A Breath of Life (Shadowy Solutions Book 4), page 25
“I don’t know. Bad guys. People who have questionable morals. More specifically, they seem to have a boner for Edwardian fashion.”
Memphis went quiet.
“Weird, right? I would love to ask them why, but under the circumstances, it wouldn’t be my first question.”
“Is this for a case?”
“Yes.”
“Deets?”
“No.”
More silence.
“Memphis. Help me.”
“How would I know?”
“You have connections. Lots of connections.”
“Are you calling me a whore?”
“No, babe. I would never. Now think.”
We had both spent the years since college riding the high of party life. Mostly, we enjoyed clubbing, drinking, and fucking, but my best friend sometimes dabbled in extracurricular activities that I suspected included gambling. Also, with his penchant to fuck anything with a heartbeat, he was apt to know someone with answers.
“Memph,” I whined when he paused for too long. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“I’m thinking. Let me… call someone.”
“Who? Why? Do I know them?”
“You met him the other day.”
I blanked, searching my memory. Memphis and I hadn’t hung out in two weeks. “Who?”
“Joshua.”
I frowned. “Your jewelry appraiser?”
“Yes. I’ll call you back.”
“Wait. Don’t hang up.” Something told me not to let Memphis make that call. Joshua had seen the card. If he had ties to an illegal club and Memphis mentioned our names, it could be bad. Did he know Ace?
I thought back to our encounter with the jeweler and reexamined the man’s reaction to the card. I couldn’t decide if the guy had been surprised because of its uniqueness or shocked because we possessed it, and he knew where it came from.
He’d definitely reacted.
“Tal, what the fuck?”
“Just… hang on. Why Joshua?” When Memphis didn’t immediately explain, I snapped, “Bitch, explain yourself.”
“Fine. He took me to a place a while back. It was… not above board. I mean, he didn’t say that exactly, but I assumed.”
“Where was this?”
“I can’t remember. We took an Uber from Gas because we were both drunk. I didn’t pay attention. It was a classy joint. Not like anywhere I’d been before. Smoky and dark. Blackjack tables. Drugs galore. Other… enjoyments. It had a feel, you know.”
“A feel?”
“I don’t know. You said Edwardian. It rang old school like that. The dealers and bartenders were suited in similar garb. A lot of the people present seemed to be adhering to a dress code. I didn’t question it. Joshua was paying the tab. The guy is seriously loaded. His parents own that jewelry store. Don’t let his position behind the counter fool you. He’s at the top of the food chain. And, as a side note, he fucks like a dream.”
Ordinarily, I would show appropriate disgust at Memphis sharing his sex life, but my focus was elsewhere. “How many times have you been there?”
“Just once.”
“What can you remember?”
Memphis made a noise that was a typical whiny tantrum. “Aren’t you listening? I just told you.”
“I need more. Describe everything.”
“There was… low lighting. Sconces on the walls with colored glass. Dark wood. The bar was like an island in the middle of the room. A sweet, smoky smell hung in the air from cigars. A lot of people were smoking. Soft, unintrusive music.”
“Did you talk to anyone? See anything that stuck out? What was the name of the place? Think, Memphis.”
“Dude, I was swimming in alcohol, and we were only in the main area for a short time.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning we had other things to do. They had… rooms.”
“Oh. Yeah, keep those details to yourself. Do you remember anyone who might have called themselves Ace?”
Memphis stopped speaking, and my heart slammed against my ribs.
I was about to push when the bathroom door opened again. I sucked in a breath, listening wide-eyed as whoever it was stood silently at the door. They didn’t head to the urinals or another stall. They didn’t turn on the water.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Diem had taken too long, and they’d sent someone inside to search for him. I was fucked.
Memphis started talking, and I was certain his voice would travel, so I acted the part of a constipated man taking an especially difficult shit and grunted, hoping it would fool the intruder and shut my friend up. It was not my best acting, but in a pinch, the ruse would hopefully work.
