Page 22 of Taming the Beasts
“He’s rich.”
“So am I and I’m not wearing a mask and hiding my identity and convincing you to pull bank jobs.”
I didn’t doubt that Grudge was rich. He paid me a small fortune every year. And I knew he made a ton of money streaming. But this was seriously not the time for this conversation. “Look, I need that coin back. We can talk about all this later. Did you see where Kebe went or not?”
“I did.” He didn’t offer any more information.
“So…where the hell did she go?”
“Here’s the thing,” he said. “I need something in return for this favor.”
For fuck’s sake.“Seriously? I can’t strip for you right now. Time is of the essence.”
“Not you. I want a session with Kebe.”
I had five boyfriends.Five.And for some reason I still felt a little jealous. Grudge had probably been the closest thing I had to a boyfriend in years. “What is your weird obsession with her? She’s a liar and a thief.”
“You’re a liar and a thief. I guess I have a type.”
“Fine, whatever. I’ll convince her to do a session.” If I didn’t wring her neck first.
“Sweet. Okay, let’s see where that sexy little cat went.”
Of course he was obsessed with her tight leather catsuit. I was great at picking out the perfect outfit. I took a deep breath as I heard Grudge’s computer keys clicking.
“Um…” his voice trailed off.
“What?”
He didn’t reply.
“Where did she go, Grudge?”
“I…I don’t know. She was there and then she…wasn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m watching the feed outside a restaurant on Main Street and she’s on the sidewalk one second and then she’s not the next second.”
“Are you saying she disappears?”
He laughed. “No. It must be a glitch or something. People don’t just disappear. Let me pull up another camera.” His keyboard keys clicked some more. “Huh.”
“What, did you find her?”
“No, she must have ducked in somewhere when the cameras glitched.”
“Ducked in where? And when?”
“Just a few minutes ago. And she probably went into that restaurant. Some Italian place…”
“Thanks, I know the restaurant. Call me if she comes up on the cameras again.” I hung up the phone and hurried back down the stairs. “Who’s in the mood for Italian?” I asked as I walked into the family room.
Otto was sitting on the couch. He tilted his head back to look at me from upside down. I was pretty sure he was raising his eyebrow at me, but it was hard to tell from this angle.
I ran my fingers though his wavy hair.
“It’s after midnight, baby,” Bennett said.
