Elodie didn't leave.
She pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down.
I am not leaving until we talk, she said.
Cassius looked at Rocco. Rocco shrugged, looking amused.
I do not do business with children, Cassius said.
I am twenty-three, Elodie snapped. And I have money.
I do not need money, Cassius said. He took a sip of his water. I need peace and quiet. And you are loud. Your dress is loud.
I know you worked for my father, she lowered her voice. I saw you.
Cassius leaned forward. He invaded her personal space. He smelled of sandalwood and cold air. It was intoxicating.
You saw a contractor, he said softly. You didn't see anything.
Elodie held his gaze. She refused to blink.
I am looking for a boy, she said. Joshuah.
Cassius flinched.
It was tiny. A tightening of the muscle in his jaw. A flicker in his dark eyes. If she hadn't been watching him so closely, she would have missed it.
But she saw it.
You know him, she whispered.
Cassius leaned back, his face a mask of indifference again.
Why do you want him? he asked.
Family reunion, she said. Sarcasm was her only shield.
He is a ghost, Cassius said. Ghosts are expensive to find.
Name your price, Elodie challenged.
Cassius studied her. He looked at her hands, clenching the tablecloth. He saw the fear. He saw the resolve.
He decided to play.
I do not want your daddy's money, he said.
Then what?
I want a favor, he said. To be named later.
Elodie hesitated. A blank check to a mobster? It was insanity.
Fine, she said.
Not so fast, Cassius smirked. It was a dangerous, beautiful expression.
I am a gambling man. Let us leave it to chance.
