Page 99 of A Breath of Life
I frowned. “Your jewelry appraiser?”
“Yes. I’ll call you back.”
“Wait. Don’t hang up.” Something told me not to let Memphis make that call. Joshua had seen the card. If he had ties to an illegal club and Memphis mentioned our names, it could be bad. Did he know Ace?
I thought back to our encounter with the jeweler and reexamined the man’s reaction to the card. I couldn’t decide if the guy had been surprised because of its uniqueness or shocked because we possessed it, and he knew where it came from.
He’d definitely reacted.
“Tal, what the fuck?”
“Just… hang on. Why Joshua?” When Memphis didn’t immediately explain, I snapped, “Bitch, explain yourself.”
“Fine. He took me to a place a while back. It was… not above board. I mean, he didn’t say that exactly, but I assumed.”
“Where was this?”
“I can’t remember. We took an Uber from Gas because we were both drunk. I didn’t pay attention. It was a classy joint. Not like anywhere I’d been before. Smoky and dark. Blackjack tables. Drugs galore. Other… enjoyments. It had a feel, you know.”
“A feel?”
“I don’t know. You said Edwardian. It rang old school like that. The dealers and bartenders were suited in similar garb. A lot of the people present seemed to be adhering to a dress code. I didn’t question it. Joshua was paying the tab. The guy is seriously loaded. His parents own that jewelry store. Don’t let his position behind the counter fool you. He’s at the top of the food chain. And, as a side note, he fucks like a dream.”
Ordinarily, I would show appropriate disgust at Memphis sharing his sex life, but my focus was elsewhere. “How many times have you been there?”
“Just once.”
“What can you remember?”
Memphis made a noise that was a typical whiny tantrum. “Aren’t you listening? I just told you.”
“I need more. Describe everything.”
“There was… low lighting. Sconces on the walls with colored glass. Dark wood. The bar was like an island in the middle of the room. A sweet, smoky smell hung in the air from cigars. A lot of people were smoking. Soft, unintrusive music.”
“Did you talk to anyone? See anything that stuck out? What was the name of the place? Think, Memphis.”
“Dude, I was swimming in alcohol, and we were only in the main area for a short time.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning we had other things to do. They had… rooms.”
“Oh. Yeah, keep those details to yourself. Do you remember anyone who might have called themselves Ace?”
Memphis stopped speaking, and my heart slammed against my ribs.
I was about to push when the bathroom door opened again. I sucked in a breath, listening wide-eyed as whoever it was stood silently at the door. They didn’t head to the urinals or another stall. They didn’t turn on the water.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Diem had taken too long, and they’d sent someone inside to search for him. I was fucked.
Memphis started talking, and I was certain his voice would travel, so I acted the part of a constipated man taking an especially difficult shit and grunted, hoping it would fool the intruder and shut my friend up. It was not my best acting, but in a pinch, the ruse would hopefully work.
Memphis would not be silenced. “Oh my god. Girlfriend, tell me you didn’t call from the shitter. Dude, we need serious boundaries, and you need fiber.”
I grunted again.
