Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“Again. I was wrong. I’m sorry about the misunderstanding.” He held up his hands. “Can you forgive me?”
Fat chance.
“You’re going to leave them alone?”
“My interest rests solely with you, my dear.”
That wasn’t a promise, and they both knew it.
“Please continue,” he encouraged.
“I like brandy,” she confessed. “I got a taste of it at sixteen, and it feels like the thing to drink when you’ve accomplished something.”
“I have an impressive brandy collection. We’ll have it over dessert,” he assured her. “Tell me more.”
“Well, really, I just like pickpocketing unsuspecting rich people.”
He snorted. “You should get out more. If pickpocketing the wealthy is your idea of fun, I could show you a really good time.”
And though they were both playing parts, she believed him. He didn’t act like the villain that she had painted in her head. He didn’t feel bad at all. She was sure it was a ruse to get her to let down her guard, but he just . . . didn’t even seem dangerous. Yes, she knew he was dangerous. He’d tried to kill her. He was in a feud with Graves. He was a gang leader, controlling the entirety of Brooklyn. All of those things should have read like a giant warning sign: Danger. Keep Out! Except she didn’t feel that way.
Their empty plates were whisked away, and dessert was revealed to be a stunning cinnamon bread pudding with a creamy vanilla-bourbon sauce to pour on top with the promised brandy as its accompaniment. She’d only taken a sip before deciding it was the nicest brandy she’d ever tasted.
“Thank you for a delightful dinner. Open invitation to Equinox whenever you like. On the house,” Lorcan said.
“Why? What even is this place?”
“It’s my restaurant. ‘Equinox’ means balance, and balance is an important concept for me. I try to apply it to my life, the seasons, my food. So, three days a week, I open the restaurant to the poor and hungry. Free hot dinners for whoever shows up. And the next three days, I open it for the wealthy and privileged of our society. Those who want to run their businesses and have their meetings outside of the prying eyes of their peers.” He smiled at her, completely guileless. “I provide a much-needed service. All above the books. Balance.”
How often had she so desperately needed that hot meal? How many times had she gone hungry without anything in her stomach at all? Too many to count, but it didn’t change the fact that he was likely playing her, telling her exactly what she wanted to hear. He might do some good deeds, but they didn’t erase his hand in all of this.
“Why do you hate Graves?”
His lips lifted. “He didn’t tell you?”
“I want to hear your side.”
He considered her for a second, draining his last bit of brandy from his glass.
“We should leave that until next time,” he said finally. “You will come back, won’t you?”
“I don’t know,” she answered with a raised brow. What more could he tell her? How much could she get out of him in all of this?
His smile grew, and those cerulean eyes lit up. “How about you give me a call when you’re ready? That way I don’t have to send Declan.”
Lorcan retrieved a business card from his suit pocket and slid it across the table. Kierse took the card in her hand. The heavy off-white cardstock was embossed with his name and number in shiny gold. A small acorn was the only other adornment. She stuck it in her pocket. Could come in handy.
“Maybe,” she said. Then she stood.
He promptly stood, too, stepping closer to her as if drawn to her in some way. “I’ll have Declan drive you back into the city.”
“Perfect.” She glanced up at him again, ready to judge his response to what she said next. “I’m going to tell Graves about this.”
Lorcan nodded. “Well, I’d expect nothing less. Though it doesn’t impinge on our arrangement. Would you say you were harmed?”
“Kidnapped,” she suggested, not backing down. Their bodies were so close together. She met his gaze, using sleight of hand to filch his watch while he remained transfixed by her face.
“I’m releasing you.” His smile faltered, and he looked down at her with something genuine in his eyes. “Though, I admit, unwillingly.”
“You’re a shameless flirt,” she said, stepping back to diffuse whatever tension he was attempting to create. She slid her hand into her pocket. Such an easy mark.
“A character flaw, I assure you.” But he reached out and grasped her arm. “That isn’t nice.” Lorcan turned her palm up, opening her fingers to reveal the watch she’d stripped off of his wrist. “I think I’ll take that back.”
That was the second time someone had figured out she was stealing from them. Graves and now Lorcan. Either she needed to sharpen her skills or her opponents were getting more terrifying by the day.