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Lucian
I swirl my drink in the glass, staring at the empty bed on camera. Teeth grinding in my skull, I recall her last words before she left. Let me go. They echo the night Amelia dangled from my arm, trying to pry my fingers loose.
I chuck the glass across the room, and it shatters against the wall. “Fuck!”
What the hell was I thinking, getting involved with this girl? I knew the consequences of falling for an unbridled thing like Isa. A young, sassy, package of poke-my-eyeballs-out-with-a-chopstick kind of girl. Like trying to contain a hurricane inside of a test tube. She’s whipping winds and half-torn rooftops, treacherous waves and dangerous undertows, and I can’t fucking get enough of her, for some reason. I don’t know if I’m a weatherman at heart, or a bona fide masochist who loves the torment.
The elevator dings, and Rand steps out, staring down at the broken pieces of glass as he skirts around them on his way to my desk. He lays the bracelet I gave Isa across the desktop, and my hand balls into a fist at the sight of it.
“I’ve gotten word that another dead body was found this morning,” he says, taking a step back and crossing his hands in front of him. “Another drug overdose, it seems.”
“And why do I care?”
“It was the body of Je
Easing back into my chair, I stroke my jaw in thought. “She never said anything when she left.”
“No, I suppose she wouldn’t.”
“Any co
“Just that a needle was found lodged into her arm. Heroin is suspected with her, as well. Though, as I understand, Isa’s mother has been an addict for quite some time. I suppose there wouldn’t be anything unusual about that.”
“Any word on Isa? How she’s doing?”
“Nothing, I’m afraid.”
I push to my feet and tuck my cellphone into my pocket.
“Master … perhaps a couple days might be in order. To let her mourn, and all that.”
I’ve made a point of ignoring Rand’s advice over the last couple of years, since my father’s passing, finding his council mostly useless, but perhaps he’s right on this one. Maybe she needs time. “I’d like to attend the funeral. As soon as it’s known, make me aware of the date and time.”
“Absolutely.”
“And, Rand, what are your thoughts about this? Coincidence?”
“It’s hard to say. I don’t see any reason someone would go after Isa.”
“Unless that someone knew what she meant to me.”
“True, but the only one who might have motive is Stefano Scarpinato, and he seemed relatively appeased by your offer, when we met.”
It so happens, Rand isn’t privy to the meeting I had with Friedrich. I haven’t dismissed the possibility that the cocksucker is testing me, and if that’s the case, he’ll have more than a lack of funding to make his asshole pucker.
“Makaio tells me her attackers in the park were the two who gave her trouble a few months back at that party. I want to keep an eye on her.”
“I’ll dispatch Makaio at once.”
“No. She snuck away that night to avoid Makaio. I don’t need her ru
“Should I look into hiring someone?”
Twiddling my thumbs, I chew the inside of my lip in thought. “Yes. I think it’s time we have a chat with our private investigator friend.”
“Mr. Goodman? I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Master.”
“Neither was killing Franco, but I did it, anyway.”