Page 30 of King of the Bronx

Chapter Twelve

Enzo

The door slammed shut, and I closed my eyes in irritation. Raven couldn’t listen if her life depended on it.

“Sounds like your one-night thing just left,” Cole said.

“You still have that hacker guy?” I asked him. I didn’t want Cole to know that Raven was more than a one-night stand, especially when I wasn’t entirely sure what we were doing. Raven would have a target on her back for associating with me, and I didn’t want that to happen unless we were a sure thing. She still didn’t trust me; her guard went up the moment we stopped fucking.

“I need you to have him look into someone for me.” I grabbed a piece of paper off my desk and wrote down Raven’s name and passed it to him. “Let me know what you find out.”

Cole nodded. “Anything else?”

“No, just check in with me once you’ve had your eyes on Dominic for a few days.”

Cole nodded and got up from the chair. I walked him out and then turned around to look at the empty apartment. I was rarely here if I wasn’t sleeping, and the short moment of quietness was starting to get to me. Raven must have cleaned up the kitchen while I was talking with Cole because it was back to its original state as if she’d never been there. I grabbed my keys off the hook and headed out the door.

*****

“She’s not here,” said Erica. She’d introduced herself last time I was here. She looked more like she belonged at a Coachella concert with the long flowy dress she wore. Black hair fell across her shoulders. None of the girls I’d seen at the brothel looked like typical prostitutes. Raven could easily raise the prices and make this into a high-end place.

“Where is she?” I asked. Dave stood outside when I’d approached the building. I had two men keeping watch over the brothel and they switched out from time to time.

“Maybe I should be asking you that, since she didn’t come here last night,” she said with a hand on her hip.

“Where’s her apartment?”

She looked taken back by my question.

“You can either tell me, or I’ll figure it out on my own. I’m not stalking her.”

Erica narrowed her eyes at me as if debating if she should give out Raven’s address. After a moment, she sighed and walked around the desk to pick up a piece of paper. She wrote something down and handed it to me. “When you find her, tell her to call the brothel so I know she’s alive. That text she sent was not enough to prove life.”

I pulled a wad of cash from my pocket and set it on the desk. “Thanks for the help.”

I walked away before she could protest. I exchanged a handshake with Dave before looking at the piece of paper in my hand. She lived close enough that driving would be a waste of time. The street was still pretty busy with people going to work. My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I ignored it for now. The phone never stopped ringing. I’d deal with whatever it was once I was done at Raven’s. I was tired of her running off.

*****

Her apartment wasn’t as nice as I’d imagined. The brothel had to be bringing in a decent amount of money. Prostitutes weren’t cheap, but from Raven’s apartment, you couldn’t tell. It wasn’t bad. The brick exterior of the building looked clean, but there wasn’t any kind of security at the door. I didn’t have to put in a security code or be buzzed in. She should be in an apartment with at least a door code.

The front door opened up to a tile hallway. It was quiet in the building, probably because everyone was at work. My steps echoed as I walked the hall, looking for her apartment number. She was on the second floor at the very end. I knocked and stuffed my hands in my pockets. After a moment, I knocked again, this time louder. No response.

“We both know I can get in this apartment if I want to, baby,” I said loud enough that she would hear through the door. Another minute passed. Guess I’m going to have to break in. The sound of a chain clinking filled the hallway before she opened the door. Her hair was still wet from the shower she’d taken at my house. She’d changed into a pair of cotton shorts that showed off her long slender legs and a tight T-shirt that stretched across her tits.

“What do you want?” she snapped, looking annoyed.

“Why the sass?” I asked, confused by her sudden change in attitude. This morning, I thought we were fine. Did I fucking miss something?

She didn’t answer. Instead, she leaned against the door frame and waited.

“Why’d you leave? I told you to stay.”

“Why do you care? I’m just a one-night thing anyways, right?”

My eyebrows furrowed together as I tried to figure out what she was talking about. It’s been a long time since I’ve tried to solve one of these stupid riddles that women dish out instead of just coming right out with it. Then it hit me. She must have heard when I was talking to Cole.

“Raven—”

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