Page 1 of Finders Keep Her
Chapter One
RONAN
Sitting outside of Bourbon Street is the last place I want to be, but a man has to do what he needs to do to get what he wants, and I always get what I’m after. I just never would have thought that to get the girl, I’d have to enter a brothel to do so.
I reach under the driver’s seat, pulling out my burner phone. All it can do is make and receive calls, nothing more. I've kept a stash of this style of phone since I saw all the shit my now brother-in-law can do with a computer. All those episodes ofBreaking BadandBetter Call Saulhave taught me a ton too.
The burner phones have come in handy over the past couple of months. The key is to have them before anyone might start looking into you. They can’t know about them, or fuck if I know what they could do to gain access.
I stash it into my back pocket before I step out of my truck. Can't let her know I've got it. I head toward the entrance of Bourbon Street. Violet is unaware that I'm coming tonight. There was no way to give her a heads-up. Not that it matters. I can show up whenever I want if need be, but tonight is different.
Already, anticipation is creeping in. I roll my shoulders, trying to get them to loosen. It's not a sensation I'm used tohaving. Don’t get me wrong; I feel shit like irritation, anger, a love for my family, and so on. Fear and worry about what is to come has never been a part of my life.
When I was younger, my mother would tease me, calling me the Hulk. Nothing penetrated, and I didn’t have a fear of anything, especially the unknown. In fact, if there was something to know, and I could test to find out the answer, I would. That might have earned me a few broken bones and a couple of concussions. Oh, and one bullet to my left thigh. But I found the answers.
Tonight I only need one answer, and it’s to know my little fox is still around. She has dropped off the map to everyone, and her friends are worried. Fuck, who am I kidding? I’m starting to worry what might have spooked her.
I’m here to lure her out. Hunting foxes isn’t easy. They have keen senses and are extremely cautious by nature. I don’t want to have to do it this way, but she’s not giving me much of a choice.
I make sure my phone is on before I head straight for the door. Bourbon Street is owned by my family. It has been for generations. War and I have spoken about getting rid of it, but if we didn’t put our protection over it, someone else would simply slip in and take over.
If there is a want for something, then there will be someone willing to pay for it. There is no stopping that. In fact, the more you try to snuff out the issue, the deeper underground it goes. That’s when shit can go bad all around. It’s about finding a balance and protecting those who deserve and need it.
Right now, we let Violet do her thing. If an issue arises, she’ll let someone know. Other than that, she handles all the women and a few men that choose to work here. We leave it to her.
I rap my knuckles against the main door. If you were to drive down this street, it would appear like any other street block.Its appearance is unassuming. People would never guess what’s behind the doors. We own the whole street. Part of it is for the brothel, and the other is housing for any of the workers.
“Ronan,” Violet greets me, her sultry tone unmistakable. I glance up into the camera.
“I need a word.” The lock clicks open, allowing me to enter. It’s a courtesy to knock. Violet has only ever shown me respect, and I return that. The woman has run this place for longer than I’ve been alive.
I step inside; Violet is already in the entryway, in her normal latex. I’ve heard rumors of the things she does to the men who book her for an appointment. They pay a lot for her to smack them around. To my understanding, she doesn’t even fuck them.
“Is there a problem?” I don’t answer her. I give a small nod of my head, knowing she’ll catch my drift. Violet doesn’t miss much. I pull out my normal phone and wait.
With each second that ticks by, the tension in my body grows. That unfamiliar panic claws inside my chest, wanting to explode. I have no fucking clue what that would look like. What I do know is that it probably wouldn't go well for the people around me.
My grip on the phone tightens.Come on, little fox, come out to play. The lights flicker overhead before the power shuts down. A rush of relief floods through me, the tension releasing.
“What the fuck?” Violet hisses. I power off my phone. A few seconds later, the lights flicker back on, Violet triggering the backup generator. We had them put in years ago to make sure the girls here are always safe.
“It’s me,” I tell her. “When I leave, the power will be fully back on.”
I’m sure my little fox is pissed. I turned my phone off. When she killed the power, it left her unable to see me. This place is lined with cameras in and out.
“Is there an issue I need to worry about?”
"No, it's not you she's after."
"She?" Violet's brows lift. "Is another Marino man going off the market?"
"I was never on the market," I tell her, turning my phone back on as I head out the door and toward my truck.
When I'm back inside and know no cameras can see me, I pull out my other phone and call Z. I let it ring twice to let him know Marks, as everyone else knows her, is fine. She’s still out there and watching me. Just the way I like it.
I head toward my place in the city, near the docks. When I get to the gates, I hop out of my truck, pulling out my key to undo the thick padlock. It’s a fight not to glance up toward the camera I have there, knowing she’s watching.
Always watching.
