this? It is about the sex or about the politics?”
I weighted my answer. A man like Don didn’t know anything about love. He wouldn’t be able to comprehend I’d do anything for Kory. Anything to keep her safe and happy.
“I can’t say it’s about the sex, but it’s about her, not the politics.”
Don shook his head. “I cannot help you if you are lying to yourself about what you want. Do you want this Kory woman?”
“Of course, why would I be here?”
“Then tell me what you are willing to pay for her freedom.”
