Rohan's behavior was so excessive, and so unlike him, that it had to be an act. But as soon as I convinced myself of that, my inner devil's advocate argued that he was drunk. Cue the lowered inhibitions and bad tendencies. What if he'd fallen back into the worst of his rock star ways? I glanced at his heart tattoo, its edge visible on his left bicep under his shirt sleeve. His reminder of what fame had done to him and who he'd become. The knives were coming out and maybe he was lost to them.
16
I flicked a sideways glance at Drio, busy flirting with some woman on the fringe of the group. The flash of wariness as he met my eyes for an instant clarified nothing.
"I'll take you, Poppy, if Rohan doesn't want you." Samson grinned at her. Her answering smile was faint.
I wasn't sure if I was more insulted on her behalf or mine.
"Here's to women," Rohan toasted. "May they ever flow." He held up his empty glass at a passing server, who replaced it with a full one like he had orders to keep 'em coming. "So, Lolita meeting your needs?"
Meeting his needs? I was hard-pressed not to laugh. Or punch him. I lay a hand on Samson's shoulder. "It's mutual satisfaction."
Samson covered my hand with his. "I foresee a very beneficial professional relationship with her."
Rohan snorted. "Professional, right. Like me and Evelyn."
Samson tensed at her name. Why was Rohan implying he'd had a relationship with Samson's former make-up artist? Why admit to any connection at all with the demon?
I took a gin and tonic from a server circulating with a tray, searching for any sign that the others at this table sensed the same undercurrent of danger at whatever was playing out, but everyone else was oblivious.
Except Drio, who edged closer to Rohan.
Samson lowered his cigar. "Didn't realize you knew her."
Rohan blinked at that. "Really?" He scratched his chin. "I thought she was another one of your gifts." He slung an arm around Poppy's waist.
Samson's fingers picked at the golden band on his cigar. "Did you now?"
Poppy tucked herself into Rohan's side. She either didn't know or didn't care that she'd been pushed into his path in the first place.
"Guess Evelyn just wanted me for me." Rohan held up his glass in cheers before drinking. Five other guys laughed along with him like Rohan was the greatest wit in the world.
"Logan sure thought she came pretty willingly," Drio said.
Samson glared across the room at his buddy smoking a cigar, but he shut that expression down in a blink, back to his easy grin. This was why he hated Rohan. Logan must have seen Evelyn leave with Drio and assumed the minion was there at his rock star overlord's bidding. I wondered how fast he'd gone running back to Samson with the gossip.
Samson exhaled, blowing smoke directly toward Rohan. "Or you were just the next in a very long line up."
Rohan played with the lighter, making it dance over his knuckles. "The next and best. Then again, she has talents worth keeping her around for." He put his own lit cigar out with a grimace. "This tastes like ass. Drio, get us another flavor."
Drio trotted off like an obedient little flunky.
I swirled my ice in my drink, floored that Rohan would imply Evelyn was still with him. Between me, Poppy, and Evelyn, Snowflake had a regular harem going on. Imaginary harem since Evelyn was dead and he hadn't slept with Poppy. Had he? Before Prague, I would have said with absolute certainty that Rohan wouldn't risk the mission getting entangled like that, but after this afternoon? I hadn't anticipated how far Rohan would go for the mission.
Rohan's fingers drifted up to play with Poppy's hair.
Or maybe I hadn't anticipated how far Rohan would go, period. I itched to take the half-drunk glass of water on the table and toss it at him to sober him up.
Samson stubbed out his cigar with a forceful jab, believing Rohan's prolific sexual activity. "Lolita told me a fascinating piece of trivia."
The straw bent at the bottom as I jabbed my ice.
"Oh yeah?" Rohan didn't seem to care too much.
"Apparently she's lightning girl? You wrote ‘Toccata and Fugue' about her?"
Rohan's hand fell away from Poppy's hair. "She said that, huh?"
Under other circumstances, I'd have relished Poppy's shocked look, but I was too busy trying to decipher Rohan's shuttered expression. All the booze I'd had wasn't helping.
Samson tilted his head. "It's not true?"
"It's true," Rohan said. I made sure not to exhale in relief at his confirmation of my lie. "Why?"
Samson pulled me onto his lap. "She's signing with me. We're working on cleaning up her backstory."
"Really." Rohan's eyes hadn't left my face, but the shutters had dropped, leaving me helpless against the onslaught of a gaze that was too gold. Too blazing.