Page 17 of Phantom
“You know Jacques Baron?” I ask, but Rand ignores me.
“He’s a Chatelain man,” Jaime provides unhelpfully. My blank stare makes him sigh. “Girl, you really should know this city. Your head is so in the sand, you’re bound to get it chopped off around here. Being a Chatelain man means he works for Rand’s family.”
My jaw drops at Jaime’s statement and out of the corner of my eye, I see Maggie grab Monty’s phone. She gasps before glancing over to her husband, then addresses the rest of the room. “Jacques Baron is dead.”
Scene 4
INVITATION WITHDRAWN
Sol
“Atext message, hm? I thought you were more old school than that,” Ben mutters behind his glass before taking a large mouthful of the drink. I shrug. The room is frantic as people try to see the text message I sent Monty from a blocked number.
“Jacques isdead?” someone yells as commotion and hysteria spreads.
“—suicide—”
“—he hung himself—”
“—with a stage curtainrope?”
A picture is worth a thousand words, even over the phone, and this one speaks volumes, revealing Jacques Baron hanging from the ceiling in the cellar below the stage. I thought it was fitting that a rat die with his brethren where they scurry through the basements. Ben knows it had to be done. After seeing Jacques paw at Scarlett last week, he practically wrote the suicide note himself.
“Also, not great timing with the Phantom letter,” my brother points out.
Okay, I admit sending the text immediately after Monty opened the letter was a little rash. I’d previously intended the letter to be my only surprise tonight, but once he began to accuse Scarlett of being the sender, I had to change my plans. Texting Monty the picture I took earlier today was the only thing I could think of to get the heat off of her in the moment.
Besides, I’ve been getting bored waiting for someone to find him. He needs to be cut down before the body starts to stink or the rats decide to make a meal out of his corpse.
The staff begins to mill around again and I welcome the new Sazerac from the waitress, since I was actually the one who broke the last glass. That’s the thing about Masque. Despite the fact that a crisis is taking place in real time inside the speakeasy, the service is still on point, even if Madam G is glowering at me for breaking another one of her glasses.
“What if someone connects the letter with the picture?” Ben asks more blatantly, but still quietly enough that no one will hear him over the bedlam.
“Let them add fuel to the wildfire of rumors surrounding me. People worship the heroes protecting them until they realize the cost of their safety. Whispers in the dark keep the worst of my justice from coming to light. You know reputation means everything. No one is afraid of an ordinary man with a horrifying face. Let the Phantom be terrifying in their minds.”
“Your face wouldn’t be what terrifies people. At some point, the citizens of this city are going to figure out that not all the whispers are rumors.” Ben sighs. “And then the NOLA PD who are on our side will be forced to turn on us.”
“It had to be done,” I insist.
Ben wants more than that, I can tell. He purses his lips and narrows his eyes, shifting his skull mask. My face makes the same movements when I want an explanation, or at least the left side does. Ben might be frustrated now, but he knows that if I’ve made a kill, the person deserved it. It’s the same moral code I’ve had since I was fifteen.
I watch Scarlett out of the corner of my eye. A delicious mix of confusion, concern, and satisfaction swirl on her face over the news. Her last emotion makes my cock swell with need. My little angel is more savage than she looks. I love her innocence, but her darkness is what calls to me. Jacques Baron’s death was a gift from me to her, and I knew she’d love it. If Monty doesn’t heed my warning, I have no doubt she’ll enjoy that one, too.
“Sol, are you listening?” Ben asks with a huff.
“No,” I answer honestly.
He sighs again. “Why do you play with your food, knowing you’re not going to eat it?”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“Her.” He tips his head toward my muse. “You act like she’s yours. It was bad enough when we both knew you’d never go after her, but now that Rand has declared her, she’s completely off-limits. Besides, she’s not like the women you bring home in the dark. She’ll want to be with you in the light. Women like Scarlett Day want to see the man behind the mask. Are you willing to reveal that to her? Are you ready toshowyourself? Or will you just watch your pretty doll from afar?”
I fidget with my ring. His questions hit home more than I’d like to admit. Scarlett and her voice have been my fantasy for months. But no matter how dark my angel of music is on the inside, I’m certain she’ll never be able to accept how ugly I am. Insideandout.
“You’re right,” I finally respond. “She won’t be interested as soon as she sees what that bastard did to me.”
Ben snorts and shakes his head sadly. “If you think I’m only talking about your skull mask, you haven’t been paying attention.”
