Page 50 of PortCity Killers

??S I X T E E N??

The next morning, I woke up later than I had intended. Though my body typically wouldn’t let me sleep past ten I was not surprised when I rolled over to see the time was well past noon. I groaned at the harsh sunlight beating between my brows and burrowed under the covers, phone in hand.

Daddy B: Morning little baby. I have some shit to do around the docks until late tonight, but no one’s seen or heard from J. Boss man is gonna wanna meet up soon, so as soon as you know your schedule for the rest of the week let me know.

Daddy B: I love you.

My heart fluttered. Skipped. Absolutely swollen to bursting, the poor muscle would fucking give out on me eventually if I didn’t get a hold of myself and rein it in. I curled closer in on myself, cuddling the long body pillow between my limbs as I typed out a sleepy reply.

Me: I love you too. Thanks for asking around. I have to make the schedule this week, so I’ll let you know before tonight.

I hesitated a moment before I told him about Don’s proclamation the night before to give me the bar. This wasn’t the first time we’d texted, but Bryce had always made it short, sweet and to the point: no concrete details that could put either of us in danger if someone was to swipe our phones.

Bryce’s list of what counted as concrete details was extensive, but I figured being vague would at least keep him in the loop without breaking any rules. One person down, I tried calling Jaymes again to no avail. This time the worrying in my gut turned to lead when his phone went straight to voicemail.

Bryce had said that when he got back upstairs and found Jaymes missing, his stuff had been gone too, but when I had seen him with Valentina, he hadn’t had anything and hadn’t asked. I tried not to regret that as I pushed myself out of my nest and got dressed.

Since I expected today would be another long day, I set myself up with some tea and shimmied into a clean set of shorts and a PortCity Bar crop tank that I wished hugged my waist a little more instead of being a flat box down my favorite part of my curves. One look through the peephole showed the back of a large bald head. As I pulled the door tentatively, a man looked at me from behind thick sunglasses, a scowl etching his features.

“Don told me to talk to you when I woke up?”

He nodded, handing me a business card without a word before he turned back to his spot. I closed the door behind me, not bothering to invite him in. He didn’t seem like he would appreciate the gesture anyway. Don’s name was embossed in gold on the thick cream-colored paper; his phone number softly peeking out under the bold strokes of his name.

“Giovenni.”

“H-hey, it’s Alex.” I winced. How fucking awkward, babe, good job. “You said to call? I’m about to head down to the bar.”

“Good afternoon, little Lexi. I trust you slept well?”

“Well enough,” I hedged, “I actually slept in a bit, and I was wondering if you would mind us talking about the bar after I got there? Maybe before first shift? New schedules are out today and I want to give everyone notice for their shifts.”

There were soft voices, and a shuffle, “Of course. I’ll meet you there shortly, and we can discuss everything.”

“That’s not necessary-”

“It is. I have some business to attend to down by the docks anyway, and it will be easier for me to settle everything in person.”

I nodded, though he couldn’t see me, but he didn’t seem to need the confirmation as he continued. “I’ve sent Lorenzo a car for you, if you would do me the favor of keeping him close.”

Taking the car was a no-brainer since I didn’t have one anymore, not after Jaymes had destroyed old Charlie, but it still made me itch to accept more help from anyone. Keeping Lorenzo sounded an awful lot like having a keeper, and that didn’t sit too well with me either.

But while the apartment wasn’t far, it wasn’t as close as Bryce’s was, and I wasn’t looking forward to the walk. I had done it plenty of times, rain and shine. I pushed aside my misgivings about it though because it seemed like a stupid hill to stand on for some chub rub and dehydration.

“Tall, bald, and grouchy?”

Don’s chuckle was quiet, but still there, which I hoped was a good sign he wasn’t secretly planning on killing me via Lorenzo. “That would be him.”

“I’ll drag my babysitter around if you’ll do me a solid in return?”

“If it’s in my power to give, I will.”

I hesitated, not knowing how far I could go with my request, but settled on something in the middle that would give me both information and hopefully some relief, “Would you mind asking Valentina about her breakfast with Jaymes?”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself? I could give you her number.”

“I would rather not.”

“Alex,” he spoke carefully, like every word was calculated to best effect, “I think Valentina might have been under the impression that you were interested in her as well. She’s been asking about you, but if that wasn’t the case…”

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