Page 65 of Gluttony

“Ah, you’re gonna need to talk to the detective. One of the two penthouse apartments were robbed, too. Detective Seawall will have more information for you.” As he speaks, I look down and read the name tag. Officer Valentino. It’s a great name, makes me think of roses and chocolates and Italian vacations.

“Stay here.” Hayes drops the command but none of us listen. We follow him as a unit when Officer Valentino raises the yellowtape. I’m no doubt in shock at this point and being left out of the loop would not end well for me.

Who died? And wait, someone broke into the apartment?

The obvious culprit that jumps at me is Mickey, except he’s not the type to kill, he’s a techy nerd who likes to live a comfortable life, not a murderer. Although, he did have me beaten and the guys he hangs out with are questionable, so who knows anymore? Not me, that’s for sure.

“Detective?” Hayes commands any situation and this is no different. When he calls out to the men and women standing in a circle, no doubt gathering information, everyone stops and looks at him.

One woman turns all the way around, annoyance written all over her features, and gives Hayes a sweep down with her hard gaze. It’s not lust, it’s a what-the-fuck-ism. “You can’t be here, it’s a secure area.” When her eyes scan the rest of us, she doesn’t even pretend to hide her eye roll.

“Who let the four stooges back here? It’s a damn crime scene.” This time she’s not speaking to us but to any of the officers outside the yellow tape.

“We live in the penthouse, we were told to come see you. What’s going on?”

“The short version is that Gary Wieneski was killed, his thumb hacked off, and penthouse One broken into. Is that yours?”

“I can’t believe Gary’s dead.” My voice is tiny and I’m well aware that I’ve repeated this statement at least five times.

It took four hours for the police to give us permission to go up to the apartment. It wasn’t the scene of the murder so they justwanted a low down of what was missing. They took our prints so they could exclude them from the investigation.

Detective Bauer said she’d be in touch if she needed more information and just like that, everyone packed up and left, leaving us in a disaster area.

“Lemme check the cameras.” My head snaps up, my eyes finding Hayes, and I can feel the accusations on the tip of my tongue.

“You have cameras inside?” I don’t know if I’m more afraid about myself or annoyed that he wouldn’t give that kind of evidence to the fucking police.

Hadley chuckles but it lacks his usual mirth. “Of course we do, Little Rabbit.”

“Why didn’t you tell Detective Bauer? She’d be able to solve the case.” Did Gary have a family? The thought makes me feel ashamed that I never had a proper conversation with him. How selfish am I? The man works at the door five days out of seven and I don’t even know if he has a wife or children.

Hayes doesn’t even bother answering me, just heads to the office, coming back seconds later with a tablet in hand.

“Hayes?” Every pair of eyes is on me and I’m guessing it has to do with the tone of my voice, the smallness of it, the desperation in it. “I think this is all my fault.”

Orion snorts, shaking his head. “I highly doubt you killed a man three times your size just to get up to the apartment where…you fucking live. Trust me, your troubles lie elsewhere, Sweetheart.” I’m taken aback by the harshness of his words. It doesn’t take a genius to understand he’s pissed off.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I don’t get an answer but Hayes curses on his end and Hadley throws a fit down the hall.

What the hell is going on?

“Bowie’s room is ten times worse than any other room. It was personal.” Hadley’s got untamed fire dancing in his eyes andit has nothing to do with lust. Stalking to the bar—one of the rare things still standing—he grabs the decanter and four glasses that he slams onto the kitchen island. “We’ll need to get a hotel tonight, have the cleaners take care of this shit tomorrow.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Hayes then looks at me and I’m relieved to see every emotion except hate in those deep blue eyes. At least not directed at me. “Come on, time to have that conversation now.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Orion

“We have been pulling cons since we were both teenagers. Started small, getting free meals in restaurants and diners by planting fake hairs or whatever. After college, we tried bigger, harder cons. Scamming the rich to become rich ourselves, none of this Robin Hood shit. Mickey would always choose the mark, do the technical stuff, and I’d put myself on the line, each and every time. Occasionally, he’d join me on the con if it became a two-man job, but more often than not he sat behind his computer screen and worked on my digital footprint—for whoever I was pretending to be.” Bowie’s pacing the main room of the Mancini Hotel suite, her arms folded across her chest and her palms gripping her biceps.

She pauses, looks up, then briefly makes eye contact with each of us sitting on the couch. It’s obvious that she’s nervous, but who wouldn’t be when faced with three men ten years older and at least seven inches taller? I have one of the twins on either side of me, and each of us remain silent, staring ahead. For me, at least, my expression is stern. We may already know all this shit, but it doesn’t make it any easier to hear.

“There was an article about a year ago…” Bowie takes a deep breath and starts pacing again before continuing. “It was a piece about the necklace Orion inherited from his grandparents. One aptly named after him. The Orion’s Abyss that is reportedly worth almost two-hundred-and-fifty million dollars. Which happens to be fifty million dollars more than the ‘A Heritage In Bloom’, which was once the most expensive necklace in the world. That kind of money would mean we wouldn’t have to pull any more cons. We’d be set for life. The article said that you had recently expanded the record company and moved to New York so Mickey said we’d be stupid not to steal it, seeing as you were so close. The research began, then we finally thought we had an in at the nightclub, that you would bring me back to the apartment, but well, we all know how that went.” She’s rambling, no longer paying any attention to the three of us.

“When that didn’t work, Mickey decided on Plan B. He er…okay, we didn’t agree to this part and I had no idea what he was going to do, but he’s responsible for what happened to Abby. I swear I had nothing to do with it, I was just supposed to plant some drugs on her, have her arrested…” She pauses again and turns to watch for our reactions.

We give her none. Well, I can’t speak for the twins because I’m not looking at them, but I can see from my peripheral, neither of them has moved an inch. This piece of information about Abby is new to us. Mickey didn’t divulge quite this much in our basement. I want Hadley to capture the fucker all over again so we can keep him for a little longer. Abby has kids, a husband, and they were all worried as fuck when she was hit by a car. She didn’t deserve that for the sake of a fucking necklace.

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