She swallowed.
“What I did, requires that same loyalty from you.”
“I…I didn’t ask you to kill my step-father.”
“Yet, your sister and you benefit from his death. Surely, everyone will finally get some sleep at night.”
Another tear left her eye. This time she didn’t wipe it.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked.
“It’s not what I want you to do, Shalimar. It’s what I want us to be.” I walked over and sat down next to her.
She glared at me. “What do you want us to be, Jean-Pierre?”
“Best friends forever.”
She let out a long breath.
I further explained, “Friends tell each other everything.”
“Celina would kill me, if she ever knew that I was telling you information.”
I scowled at her. “No one touches my friends. She comes close, and I’ll have her pushed back without moving a finger. You’re safe with me.”
“As long as we’re friends?”
“This is how it works.”
She wiped more tears as they came. “How is my mother dealing with everything? Do. . .do you know?”
“I could have my men check. An envelope of money was left for the funeral and any bills in the next couple of months.”
She whispered, “Thank you.”
“Don’t worry. There will be a time when I’ll thank you.” I rose from the bed and gestured for her to come. “Let’s go with Rafael. Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
“Good. We have tons to talk about.”
For the rest of that week, Rafael, Shalimar, and I spent extended times outside of the Candy Shop. We did our best to not appear suspicious. Several men and women always came along. However, when we had our conversations, it was far from others’ ears.
Through Shalimar, I learned about Celina’s businesses and her talent for grabbing resources.
“How does she have the Russians guarding Eden?” I asked.
Shalimar finished sipping her wine. “Celina has a lover in Prague. He’s considered like a grandfather for the Bratva. His name is Igor something.”
“And he’s in love with Celina?” I asked.
“It’s not that he’s in love with her. He lost his wife a long time ago, so Celina makes him happy sometimes and because of that, it garners her power, when she needs it.”
I nodded, understanding the situation. A lot of us in our world were men with injured minds and hearts. Many desired more than pussy. They wanted a woman to hold them in bed late at night and help them forget the horror of that day.
But no one ever talked about that. Women talked things through to each other. Men shut themselves away with the hopes of one day sharing their pain with a woman they could love and trust.
Before Eden, I hadn’t been looking for that woman anymore. I’d given up and turned my obsession to things. Money. Power. Even my violin, Belladonna. It was all about objects and what I could possess in my fingers.
Eden has changed that.
On another day, Shalimar, Rafael, and I sat at a café near the beach.
Rafael and Shalimar sat close. He even fed her some grapes a few times, triggering confusion from me.
What are you doing, Rafael?
After he finished giving her a few more grapes, I rolled my eyes and asked her. “Does Celina have other resources?”
“Yes. Celina has many powerful lovers in Congress, FBI, Interpol, even in the UK’s Parliament.”
Rafael laughed and fed Shalimar another grape. “I don’t want any of Celina’s pussy. That shit must be dangerous to fuck with. It would trap me instantly.”
Shalimar frowned.
“What?” Rafael shrugged.
Uneasiness hit me. The more and more time we spent together, the more Rafael and Shalimar would act odd. I’d seen Rafael with many prostitutes before. But with this one, he was taking the girlfriend experience too serious. In fact, I couldn’t think of a time when Rafael had ever had a woman around for more than three days. And feeding them was out of the question.
Rafael, play this carefully. She’s our spy. Don’t mess this up.
My conversations with Shalimar continued. I had her go through Celina’s phone and get her lovers’ contact information. We had names for a few. Men that made even Rafael uneasy. Celina had gained huge amounts of power through sex and love.
She’s a siren too. How do I beat a woman that has many powerful men by their cocks?
A month passed at the Candy Shop.
Celina kept her gaze on me when she came to her brothel. I bedded no women, feasted in the dining area most nights, and enjoyed the live music whenever the brothel offered some. The last thing I wanted was for Eden’s aunt to think I was a brothel John.
She watched me, while my men slowly gained information on her—one prostitute at a time.
A knock sounded on the door the last night of our stay at the Candy Shop.
I shut off the screen showing Eden practicing on Belladonna. “Come in.”
Louis walked in with a thick file. “I finally figured out who sent the Russians to Nice.”