Page 15 of The Killer Who Kept Me

He stood but turned before he left. “Oh, I meant to tell you. The woman, the one that two of the guys in the alley had her number?”

“Yeah, you guys find her yet?”

“Benny did. Dead over at Motel Dawn, overdosed in the bathtub.”

“A fucking dead-end, then.”

Cosmo tapped the doorjamb. “Only for now, Boss.” He left, shutting the door behind him.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Things go up and down. If you can survive the down, it will come back.” ~ John Denver

Em

Thanksgiving came and went.Shyla’d had a plate brought up for me, and I’d eaten it while I watched a movie on my phone. It was lonely, but being left alone in this house was mostly for the best.

I’d been spending the last few days thinking about Saros’s offer. It was tempting. I mean, Saros Tancredi?Holy shit. Ramsey, Shyla, and RJ had talked about him a ton of times. Shyla would comment on how hot he was and that it was a shame he was single, and she was right about the hotness factor. They’d heard he played for the other team, and they entertained RJ maybe trying to get into his pants. But RJ was as straight as an arrow, and no one would buy that.

Ramsey at times spoke about how he admired the man and in the same breath how he wished he wasn’t around so some of hispower could be up for grabs. It would be an insane person who went up against Saros.

Was he the only man Ramsey feared? If so, maybe working for Saros would be a great idea.

It would be a week in a couple of days, and I was curious if I’d see Saros again. Would I be sent to retrieve the package? He’d want an answer, and even I didn’t know what I was going to tell him.

The butler entered my room. “Your presence is requested.”

I didn’t have to wonder by whom; it wasn’t like anyone other than Ramsey or Shyla ever asked for me.

I got off the bed, placing my book down, and followed Jim to the other side of the house. Ramsey was alone in the dining area and once Jim escorted me in, he slid the oak doors shut.

Ramsey looked up from his mug. “Sit.” He eyed the seat beside him, so I went quickly.

“I have another package I need you to pick up for me at The Vine on Wednesday.”

I didn’t understand why Ramsey was asking me personally, or in such secrecy, but I wasn’t about to question him.

“Okay.”

“Same as last week. Go in, ask for Cosmo, and tell them you’re the pickup.”

“I understand.”

“Do you, though?”

I didn’t like his tone; it was part sarcastic and part dark.

“Yes, sir.”

“Here’s the thing, Em. Brandi, the bartender that works there, told me some interesting news.”

Fucking hell. “Oh?” I tried to act innocent, but it wouldn’t matter what expression I had on my face. Ramsey had already decided how this would go.

“Cosmo had you follow him to an office. Saros entered the office as well—not unusual, she said. But she told me that you ran out of there like a cat on fire. Then, shortly after, Cosmo left and was ordering people about. And when the night ended, Saros gave Brandi orders that if she saw you enter The Vine again to let him know no matter the time or day.”

Brandi was a bitch. I didn’t know what to say to him, not sure anything would suffice. So I stayed quiet.

“Why has Saros Tancredi taken an interest in you, and what is Cosmo Porter looking for?”

---