Page 90 of Levee

“I’m pretty sure Teddy actually bought the building a while back,” Rynn told me as we climbed into a private elevator.

“He’s like… ultra-rich, I’m guessing,” I said, thinking of the hotel he was in the process of renovating.

“Old money,” Rynn said, nodding. “The kind of people who host dinner parties and attend charity galas. Have hospital wings and college libraries named after them. I miss the days when the wealthy used their money for the common good,” she said.

“Teddy still does,” I insisted, not even knowing the man but feeling like he deserved to be defended. “He helped a friend of mine get out of jail on a case he should never have been arrested for.”

“Oh, Teddy is the salt of the earth. I mean, he practically singlehandedly funds Ama’s clinic too,” Rynn told me as the doors opened and we made our way into an absolutely massive space.

The kitchen was to the far left was all sleek stainless steel with an enormous island.

Directly in the center of the space was the living area with a big fireplace that I imagined was just for ambiance, given the hot climate, and several large couches around a coffee table.

Toward the back wall under the windows was a bar cart.

Closer to the entrance was what seemed to be a bedroom.

“Nice, right?” Rynn asked, nodding as she toed out of her shoes and moved toward the living room, curling up on the couch, making herself at home.

I toed out of my shoes and followed her to the living room, feeling weird at being in someone’s home when they weren’t around.

My gaze caught on a small wooden two-stair step stool near the couch.

“Does Teddy have pets?” I asked.

“Teddy? No. He’s not home enough,” Rynn said as she picked up the tablet from the coffee table, turning on the TV above the fireplace. “Do you have objections to campy Halloween movies?” she asked as she scrolled through the options.

“If they’re not too violent,” I agreed, swallowing more glass, then taking the last sip of my slushee to ease the sensation.

“Addams Familythen,” Rynn decided. “But the second one. It’s clearly the superior one,” she went on, talking about the summer camp and the serial killer nanny. I wasn’t sure if she was that passionate about the movie or if she was just trying to make me comfortable.

Either way, it did manage to put me more at ease as the movie started to play.

We were only maybe twenty minutes into it when we suddenly weren’t alone anymore.

My heart leaped, hoping it was Levee, that he was going to curl up with me and make me feel better.

“Teddy, I bought a movie,” Rynn told him, shooting someone behind me a smile.

“Another slasher?” a man’s voice called back.

Before I could turn, the owner of the penthouse came into view.

Teddy was a little person in a finely-tailored suit and a black bowler hat that I was pretty sure would look absurd on anyone else, but he somehow managed to pull off.

“This is Jade,” Rynn said, waving toward me as she laughed at something on the TV.

“Jade, it’s a pleasure,” Teddy said, that old-fashioned charm just oozing off of him. “Though I wish we could have met under better circumstances,” he added, his gaze going to my throat.

“Oh, you know these club old ladies,” Rynn piped in. “There’s some kind of rule that the guys can’t meet us if there aren’t life-or-death things going on.”

There was a rustling sound behind me, making me turn to find the man from the limo moving into the penthouse with several bags in his hands.

“I took the initiative to get several types of ice cream, ice pops, cough drops, tea for if warm is better, and throat spray,” Teddy told me. “Don’t,” he called to Rynn, his lips twitching, seeming to know she was about to say something untoward.

“That was really nice,” I said, hearing how raspy my voice sounded.

“Which can I get for you?” Teddy asked.

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