Page 14 of Phantom
As he settles into his seat, his dark eyes scan the room briefly before halting… onmine. A fluttering fills my lower belly at the intensity in his stare, and I can’t seem to look away. Warmth fills my core and I cross my legs, squeezing them together underneath my white dress. The tempo of my heartbeat has gone fromadagiotovivaceand this man is directing it effortlessly with one piercing gaze.
“Who is that?” I murmur to myself under my breath.
“That’s Sol.”
I jolt at Jaime’s reply, surprised that he even heard me, not to mention his answer.
“Sol? As intheSol? Solomon Bordeaux?” My voice is barely audible, but Jaime nods anyway.
“The one and only.” He avoids more than a glance in Solomon Bordeaux’s direction, which is fine, since I’ve gawked enough for the both of us. “Word on the street is that Maggie got the good twin. Sol never goes out. He’s a total recluse.”
I snort and Rand glances at me. “What’re you guys laughing about? These speeches are so boring, I need to hear something funny.”
“Scar-lo’s crushing on Sol Bor-deaux.” Jaime’s whispered, drunken singsongy delivery makes my cheeks heat. “Rumor has it he’s a god in bed.”
Rand’s brow furrows. “You have a crush on the Phantom of the French Quarter?”
“No, no, no,” I sputter, but a nervous thrill runs down my spine as I slowly register what he said. “Wait… the what?” Jaime chokes on his drink. “Sol isn’tthePhantom. He’s just a hot recluse. The Phantom’s notrealreal, Scarlett. Don’t listen to him.”
From Jaime’s tone, he obviously thinks Rand’s claim is ridiculous. But hell, with the way I was just enthralled by Sol’s gaze alone, I’d believe he could be the most powerful man in New Orleans.Ifthe Phantom were real, that is.
Rand shakes his head. “Oh, is that what they’re saying these days? And here I thought the Phantom was an actual threat.”
“Wait, Rand,” I interrupt before my scowling best friend can open his mouth to argue. “You believe the Phantom of the French Quarter is more than a legend?”
Rand scowls. “I know he’s real.”
My mind is blown that my logical friend would believe in something so far fetched. “Okay, but then how can Sol Bordeaux be a ‘total recluse’ and the Phantom of theentireFrench Quarter? It doesn’t make sense.”
The Bordeaux family and Rand’s family, the Chatelains, own everything in this city. My dad and I visited every summer while I was growing up, but I never paid attention to the city’s politics. I still don’t, to be honest. I’ve always thought that the Phantom of the French Quarter, the alleged enforcer of the Bordeaux family business, was a myth. But even if Sol Bordeaux is the bogeyman of New Orleans, there’s no way he’d attend a party, right? He’s a glorified mobster.
“He has his minions do his dirty work, of course. They’re his shadows when he can’t be around,” Rand answers. Concern whitens his knuckles around his rocks glass. I wish I could tell what his expression is underneath his jester mask. His worry seems to have undertones of…anger, for some reason. “Believe me or not, Lettie, but Sol Bordeaux is a thug and a fucking assassin. Don’t go anywhere near him.”
I bristle at the command. “You know,Little Lettiedoesn’t like to be told what to do.” I smirk and cross my arms. “What’s so bad about him anyway? It’s not like all those stories can be true. Whether he’s a vigilante or anassassin, I’d hardly think he’d come to a masquerade speakeasy for a night out on the town.”
“He normally doesn’t,” Jaime agrees, his brow furrowed. His fingers twist his skull bracelet as he squirms in his seat. “I’m kind of shocked to see him.”
My gaze shifts to thePhantomagain. The dim light hits his face just right and even from tables away, I swear I can see midnight blue sparkling back at me. My silver eyes are drawn to his dark ones, like the moon to her night. The way his gaze immediately locks onto mine makes me wonder if he ever broke his stare.
Transfixed, it takes me a second to realize that his left eye is the one that is glittering back at me. The other on the masked side of his face doesn’t seem to take on the same ethereal quality.
He leans back, causing his suit jacket to fall open, revealing a broad chest straining against a black button-up shirt. He rests his elbow on the table, and his large metal ring catches my eyes, but when the tip of his long index finger brushes over his mouth, I lose all focus. A pang of need twists inside me and I lick my own lips, wondering what his taste like—
“Seriously, Scarlett.” Rand’s scolding snaps me away from my lustful thoughts. “Stay away from him. I can’t even begin to tell you the awful things he’s done to my family.”
That catches my attention.
“What do you mean? What has he done?”
“I believe the boy said hecan’ttell you, Scarlo.”
I narrow my eyes at Jaime, but his are on Rand. My old friend doesn’t seem to notice as his fingers wrap around mine. When he squeezes, I don’t hesitate to squeeze back, finding comfort in the gesture.
“He’s right. I can’t tell you, Lettie. It could put you in danger. Just stay away from him. For me? He’s bad news, especially for a good girl like you.”
My face blanks as his words hit a raw nerve.
… a good girl like you.
