underlings. Was that the answer? Were his underlings doing business of their own? Dick wouldn’t look kindly on such a thing, but it was possible. That might explain why people were turning up dead, if only because they wouldn’t want their boss getting wind of any of this. But why was Sloane such a danger to them? It didn’t make sense.
Being tortured had taken the wind out of my sails, so I decided to think about it with my eyes closed, stretching out on the couch for just a second. It was too hard, too much of a Kyle thing for me to ever sleep on.
So of course I fell asleep, and woke up when I fell off the sofa and thudded onto the floor. It took me a minute to remember where I was, which was helpful, as I had to find the bathroom pretty quickly. As I barfed into the toilet, it reminded me yet again why I didn’t like wine. It tasted even worse coming back up.
Once I rinsed the bad taste out of my mouth and dunked my whole head in a sink full of cold water until I felt vaguely human, I began to think about what had happened. Even in the relatively sober light of day, it didn’t make a hell of a lot of sense. I wasn’t just missing pieces of the puzzle, I had no puzzle at all, just big gaping holes where something should be. I had to talk to Sloane. He was leaving something out, something huge, and I was fucking tired of him lying to me. He might have been a hot piece of ass, but that didn’t mean I was letting him get away with bullshitting me anymore.
I just came out of the bathroom when I heard the apartment door close and saw a very tired, mussed-looking Kyle standing there, a little bit of dark stubble staining his face. “You okay, Jake?” he asked. “You look like hell.”
“Takes one to know one,” I replied, idly scratching the fresh scabs on my face. They were still numb from the cold water, so they hardly hurt at all, but I knew that would change. “How’s the investigation going?”
Kyle sighed explosively, as if I’d touched him in a sore spot. “Jesus Christ, it’s all kinds of messed up. Whatever you’ve gotten yourself into, Jake, it’s bigger than I can fathom.”
“I’m just starting to realize that.” I didn’t even bother to knock before opening Kyle’s bedroom door. Even if Sloane was naked, it wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before. “Sloane, we need to—” I stopped as my gaze swept the room. The covers were rumpled, but the bed was still made, as if someone had slept on top of the blankets for a while, then got up and left.
Kyle came up behind me and looked over my shoulder, touching my arm and pressing up against my back. A little pang of desire rode my nerves, although it was faint. I probably would have had more of a reaction if I still wasn’t kind of numb and hungover and shocked by what I was seeing. “Where is he?” Kyle asked.
“He’s gone,” I said. A stupid, obvious thing to say, but I was too busy wondering what was worse—if Sloane had done a runner because he was afraid, or because he had totally fucked me over.
That little bitch.
13
K YLE wouldn’t let me go alone, no matter how tired he was, so he drove me over to Sloane’s condo. It was unlikely he was there, but it was the first place he would have gone. I doubted he left a trail to follow, but I had to try.
His door wasn’t open, but it wasn’t difficult to pop the lock since the door still resembled Swiss cheese. His place was the gaudy crapsterpiece it had been the first time I was here, with little of the bullet-ridden mess from the last time I was here cleaned up, and while it was kind of hard to tell, it didn’t look like much was missing. He’d taken off in a hurry… or he never had much here to begin with. Could this place have been part of the setup? I was feeling more and more like an idiot.
I looked in his fridge for some booze and found a half-filled bottle of vodka in the freezer. I took a few swallows, the coolness of the liquid going down my throat making me
Being tortured had taken the wind out of my sails, so I decided to think about it with my eyes closed, stretching out on the couch for just a second. It was too hard, too much of a Kyle thing for me to ever sleep on.
So of course I fell asleep, and woke up when I fell off the sofa and thudded onto the floor. It took me a minute to remember where I was, which was helpful, as I had to find the bathroom pretty quickly. As I barfed into the toilet, it reminded me yet again why I didn’t like wine. It tasted even worse coming back up.
Once I rinsed the bad taste out of my mouth and dunked my whole head in a sink full of cold water until I felt vaguely human, I began to think about what had happened. Even in the relatively sober light of day, it didn’t make a hell of a lot of sense. I wasn’t just missing pieces of the puzzle, I had no puzzle at all, just big gaping holes where something should be. I had to talk to Sloane. He was leaving something out, something huge, and I was fucking tired of him lying to me. He might have been a hot piece of ass, but that didn’t mean I was letting him get away with bullshitting me anymore.
I just came out of the bathroom when I heard the apartment door close and saw a very tired, mussed-looking Kyle standing there, a little bit of dark stubble staining his face. “You okay, Jake?” he asked. “You look like hell.”
“Takes one to know one,” I replied, idly scratching the fresh scabs on my face. They were still numb from the cold water, so they hardly hurt at all, but I knew that would change. “How’s the investigation going?”
Kyle sighed explosively, as if I’d touched him in a sore spot. “Jesus Christ, it’s all kinds of messed up. Whatever you’ve gotten yourself into, Jake, it’s bigger than I can fathom.”
“I’m just starting to realize that.” I didn’t even bother to knock before opening Kyle’s bedroom door. Even if Sloane was naked, it wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before. “Sloane, we need to—” I stopped as my gaze swept the room. The covers were rumpled, but the bed was still made, as if someone had slept on top of the blankets for a while, then got up and left.
Kyle came up behind me and looked over my shoulder, touching my arm and pressing up against my back. A little pang of desire rode my nerves, although it was faint. I probably would have had more of a reaction if I still wasn’t kind of numb and hungover and shocked by what I was seeing. “Where is he?” Kyle asked.
“He’s gone,” I said. A stupid, obvious thing to say, but I was too busy wondering what was worse—if Sloane had done a runner because he was afraid, or because he had totally fucked me over.
That little bitch.
13
K YLE wouldn’t let me go alone, no matter how tired he was, so he drove me over to Sloane’s condo. It was unlikely he was there, but it was the first place he would have gone. I doubted he left a trail to follow, but I had to try.
His door wasn’t open, but it wasn’t difficult to pop the lock since the door still resembled Swiss cheese. His place was the gaudy crapsterpiece it had been the first time I was here, with little of the bullet-ridden mess from the last time I was here cleaned up, and while it was kind of hard to tell, it didn’t look like much was missing. He’d taken off in a hurry… or he never had much here to begin with. Could this place have been part of the setup? I was feeling more and more like an idiot.
I looked in his fridge for some booze and found a half-filled bottle of vodka in the freezer. I took a few swallows, the coolness of the liquid going down my throat making me
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