Page 197 of Fury
22
LOVE
Slash
The following evening, Slash exited her SUV, and made her way toward Jericho Road. Jericho Savage’s popular restaurant was known for its fall-off-the-bone ribs and killer fries—as well as line-dancing.
Slash was frustrated as hell and obsessing over Greg. Who was he? Why was he so difficult to track down? What did he do when he wasn’t at Blue Suit? Did he have anything to do with the missing women?
So many questions, but no answers.
If she didn’t uncover something about him—or find a new person of interest—ALPHA would move in for an arrest on the prostitution.
Maybe that’s for the best.
The prostitution—or whatever the hell was happening in the back room—would stop. She could return to ALPHA and focus on training with BLACK OPS.
To make matters worse, there were no leads in the arson investigation. Absolutely nothing.
She hoped her evening with Jilly would help dispel some of her frustration. As she made her way to the entrance, several groups of people were waiting outside. She opened the door, walked into the popular eatery, and stopped short. The restaurant was jam-packed with people waiting to be seated.
Jilly said she’d try to get there early, but Slash had arranged for them to eat at Jericho’s private table. She stopped at the hostess stand.
“Slash,” she said. “I’ve got a res at Jericho’s table.”
As the hostess checked, Slash glanced around. Jilly was at the bar, waving her down.
“Hmm,” said the hostess. “There’s a group eating there now. Let me see what I can do.”
The hostess handed her a pager.
The bar area was four-deep. Some were eating at the bar and at the nearby tables, while others were nursing drinks while waiting to be seated.
As she got closer to Jilly, a guy in a ball cap—who’d been standing next to Jilly—walked toward the back of the restaurant. Slash slipped into his spot.
“Hey,” she said.
“There you are.” Jilly hugged her. “Did you see the guy who was just here?”
“Not really. Why?”
“He’s a customer from Blue Suit. Before the holiday, he asked for some private time in a VIP room. When I told him no, we ended up chatting at the bar.”
“Is that usual?” Slash said.
“Oh, sure. Some just want to talk, but most are hoping you’ll change your mind and go into a private room with them.” Jilly rolled her eyes.
“Was he one of your regulars?”
“No, I just talked to him that one time,” Jilly said. “After we talked, he tipped me $500.”
That got Slash’s full attention. “What did he look like?”
“I would never have remembered, but I just saw him.”
A hit of energy charged through her. “He’s here?” Slash pushed off the stool, stood on her toes and searched the crowd.
“Yeah, but he went to the men’s room,” Jilly said.