Memphis would not be silenced. “Oh my god. Girlfriend, tell me you didn’t call from the shitter. Dude, we need serious boundaries, and you need fiber.”
I grunted again.
The man at the door moved, not to leave, but to pace along the length of stalls. Fuck my life. His shiny black dress shoes passed by my door. I avoided his line of sight by ducking one way, then the other, so he wouldn’t be able to see me through the cracks.
He paced the other way, stopping near the line of sinks.
“I’m hanging up, bitch. Call me when you’re done.”
The water ran, and I hissed, “Don’t you fucking dare.” With luck, the sound would cover my plea.
“Girl—”
“Shh.”
The water ran for a full minute, then shut off.
Memphis, thank god, knew enough to shut his mouth.
The guy moved to the bathroom door, stopped, and a second later, he was gone. The door clunked in his wake.
“Holy fuck balls,” I whispered. “That was terrifying. Give me a second for my heart to calm down. Also, I have to text my idiot boyfriend and tell him to get the fuck back here before I’m discovered. Do not hang up on me. I need you now more than ever.”
I pulled the phone from my ear and shot Diem a text. PS. You’d better be almost done. A man came into the bathroom a second ago, and it was not to pee. It could have been creepy Frank looking for a bathroom blowy, but I doubt it. Your little adventure needs to end now because I’m a sitting duck. Signed, not a princess or a damsel in distress, but definitely feeling vulnerable. PSS. I’m still mad at you.
I waited for a beat, not expecting an immediate response but hoping nonetheless. Giving up, I returned to my call with Memphis. Since my random visitor had left my skin crawling, I refused to speak above a whisper.
“Okay. I’m back. The name Ace. Why did you pause?”
Memphis huffed. “Yeah, no. First off, tell me you aren’t going to the bathroom while talking to me. If you are, our friendship is over. I’m serious.”
“I’m not. Good grief. That’s disgusting. I was acting… poorly, but I was under pressure.”
“Why are you whispering?”
“I may or may not have a guy hunting me down right now, and he may or may not decide to kill me if he finds out Diem isn’t here.”
A pause. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
I didn’t have time for this. “Memphis! I said the name Ace, and you paused. Why did you pause?”
“Because… I might have met him.”
“You what?”
“I think that was what Joshua called him, but there’s something else. The establishment’s name. It had the word ace in it. Secret Ace or Ace’s Lounge or… Fuck, I don’t—Oh! I’ve got it. The Royal Whispering Ace. It was monogrammed on the napkins and matches.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I can see it clearly now. It had a playing card wearing a crown design on it. I can’t describe it. The logo, you know?”
“And you met him?”
“You could say that.”
“But you can’t remember where they’re located?”
“No.”
“Shit.”
“I can ask Joshua, but… I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”
“No. Best you don’t.” Not if Joshua knew Ace. My phone buzzed with an incoming text. “Memph, I gotta let you go. Don’t tell anyone about this conversation. Especially Joshua.”
“All right, but are you in danger?”
“No, babe. Nothing like that.”
“So there isn’t someone looking to kill you?”
I laughed. “Nah. Tallus dramatics. Nothing more.”
The last thing I wanted was to worry my best friend. Memphis seemed satisfied as we got off the phone.
I checked the text, but it was not from Diem. It was my mother with a ridiculous meme she must have thought was funny. I flipped back to the conversation with my boyfriend. My message had been read, but he’d chosen not to respond. Typical.
Frustrated and growing increasingly bored hiding in a bathroom, I texted my cousin. Ever heard of the Royal Whispering Ace?
25
Diem
My size had never worked in my favor. Scars aside, a man who towered over three-quarters of the population and carried the muscular bulk I did stood out, no matter how he dressed. My escape from the courthouse jacked up my blood pressure, but I did what I could to avoid looking squirrely. If my head was on a constant swivel, seeking danger, I would catch someone’s attention. My guilt would glow in the dark, and I was already taking a huge risk.
