Page 50 of Devil's Deal

“Because I believe him,” Nico said simply. “And because Rocco will keep a close eye on him.” He pushed his chair back, stood, and buttoned his suit jacket. “Let’s move to the table so we can iron out the details. Dante, I want you to join us for this. Romeo is going to tell us exactly what he’s been up to while in our fair city, how many bodies he’s left lying around, and what he plans next.”

“And why should we believe anything that comes out of his mouth?”

Nico stopped, staring me straight in the eyes as he answered his brother. “Because he finally has someone to live for. Isn’t that right, Romeo? You’re building your own little family over at that fancy hotel. It changes a man, doesn’t it? The responsibility. The pressure.”

I hated how right he was. I’d been a lone wolf for most of my life. Partly by necessity, mostly by choice. Meeting Cory had changed that. Having a boy of my own changed everything. Loving him would be a privilege, but protecting him…that was my duty.

Chapter

Three

CORY

After my conversation with Harlow,I sent him home for some much-needed sleep. Knowing that Romeo was right and I needed more rest, I cleared the important things off my desk as quickly as possible, checked in with some of my employees, then made my way to the elevator. I had one more stop to make before I took a nap.

As the door opened, I was met with Everest’s soft smile. “Hey there, Mr. Letterman. It’s nice to see you up and moving around.”

I grimaced. “I’m so sorry, Everest. I can’t believe what happened the other night. You should never have been tied up in all that.”

His low, rusty chuckle caught me by surprise. “Are you kidding? I hate what Huey did and what happened to you”—he gestured at my head—“but that was the most fun I’ve had in years.” He cackled. “You should’ve seen me bossing Dante and his men around.” He rubbed his hands together gleefully. “It was very satisfying.”

I snorted. “Well, good. I was worried you were going to quit on me.”

“Never going to happen. As long as this old body holds up, I’m yours. Now, where can I take you?”

“I need to get some sleep, but first, I want to stop in at Gangster’s Paradise and check in on Charity.”

He nodded, pressing the button. “Taking it easy sounds like a mighty fine idea, Mr. Letterman. I was giving you about twenty more minutes before I came and escorted you up to the belfry myself.”

Surprised at his cheekiness, I opened my mouth to tell him that wasn’t necessary when I realized why he’d planned to interfere in my life. “Romeo?”

Everest bobbed his head up and down. “Yeah. He gave me a direct order. Now, I know you’re the one who signs my paychecks, but I like him. I think he’ll take good care of you.”

Since I didn’t disagree, I smiled and exited the elevator. “Thanks, Everest. I’ll take the stairs up when I leave here, so I’ll see you later?”

“You got it. And Mr. Letterman?” I looked back at him over my shoulder. “I think Mr. Mac would approve of your new man, too. All he ever wanted was to see you safe and happy. Romeo, well, I think he’ll do that.”

“Me, too,” I said, fighting a swell of emotion as the doors closed between us.

It hit me that people didn’t mention Mac often. I knew the staff had loved him, but I’d been such a mess after he died that I think their silence about him was a way of protecting me. As much as I appreciated that, I realized now that I wanted him spoken of. He’d been a great man, an amazing Daddy, and he’d helped me make my dream of this hotel come true. I didn’t want him to fade out of existence like he’d never been.

Arriving at Gangster’s Paradise, I was startled to hear giggling inside. Was Charity on the phone? After knocking lightly, my head tilted when Harlow answered the door. “Hey, big cheese,” he teased.

I swallowed, remembering how many times Huey had mockingly called me that. But this was Harlow, my prized employee, the one person who enjoyed the 20s theme as much as I did. He didn’t mean any harm, and I refused to let the bad memories of Huey steal the fun verbiage we used around here.

“You’re a goofball. What are you doing here?”

He opened the door wider, gesturing me inside. “I know you sent me home, but I wanted to have breakfast with Charity first.”

She was sitting on her bed, mid-wave, when she got a look at my face. She gasped, her hands cupping to cover her mouth. “Oh my God. Cory. Harlow told me there’d been an accident, but I didn’t realize…” She trailed off.

“An accident?” I asked, quirking my eyebrow at Harlow.

He sat back on the bed across from Charity and shrugged. “I didn’t know exactly what you wanted me to tell her.”

“Fair. It’s not like I gave you any direction except to check on her.”

“No, you didn’t, but I told him why I’m here,” she said. “I’m not ashamed of what I do for a living.” She lifted her chin defiantly.

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