Page 64 of Alfie: Part Two

“By the way, I’mma ask for their advice on what we can do with all the dirty money,” I mentioned.

Before the holidays, we had a lot of deliveries, I was learning. So yeah. I had money stashed away fucking everywhere, and it made me a little anxious.

He nodded with a dip of his chin. “I’ve prepared myself for this. If we get you a restaurant, you may name it after me and serve all my favorites.”

I chuckled and kissed his shoulder. The relief kept flowing between us, and part of me still couldn’t believe how chill he was about all this.

A fire had ignited, and we both threw fuel at it to keep it burning. I fed the flames with openness and did my best to include him whenever I could, and he stoked the fire with acceptance.

Legit, if I bought a restaurant, I’d name it after him somehow.

Mere seconds after I knocked on the door, Shan opened it and smiled warmly.

“Good to have you here, fellas. Come on in. It’s been a while since I saw you, Alfie.”

“Meanwhile, you see this golfer twice a week.” I smirked and walked in, shrugging out of my jacket.

“Don’t remind me—he keeps kicking my ass,” Shan muttered. “I don’t think he’s paid for drinks or lunch a single time at the club.”

“So stop making bets against me, my friend,” West chuckled.

I spotted Kellan in the living room, and we shared a grin. We just loved their little bromance.

“Never,” Shan replied. “Thankfully, it’s gotten too cold now. I might find the nearest Topgolf to practice for spring.”

Yeah, riveting.

I’d been here before, but it was West’s first time. We just hadn’t found a day that suited us all until now. I was looking forward to seeing his reactions, though, ’cause I loved their place. It was as cozy as it was grand, with state-of-the-art technology and earthy colors, cushy leather couches that were ridiculously comfortable despite the material, and dim lighting.

Shan and Kellan’s love for each other was plastered on the walls in countless photos from vacations and family gatherings.

“Dinner will be here in a minute,” Kellan said and extended a drink to me. “How did it go today?”

I nodded and took a sip. Vodka and something tart—this worked great. Passion fruit?Don’t mind if I do. “It went great. We have three new locations across the river, and Eric made sure we can’t be traced to the last four.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“What about you?” I asked pointedly.

He winced and took a swig of his own drink.

Fuck. I wasn’t gonna like the answer.

I side-eyed West and Shan, and they were busy. Shan was giving West the grand tour of the place, specifically the terrace at the moment.

“Good news and bad,” Kellan finally said. “Bad news, Hanna reported there’s been another attack.”

I stiffened. “Same as before? Another woman my mom’s age?”

“Aye, the whole theme. But the good news is, a new case means new leads,” he reminded me. “This happened last night with plenty of CCTV around, so Eric’s digging for footage.”

I let out a breath and scrubbed a hand over my jaw. As much as I hated there’d been another attack, the silver lining might mean we got closer.

So far, we knew the attackers were two men. Possibly three, but likely two. Both were Eastern European, from Croatia or Serbia—one of the victims had recognized the accent somewhat. Every victim had reported smudgy marks on the men’s hands, and we’d had a handful of recruits turning the city’s nightclubs upside down to create a catalogue of stamps. Which obviously wasn’t foolproof; clubs tended to change the stamps often.

All victims had similar things in common. Age range, walking alone near nightfall, around South Philly, and none of them had carried much money on them. The attackers weren’t doing it for the money, and they never took cell phones or other valuables. Just cash and, in two cases, credit cards.

We were at five attacks now. Five brutal assaults that’d left five women scarred, terrified, and with months of recovery treatments.

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