By the time he’d finished his fourth, he’d practically told me his life story. He had two kids, worked for his father-in-law, and had a nagging wife. A variation on the very picture I had in my head of marriage.
It was my parents’ life all over again minus one kid.
“How do you do it every day, man?” I pretended to slur.
“Escape.”
“Escape?”
His shoulders rose and he sniffed through his nose, holding one nostril closed.
“And your wife doesn’t care?” I asked.
“Oh, she’d care.”
“She doesn’t know?”
Chewing on an ice cube, he shook his head. “Clueless.”
I lowered my head a bit. “I’m new in town. If one was looking for an escape, where might one find it?”
“The Priest,” he whispered.
“The Priest?”
“Well, not him directly, but he’s the one you’ll be getting it from.”
“How do I get in touch with him?”
“That, my friend, I can’t tell you.”
“Come on, really?”
“Sorry. He has rules, and he’s ruthless if any of them are broken. Besides, I’ve never actually made contact. A buddy of mine takes care of it for me.”
“Pierce, there you are, I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” a woman’s voice called.
He shoved his drink toward me. “Pretend you don’t know me.”
My smile couldn’t have been more genuine. “Not a problem,” I said and turned the other way.
“You’re not drinking, are you?” his wife asked when she got closer.
He stood. “No, I was just getting you that glass of water you asked for.”
“That was an hour ago.”
“Are you certain it’s been that long?”
I peeked at them and saw her tuck her arm around his. “Come on, there are some people I want you to meet.”
“Yes, dear,” he said, and turned and gave me a wink.
Poor bastard was all I could think.
My time with him was up and if you discounted learning Pierce Foley was an addict in every sense of the word, I’d learned one real thing. The drug supplier in Boston’s high-society circle went by the alias “the Priest,” and I doubted that was Lizzy, or O’Shea or Tommy for that matter. Neither seemed like the religious type to me.
I didn’t know how to reach him.
Didn’t know his connection to Lizzy.
Wasn’t even sure if finding him could help me find Lizzy.
Still, knowing the kingpin’s street name made me feel like I was one step closer to getting Elle back.
Standing from the bar, I glanced around for the nearest exit. Something caught my attention. Narrowing my eyes, I focused on a group of boisterous men deep in conversation with one lone female among them. Not just any female. A beautiful woman with ginger-colored hair standing way too close to Michael O’Shea.
My gut twisted.
My body stiffened.
My vision blurred.
It was Elle.
My Elle!
ELLE
Whenever I thought of political fundraisers, I pictured old men standing around outside smoking cigars, women in stodgy long dresses clustered together gossiping, and glasses of cheap wine everywhere.
That was not the scene I was currently immersed in.
The grand ballroom was beautiful in a roaring twenties kind of way. The ceilings were gilded with a golden hue, the chandeliers were gleaming crystal, the carpet red, and the linens black. And right in the middle of it all was a giant champagne fountain that was absolutely gorgeous.
After thinking about it, I’d said yes to Michael. The voice on the phone had rattled me and I wasn’t sure what the call was about, but I was almost certain whoever was on the line might have been threatening Clementine. It was after that I decided Michael wasn’t being truthful. There was too much that didn’t add up. Going to this fundraiser might help me figure out what it was. I longed to discuss it with Logan, but I’d already burned that bridge.
In the midst of all the chaos, I’d been worried about the dress Michael had selected for me to wear. It was a long black silk, almost classic-style A-line with a deep vee in the back, but the matching deep vee in the front brought it to a whole new level.
It was a bit too sexy for me.
I might not have seen my sister in fifteen years but there was no way her breast size had shrunk that much, therefore there was no way she’d have been able to wear a dress like this without spilling out of the sides.
“Can I get you anything?” Michael asked, pressing his hand to the small of my back.
He’d been talking to the same group of gentlemen for the past twenty minutes about the Suffolk County crime rate statistics and I was out-of-my-mind crazy. With a smile I said, “No, I’m good, but if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to use the ladies’ room.”
“You’re bored, aren’t you?” he whispered in my ear.
His concern seemed genuine, but I wasn’t taking anything he said at face value. “No, not at all. Watching you at work is fascinating.”
The smile that lit up his face made me wonder if I’d taken my attempt to be upbeat a little too far. “The least I can do is walk you to the restroom.”
“No, Michael. Stay and network. You’re doing such a great job.”