I pursed my lips.
“Are they both battling over you?” He chuckled before I could answer. “The boys and I would call it the Panty Challenge. Are they fighting to see who can get your panties first?”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not.”
“Good. Little do Marcelo and Dimitri know is that neither will be able to get you. You’re out of their league.”
I was actually a bit disappointed that he didn’t seem worried about my safety or the serial killer in Paradise.
Jonathan quirked his brows. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
I moved my hand from him. “I don’t know Marcelo at all. And this isn’t a contest between Dimitri and him. The guards are here for my protection.”
Jonathan placed a neutral expression on his face—his mayor mask. “Protection from what?”
“The serial killer. Remember?”
“I was told by Madeline Ivanov by way of the Senator that the serial killer was found and is being handled by the Diamond Syndicate. The police will be reporting on his capture soon.”
“And what will they say?”
“Paradise is corrupt, although I’m doing my best to clean it up. That means that we’ll be saying whatever the Diamond Syndicate wants us to say. . .for now.”
“For now?”
“When I win this next election, I’ll confirm to the higher ups that I’m the golden boy, ready for all the perks of political grooming, and set for a track to the Senate. Maybe, even the Presidency. Then, I’ll be fully protected from the Diamond Syndicate and untouchable.”
“You don’t think you’re untouchable now?”
“I’m less so then I was years ago. The more side deals I’ve made, the more I’ve found others to shield me.”
I leaned in. “What side deals?”
“All ethical ones, Rose. None are important. But, let’s talk about what you’ve learned. It’s been a week. I expected a report earlier.”
“A report?”
“A return phone call at least.”
“I don't have anything to say right now.”
The mayor mask cracked at the edges. “What do you mean you don’t have anything to say?”
“Not at this time. I’m still figuring out if there is a story.”
“There is one and it deals with the evils that Ivanov and the rest have brought to Paradise. I want them out of here and in jail.”
“Honestly, I don’t have anything to give you to help with that.”
He held out his hands. “This was the whole reason why you were supposed to be down here.”
“You don’t know all my reasons.”
“Trust me. I know more about your reasons for coming down here, then you do.”
I blinked. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Jonathan gazed at Banks. “Why did Marcelo give you his guards?”
“Dimitri asked him to. He thought I was in danger. Don’t forget there’s a serial killer around.”
He rolled his eyes. “If I thought that there really was a threat of a true serial killer in Paradise, I would’ve never had you that close to the Diamond Syndicate. I have my theories.”
“Like what?”
“I have ears to the ground. Remember this, Rose. I grew up in Paradise. You’re just a tourist here.”
“That may be true, but you’re the one asking me for information.”
“Dimitri sees no one but his mother as family. Don’t make the mistake of protecting or trying to humanize him.”
“He is a human.”
“He’s not. He just does a good job of pretending.”
“That’s not what I saw.”
“Be careful, Rose. The more you’re around monsters, the more you will become one.”
I let out a long breath.
I shouldn’t have come.
I glanced at my guards. Banks watched me. He pointed at the gun in his holster as if asking me if I wanted him to shoot Jonathan.
What? Oh no. You can’t do that.
I shook my head at him.
“You sure?” Banks said loudly.
“I am sure.”
Jonathan eyed us.
Banks shrugged and went back to talking to Sid.
Shaking my head, I looked back at Jonathan. “Thank you for helping me get close to the serial killer case. Now, I just need to collect myself and figure out how I’m going to move forward with this article and even my time in Paradise.”
“Basically, you won’t tell me anything tonight?”
“Correct.”
Scowling, Jonathan picked up his menu and looked through it. “I’m just shocked that you’re defending him now, even protecting him. It’s odd.”
The waiter set my wine down and his beer. “I’ll give you two more time to order.
I nodded.
Too much had happened for me to care about Jonathan’s thoughts.
Now that I’d been around Dimitri and watched him mourn people he loved, I saw the human side of them. I no longer considered him or the Diamond Syndicate the scum of the earth.
I was now embarrassed in my past thoughts and assumptions. I had a lot of ideas of what criminals represented. At no time had I questioned why the Syndicate became what it was.
In this past week, I’d done my own research on the Syndicate and Paradise. Another interesting story had appeared.