“What the fuck?” he exclaimed.
I pushed him out of the doorway, stepping inside the apartment.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Wanted to talk to you. Didn’t want you to show your face at the brownstone again.”
The hallway was small and dark, but I had no intention of staying long enough to go into any of the rooms.
“How do you know where I live?”
“I had a detective look into you.”
“Did you now? Liked what he found?”
“You’re broke. You’re actually stupid enough to waste all that money you’re getting every month.”
“It’s not that much.”
“Depends what you’re used to.”
His last building had a doorman and concierge services. His suits used to be five thousand a piece.
“That’s why I need more. That’s why I want out of the firm.”
“You’ll just waste that money too.”
“That’s not your problem though, is it?”
“It is. It requires me to do something I don’t want to. I have a problem with that.”
Albert narrowed his eyes. “All you have to do to get enough cash to buy me out is freeze one current investment. One.”
I stared at him. “How do you know that?”
“You’re not the only one who hired a detective.”
“You live in this shithole and waste money on a detective? Christ, what happened to you? You used to be smart.”
It was why we made him a partner in the business. It wasn’t just because he’d been our friend.
“I won’t freeze it.”
Albert’s eyes turned cold. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You’ve wanted me out of the business for years.”
“This is a bad time.”
“You’re fucking one of those bitches from Soho Lingerie, aren’t you?”
I rolled my hands into fists.
“The one who’s not married. My detective suspected that,” he continued.
“You ever call anyone a bitch in front of me again, you won’t have teeth. You hired a shit detective if he didn’t even confirm Tess and I are together.”
“You’re crazy if you think I’m going to wait on my ass until the time is convenient for you.”
“Yes, you will.”