Descent (Black Heart Romance)

Meanwhile, Arson looks like a disgraceful error.

He wears an expensive three piece suit, but it fits him like a cage fits a big, aggressive dog. The materials might match, but there are ill-fitting pieces of him that can’t be covered up—the ink crawling down his arm that goes past the snowy white cuff of his dress shirt and covers both hands. The tension that runs through him and permeates the air around him like an inmate walking the halls of a maximum security correctional facility.

He might be dressed like a proper businessman, but he sure doesn’t look like one.

Since Jodi is so clearly uneasy with him, Arson moves past her and walks into my office. I nod at Jodi to release her, and with a visible breath of relief, she turns and heads back to her desk.

“I believe you’ve unnerved my poor assistant,” I say good-naturedly as Arson drops onto the chair across from my desk.

“Yeah, well, we all have our talents. Mine happens to be unnerving people.” He shifts in the chair, then sits forward like he’s watching a fight he has a lot of money on instead of sitting in a corporate office. “Speaking of unsettling things, I can’t believe I have to tell you a thing like this, but having me meet you here in public? Not a great idea.”

I shrug faintly and sit back in my seat, linking my fingers over my abdomen. “I don’t need you to do anything illegal for me. Well, too illegal,” I amend, a bit more honestly.

Arson doesn’t mind doing illegal things, so it doesn’t seem to bother him. “You know how paranoid Nick is,” he says, shaking his head. “He’d just rather we didn’t do this somewhere so public in case things go sideways.”

“They won’t,” I assure him.

He doesn’t seem to believe me, but he’s not too worried about it one way or the other. “He said something about you needed help with some girl. I didn’t get into the details. We’re talking about an adult at least, right?”

My brow furrows faintly. “Of course she’s an adult.”

Arson nods. “All right, just making sure. You never fucking know with people these days.” He looks up at the ceiling and at the corners of the room. “You got cameras in here?”

“In the common areas outside. Not in my office.”

“Good.” He seems a little more at ease as he meets my gaze across the desk. “So, what exactly do you need from me?”

“I’ve started seeing a woman named Hallie Meadows. I’m a little more dedicated to the idea of us spending more time together than she is, so I need to dig up something I can use for leverage in case I need it to keep her around.”

“A little light blackmail to keep things interesting, huh? Sounds like a solid relationship.”

My lips quirk. “Written in the stars,” I agree dryly. “But, I want what I want, so…”

Arson nods. “No problem. I’m here to provide a service, not my business what you do with it. I can dig around, find whatever skeletons she has stuffed in her closets that you could potentially use against her.”

“Anything else you notice that I might be able to use, too. To be honest, I’m not sure she has any skeletons.”

He regards me knowingly. “Everyone has skeletons.”

“Yes, but not necessarily useful ones. She’s a sweet girl, I don’t think she’ll have done anything truly awful, but I was able to lure her to my place by stealing her cat, so she definitely has some vulnerabilities. I need to know her background, who she’s close to, who I’d have to put pressure on to get her to do what I want if it comes to that.”

Arson shakes his head. “Anyone ever says chivalry’s dead, I’m sending them straight to you, pal.”

I smile faintly. “I want any information you can find, essentially. Because of how we met, she hasn’t been terribly forthcoming about herself and I need to know more.”

I need to know everything.

I want to know every man she has ever loved and why. Every thought that has ever flitted through her mind, every dream I might be able to make come true. I know Arson probably thinks I’m essentially bullying her into a relationship with me—and I will if I have to—but I’d prefer to lure her in more gently. For whatever reason, I genuinely like her, and I want to be good to her if she’ll let me.

I just also want her to be mine at any cost, and I don’t particularly care if she’s not on the same page.

I can get her there. I know I can.

Chapter Sixteen

Hallie

I haven’t decided what to wear to this date I don’t even want to go on, but there’s a knock on the door around 5:30 that eliminates the need to.