“Not good for business, a PI’s name in a parking spot,” Creed muttered.
“That’s why I declined. That’s me, looking out for the local adult resort.”
I heard his chuckle and it was different than I remembered too. Not just deep and smooth, the rough was in it. It made it sexier. A lot fucking sexier.
Shit.
“You ever been there?” he asked.
“Where?” I asked back.
“The Retreat,” he answered.
“Partner, were you talking in your sleep thirty seconds ago?”
“I meant as a client, not an investigator.”
Oh yeah, I had. Rubber mattresses. Fake silk sheets. Velvet comforters. Mirrors on the ceiling. Hot tubs in every room. “Environment chambers” where you could fuck in a gentle rain, breeze or both. Swings. Love machines. Steam rooms. Twelve channels of porn. Rooms available at matinee rates.
I’d so totally been there.
“So we are talking about our pasts?” I asked and he was silent. “Advice,” I went on. “You feel like an adventure, call the top in the environment chamber. Seems like it’d be awesome but that water hitting your face all the time is distracting.”
That got more silence, which worked for me because it meant he shut up.
It stopped working for me when it went on a long time. He had a month of a possible hostile takeover of Knight’s business to catch me up on and he couldn’t do it in sign language when my eyes were on the road. This was because I couldn’t see his hands and I didn’t know sign language.
I glanced his way again, mouth open to say something then I glanced straight ahead and shut my mouth.
I did this because his stubbled jaw was tight and his head was turned slightly to look out the side window.
Unhappy thoughts. Unhappy thoughts I did not give one shit about.
“Rule,” I said quietly into the car. “You don’t wanna know, don’t ask.”
“Deal,” he muttered immediately and that killed too.
I knew why. For some reason, it fucked him up that I’d had experience of The Retreat. Why this would be, I did not know. He disappeared on me and he’d done it nearly sixteen freaking years ago. He couldn’t think I’d been holding out, pining for him all that time. He’d looked into me, he knew I didn’t. At first, I didn’t have a choice. Then, I did and I sure as fuck took advantage of it.
I wasn’t going to think about that either.
“You wanna fill me in on what you’ve learned for the last month?” I asked as I kept moving us toward The Retreat.
“Yeah,” Creed answered. “You know Drake Nair?”
“Yup,” I replied.
“You know who he is to Knight?”
“Been in Denver awhile, Creed, and almost all that time, I’ve known Knight.”
“So you know Knight stole his stable and his club right out from under him.”
“Yup,” I repeated.
“And you know he’s back in town.”
“Didn’t until last night but yeah, Knight filled Rhash and me in. Rhash already knew. He flew under my radar. Nair’s half asshole, half moron and since most people can’t think very well with their ass, even though they try, he’s not much of a threat so can’t say I pay a lot of attention to him.”
“Asshole with money gets other people to think for him,” Creed replied as I took a turn onto Colfax.
“This is true,” I muttered before switching gears and shoving the last bite of toast in my mouth.
“Been watchin’, Nick hasn’t got near him. Nick doesn’t keep good company, though. He’s not doin’ blow all the time now but he doesn’t have great friends. Been too busy and, without a partner, only had so much time, couldn’t make a connection. That doesn’t mean the connection between Nick and Nair isn’t there.”
“Right,” I said through a full mouth then finished chewing and swallowing before I asked, “Now tell me what else has kept you busy.”
“Makin’ sure you and Rhashan Banks are clean.”
My head whipped to the side and I stared two full seconds before I looked back at the road feeling like I’d been punched in the gut.
I thought he’d looked into me because that was what I’d do. I had a prospective partner pinned to me, I’d know him inside and out before I got anywhere near the job.
I didn’t think for one second Knight set him on me.
Or Rhash.
“Knight set you on Rhash and me?”
“Knight said it was a waste of time. I investigated you and Rhashan. Shit like this, no stone unturned. He’s blinded by history and loyalty. He hired me because I’m not.”
“Well, just to confirm,” my voice was barbed, “neither of us would fuck Knight. Ever.”
“Any way that could be?” he asked and I glanced at him again before looking at the road.
“Don’t wanna know, partner, don’t ask,” I said quietly and felt his eyes on me.
“This shit, I need to know. He’s deep with his woman. You two got history I haven’t learned, affects everything, including us working together. You two hook up?”
“No,” I replied.
“Ever?” he asked.
“No,” I repeated.
“Wanted it?” he pushed. “Either one of you.”
“Yeah, absolutely. We discussed it, found we weren’t compatible but that was years ago, one night we both had too much to drink. The other part of that incompatibility is that, you fuck up what we got with sex, it’ll never be the same and what we got is worth never fucking up. You with me?”
“Yeah,” he muttered.
“Then I’ll make sure you’re totally with me. I’m tight with Anya too. We’re solid. She has no reason to know Knight and I even discussed that shit, even one night when we were getting hammered and letting it all hang out. She doesn’t need that thought in her head. He’s not deep with her, Creed, she’s his life. Their daughter is his life. His family is the most precious thing to him, a man who’s got everything so he’s also got a lot to choose from and his two girls are his choice. Do not fuck that and do not put me in the position where I’m even a little responsible for fucking that.”
“She the jealous type?” he asked.
“Don’t know and seriously do not want to find out. There’s even the barest possibility of losing that, Knight will lose me. I got two people who mean something to me, Creed, and he’s one of them. You take half of my world away from me, for sixteen years, you were a memory for me and that’s what I’ll make you for your kids too, except you’ll never stroll back into their bedrooms while they’re sleeping. You still with me?”
He was silent a beat before, “Two people in your life who mean something to you?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah.”
“Banks?”
“He’s not the other one. We’re tight but not that tight.” He was silent again and this lasted more than a beat so I prompted, “Did you get me?”
“I got you, Sylvie,” he answered quietly.
I flipped the left turn signal on, slowed, stopped, waiting for my opening and pulled into the parking lot of The Retreat. I found my spot and reversed expertly in it. I switched off the ignition then I reached behind Creed’s seat to grab my camera. I rested it on my thigh, grabbed my coffee, threw back a slug, returned it then yanked out my cell, found the number and hit go.
It rang twice in my ear before I heard, “You’re killin’ me.”
I grinned into the phone as I stared at the building. “C’mon, buddy, what would you do without my incentives?”