Carter considered it in silence. Minutes passed, and he didn’t say anything. “I have an idea, but you aren’t going to like it.”
“Then maybe I shouldn’t bother listening to it.”
He ignored me. “Sapphire. If a beautiful woman asks questions, they might not think anything of it.”
My hand immediately tightened into a fist at the question. “You’re right. This idea is idiotic, and I don’t want to bother talking about it anymore.”
“Then we can find someone else. But if we have a woman ask, it might make it less suspicious.”
“Like who?”
“I don’t know…is there a waitress there?”
Yes, there was. Cynthia. At least that’s what she said her name was. “Yeah.”
“Pay her off.”
“Still risky. She might tell the Skull Kings what I’m doing.”
“Not if you pay her enough. Ten grand oughta do it.”
“Maybe. But her fear of death could be stronger than cash.” The Skull Kings operated in broad daylight because no one was stupid enough to fuck with them. They were untouchable. “I say we get a different woman.”
“Like a whore?”
“Skull Kings don’t fuck whores.”
“Then Cynthia is our only choice.”
She was the only person who could get away with the questions. She served the men in the Underground, so she could just ask Bones these questions herself. “When I get back, I’ll talk to her.”
“Get back from where?” he asked.
“Sapphire and I are taking a trip to Greece.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? At a time like this?”
“I finished my show, and now I want a vacation.”
“But, right now?” he spat. “We need to get this going.”
I looked at my watch, noticing the time. It was almost eight in the evening. I was taking my private plane to Santorini, so I could put it off as long as I wanted. “I’ll handle Cynthia tonight before I leave. Then I’ll have her call me when she knows more.”
“Alright, that works. There’s an auction tonight, ironically.”
“Then I’ll go.”
“Just bid on a woman and don’t buy one. That shouldn’t be suspicious.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, let me know how it goes.” He hung up.
I put my phone back into my pocket and walked to the entryway. Muse was waiting, wearing a long blue dress with a pink cardigan. She was already dressed for Greece, even though we wouldn’t be there for a while.
“Everything alright?” she asked.
With the men hanging around, I couldn’t answer her. “Yeah. We just need to make a stop on the way.”
I parked in the underground garage, and we took the elevator to my place on the top floor of the building.
Muse stood beside me, her purse over her arm. “What are we doing here?”
“I just need to take care of something really quick.” The doors opened directly into my living room.
Muse stepped inside and sat on one of the plush couches. She didn’t turn on the TV or grab one of the magazines on the table. Judging by the way she didn’t get comfortable, she assumed I just needed to grab something.
“I need you to stay here for a little bit. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
Both of her eyebrows nearly jumped off her face. “Uh, where are you going?”
“I have to stop by the Underground.” I held her gaze, knowing she was going to rip me into pieces.
She tossed her purse aside and stood upright, showing her furious gaze. “Why are you going there?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her attitude completely inhospitable. “I thought we were leaving?”
“I just need to take care of something. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“But what?” she demanded. “Are you buying someone?”
Times like this made me miss my old life, a life where I didn’t have to answer to anyone. But her concern also turned me on at the same time. Anytime I was in a dangerous situation, she was worried sick to her stomach. “No. I just need to get some information on someone. Once it’s taken care of, we’ll leave.”
“Who?” she asked. “Why?”
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“Can I come along?”
That was the dumbest question I’d ever heard. “No.”
“Then that means it’s dangerous. I thought we were leaving for a nice trip. And now you’re telling me you have to go back there…” Her voice broke, and she covered her face with her hands. She slowly dragged them down until she revealed her face again, which was under control once more. But her eyes gave away her anguish.
I was hard just from looking at her. She used to hate me, and now this was killing her. I was walking into the monster’s den, and she could barely stay calm. “I’ll be fine, Muse. Like I said, I’ll be back before you know it.”
She released a deeper sigh, a sigh full of her pain. “Then why won’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“Because I don’t have time. We’ll talk later.” I turned back to the elevator, knowing this conversation wouldn’t stop unless I walked away. It would just spin in circles indefinitely. I hit the button and watched the doors open again.