Dressed in gym clothes that were in dire need of a wash and with a ballcap pulled low on my face, I exited the government building from a side door. Rounding the building, I located the garbage bin and retrieved my knife, strapping it to my calf under my sports pants. If my suspicions were correct, Ace’s man would be camped out at the Jeep, waiting for my return.
I highly doubted he would wander far unless someone reported that the card showed me heading in a different direction. For the time being, the card was with Tallus, locked in a bathroom stall in a lesser-used wing of the courthouse. If my headstrong boyfriend knew what was good for him, he would stay there.
I aimed first for the St. Michael’s Foundation building since it had tickled the hairs on my nape. Once clear of the courthouse and on a busier patch of road, I jogged. Nothing suspicious in the action. Tons of people in the city jogged daily. I was nothing more than a man out for his daily run.
My first stop, according to Google Maps, was a thirteen-minute walk from the courthouse. I closed the distance in under eight, slowing my pace as I approached the monolithic church structure. I spent enough time in the gym that I barely broke a sweat, and my heavy breathing quickly regulated.
Positioned across the street, I took in the exterior of the building. It perfectly resembled the photographs I’d studied online. The towering spires stretched heavenward, so high above, I had to crane my neck to see their peaks where they stood out against the pale blue sky. Arched stained glass windows glimmered in the sunlight—a prominent one in the center, positioned above the front doors, and a pair of half-sized twins on either side at ground level. The masonry was fitting. Old and weatherworn. Beige.
The main entrance consisted of a pair of intricately carved wooden doors. Two of them side by side. The style was similar, but they didn’t match the one from my memory.
I scanned the street before crossing and circling the property. The original beige brick crumbled in places, its once carefully constructed artistry falling to ruin. A wave of disappointment hit me when I got to the rear of the building and discovered a long stretch of scaffolding with a construction crew working on significant renovations. The beige stonework had been replaced with rusty red bricks and a more modern feel. The rear door, although vast, shimmered a metallic gold. A gaudy attempt at opulence. The wooden door from my mind didn’t exist. Not here.
Cursing, I jogged on, aiming for the basilica.
If I’d thought the foundation building to be vast, the basilica was immense. Same color brick. Same architectural style. Spires and colored-glass windows. A spiked wrought iron fence surrounded the property. Beyond it was a well-maintained patch of yard, statues, and planters. I immediately noticed the doors nestled inside enormous stone arches. Wooden, yes, but painted red with intricate black iron grilles on their surfaces. These doors were not carved.
A quick loop around the building revealed that all entrances had a similar design. The only one that stood out differently was not the one I wanted. This was not where I was held.
“Goddammit.”
As I tugged my phone out, intent on looking up other locations in the area, it vibrated with an incoming text. Tallus.
PS. You’d better be almost done. A man came into the bathroom a second ago, and it was not to pee. It could have been creepy Frank looking for a bathroom blowy, but I doubt it. Your little adventure needs to end now because I’m a sitting duck. Signed, not a princess or a damsel in distress, but definitely feeling vulnerable. PSS. I’m still mad at you.
“Shit.”
I checked the time. Forty-seven minutes had elapsed since I’d left Tallus alone in the bathroom. Too fucking long. I’d only intended to be gone twenty or thirty minutes. Instead of replying, I pocketed my phone and set off at a fast-paced jog toward the courthouse. With luck, I could be back to him in ten minutes.
My phone buzzed again halfway to my destination as I waited at a red light. Knowing my boyfriend, he would not let up until I assured him I was on my way. How many times had he ranted about communication?
Figuring I would send him a quick OMW, I dug my phone out. It wasn’t a new text from Tallus. The name attached to the message read, Asshole.
