Page 236 of Chandelier Sin
“Tell me, what’s the worst thing you’ve seen as a surgeon?”
“Too many things to count.” I shook my head, not wanting to offer up any of my patients’ sufferings to entertain this man’s fetish for agony.
He sat back. “Fear is an excellent stimulant.”
“Especially when it’s not your own.” I laughed as I gladly accepted another whiskey poured into my glass from the waiter.
Aemon ignored him. “Exactly. Watching Lance’s untimely end was an aperitif.”
“What else does Pendulum offer?” I asked. “Something tells me you keep the fun events away from Eve.”
“She’s squeamish.”
“Well, then, best keep her away from the genuine entertainment if she can’t appreciate it.”
“It’s true what you once brought up about piranhas. They do need to be kept calm in order for them to feed. How did you know this?”
“It’s something you hear and store in your brain for dinner party conversation.”
“Or is the truth more sinister, Atticus Sinclair?”
“How do you mean?”
“Keeping something back?”
“Like?”
“There’s a rumor circulating around Pendulum that you killed the man who killed your sister.”
I placed my hand over my heart. “He took his own life.”
“You had nothing to do with it?”
“Sadly, no.”
That story, that truth, would remain buried deep for the time being. Though I was no killer.
He leaned back. “How do you see Pendulum evolving?”
“We could have stricter control of the subs. They move about the club with ease. This concerns me. There needs to be more control.”
“And?”
“I’d probably remove Jewel. I don’t trust her.”
“She’s my most trusted ally.”
“One news article released by her family’s news station and your reputation is destroyed.”
“I have more dirt on her.”
“Do tell.”
“Jewel is heavily into blood play. Now that would be a hard spin if it came out for public consumption.”
“She bathes in it?” I asked, hiding my revulsion.
“It’s quite the show, Atti.”
