Silver(31)

She sighed and pointed to a small burger place that he never would have guessed held anything amiss. “There.”

“Good,” he said. “Let’s go.”





Twelve





Kelsey followed Adrien hesitantly, wondering how he always made everything seem simple when it wasn’t simple at all.

She’d gotten used to the fact that he was practically fearless, that he seemed to expect the world to bend around him, that he had no problem demanding it did.

Surprisingly, he was patient and willing to take her input, and he still hadn’t really answered her question as to why.

Why was this handsome, wealthy, smart man trying so hard to help her? Why did he insist on being interested when he could turn down any woman and regularly did?

And why did she keep thinking about kissing him again every time she looked into his gorgeous eyes?

“Come on,” he said. “Take my hand this time. I don’t want to lose you.”

She tried not to shuffle her feet as they crossed the street to Bernard’s restaurant. He was just the manager there, but you’d think he owned the place based on how he acted.

Dread built in her, making her legs feel heavy and numb the closer they got to the entrance.

When they reached the doors, she saw Bernard notice them and come out to greet them. He was a tall man, heavily built with thinning hair he combed over to look thicker. His face was perpetually sweaty and greasy, and all she could think of when looking at him was the last time he’d tried to come after her.

His focus was on Adrien first, his smile greedy as he looked over the rich stiff in front of him. Then his eyes switched to her, and his entire expression changed to one of shock and then anger.

He pointed at her. “You. You dare show your face back here? I should have you charged with assault.”

She flinched, but Adrien stepped in front of her quickly, facing off with the much burlier (but not much taller) Bernard. And where Adrien was all lean, hard muscle, Bernard had a lot of fat.

“You won’t talk to her, or I’ll call the police and tell them about the indecent acts you’ve attempted,” Adrien said.

Kelsey snorted at Bernard’s confusion at Adrien’s odd words. She’d gotten used to the way he talked, even kind of liked it, but she knew it was a little beyond Bernard’s vocabulary.

“Shut up,” Bernard said. “This doesn’t involve you. This is between me and that little slut.”

Adrien’s whole body tightened. “That’s one.”

“One what?” Bernard asked. “Anyway, I have business with the cunt, so you’d better get out of here.”

“That’s two,” Adrien said, his voice calm with a hint of menace. “And no, I’m not departing until we get what we came for. You have Kelsey’s money, and we are going to retrieve it.”

Bernard scoffed. “You mean that pathetic envelope she left under her mattress? No. Finders keepers. If she hadn’t been so busy knocking me out and running away like an ingrate, leaving us all hanging, she’d have her money. As it is, she owes us."

“That’s three,” Adrien said flatly.

“I don’t know why you’re counting,” Bernard said in frustration, cocking his head.

“You’ll see,” Adrien retorted. “Kelsey, how much does he owe you?”

“Four thousand dollars,” she said softly. Her heart was pounding. She’d been so much bolder around her new friends that she’d forgotten how afraid she’d always been around Bernard, who was always so much bigger than her and so threatening.

“So this is how it’s going to go, Bernard,” Adrien said. “We’re going to go back to the apartment you were renting to Kelsey and get anything she may have left, and you’re going to come with us to pick up the money, if it’s still there, and if not, you’re going to go acquire the money and meet us there.”

Bernard’s expression darkened. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll meet you there.” His eyes darted to Kelsey. “She knows where the apartment is.”

Kelsey bit her lip as Bernard went back into the restaurant, probably to pull cash from the register, if he had enough.

“Do you think he’s planning something?” she asked Adrien, who was still standing there, glaring.

“I hope so,” he said cryptically. “Because I am. Now, where is that apartment?”

She led him around the side of the restaurant to a building at the back that was several stories high. It was hidden by the storefronts, but there were a dozen apartments there, mostly used by employees.

She walked up the stairs to the one she used to live in and pulled on the doorknob. “It’s locked. Of course.”