My blood turned to ice. I darted a glance in every direction as fear crawled through my veins. Traffic zipped around me. Dozens of pedestrians rushed through their day. A man jostled me from behind when the light turned green and I didn’t go.
A man in the bathroom. I’m a sitting duck.
A buzzing sounded in my ears as I clicked on the text and read.
The bottom dropped out of my stomach.
I’m very disappointed in you, Mr. Krause. I thought we had an understanding.
26
Diem
I’d made the biggest mistake of my life, and I was going to pay. The gravity of my error buckled my knees, and I staggered into a woman pushing a baby carriage. She shot me a dirty look. A curse formed on her lips, but my ears rang too much for it to penetrate. The world spun.
I grappled for something to hold onto, staggering into a nearby wall. My thoughts wouldn’t align, and I desperately needed to think.
My phone rang.
I scrambled to answer it, panic making my words thick. “Don’t hurt them.” The emotion-drenched plea made my voice crack.
“We. Had. A deal,” the Consigliere said.
“I’ll do anything. If Ace wants blood, he can have mine. Don’t punish innocent people.”
“Innocent? Your friend sits in a bathroom stall with a particular item that I recall telling you had to remain on your person at all times. Do you know what that tells me? Your friend knows a little too much. Another broken rule. That’s two, Mr. Krause.”
“He doesn’t know anything.” I closed my eyes, cursing my stupidity, unsure how I could fib my way out of a maze of my own making.
“You’re lying to me, Mr. Krause, and you have slipped under the careful watch of my men. To say I’m disappointed is an understatement.”
“I can explain.”
“I don’t want an explanation. You had one job, Mr. Krause. Find Clarence Audraine. That’s where your focus should have been. Have you found him?”
“No.” And because I was an idiot, set on revenge, locating Clarence had become a secondary objective. I’d set my sights on Ace and the Consigliere. On the Bishop who had knocked me around.
“Are you presently at the courthouse, Mr. Krause? I suggest you think carefully before lying to me.”
“No.”
“Huh. Pity. What did I tell you would happen if you disobeyed me?”
Visions of Nana working colorful yarn over needles and wrapping it around her bony, gnarled hands flashed across my vision. Tallus, a sitting duck in a bathroom stall. His snark and sass were the last things I’d witnessed before walking away. He’d been furious at being left behind. Was an argument the last communication we would ever share?
A hollowness filled my chest as I considered the implications of my actions.
“I’ll tell you what, Mr. Krause. You have five seconds to tell me exactly where you are, or things will get ugly. Five, four…”
I launched off the wall and scanned for a street sign. “Bay and Hagerman,” I blurted.
“Don’t move.”
Our call ended the exact same way it began, with my desperate plea, “Don’t hurt them.”
With a click, the line went dead.
I rode on the edge of a panic attack, unsure what to do. I wanted to warn Tallus he was in danger. Had they taken him? Was it already too late? If I called and he was untouched but monitored, would they see it as a deception? I’d sworn he knew nothing, but at this point, I doubted they believed me. I hadn’t sold the lie.
I had to call him. If for no other reason than to ensure he knew I wasn’t angry and that I loved him. He was the best thing to ever happen to me.
My hands shook as I located his number. I couldn’t find the dexterity to send a text, nor did I want to, so I hit the Call button. The moment it connected, Tallus’s sassy tone rang through the line. “Where the fuck are you? I texted you, like, ten minutes ago.”
Before I could respond, a circle of cold steel landed against my lower back, and someone reached around me to remove the phone from my hand. A harsh, accented voice by my ear warned, “I don’t think so, Mr. Krause. Get in the car. Nice and easy. I’m not opposed to putting a bullet in your spine, even in public.”
27
Tallus
Costa texted back right away, and I easily read the snap in his tone. Where did you hear that name?
My hackles rose, and I stilled. My cousin wouldn’t ask that type of question if the name meant nothing. Unsure how to respond, I cautiously typed, A little birdie whispered it in my ear. Why?
