CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Cane

 

The day of the convention dawned sunny and cold. Tony’s spirits were high, and I wished I could be as positive as he was. But I knew my cousin too well. Tony hadn’t seen what I’d seen over the years, although I’d done my best to warn him.

We had time for only the briefest of kisses before I had to leave to meet Karl at the Rockwell Center.

“Be careful,” Tony told me.

“Same to you,” I said.

“I’ll be there later.” He smiled, and I gave him my most reassuring smile back, even though my stomach was in knots. We’d both been so tense the night before, we hadn’t had sex even though the house had been empty for a good couple of hours—we’d lay in one another’s arms all night, sometimes talking, sometimes sleeping, but always touching.

I’d told Karl if we dressed in suits like he wanted, we’d scare off potential buyers. Surprisingly, he’d listened to me and I was able to wear a pair of lightweight slacks and a short-sleeved shirt—infinitely more comfortable than the alternative.

He sent me to the first booth while he went to make sure the last was set up the way he wanted. He planned to push B-Natural’s exclusive products there.

Georgia, manager of B-Natural and one of Karl’s former girlfriends, unpacked the boxes of products Bruno and I had carried in and stacked them in the booth. Bruno left to do a walk-through down the aisles, something I once would have thought ridiculous at a health products convention but now realized had more nefarious reasons than scoping the place for vitamin competition. Which made me feel like a fool. Sure, I’d purposely closed my eyes and ears to things, truly not wanting to know, but Tony had made me realize what a coward I’d been, although he would never call me one. He defended my actions as those of someone who’d been traumatized and brainwashed, but I knew better.

Tony showed up around lunchtime with Nick in tow, and I suddenly felt like I could breathe again.

“Hey,” Tony said, giving me a special smile that melted me from the inside out.

“Hey, yourself.” I looked at Nick, who was subtly dressed for him in a brightly colored men’s romper with skulls and roses all over it. He was definitely cute, but I much preferred Tony with his short blond curls, casual jeans and blue Polo.

“You just get here?” I asked.

“About twenty minutes ago,” Tony said. “Someone insisted on coming with me and wouldn’t let me talk him out of it.”

“Yeah, well, he’s got a stake in this too,” I said, and Nick flashed me a dazzling smile.

“Sure, take his side,” Tony teased.

“Tony, what a surprise.” Karl’s voice invaded our friendly little chat like scalding water in a swimming pool. I hadn’t noticed him walk up and told myself I needed to be more vigilant.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Bruder,” Tony said, and I could see the annoyance flitting across Karl’s face that Tony still refused to call him by his first name.

“I didn’t think you took an interest in health products,” Karl said.

“I don’t, really, but I knew you were excited about the expo, and you did say we’re family.”

“I’m glad to have you here. As you’re so familiar with my competitors now, maybe you can tell me if they’ve brought in any new products we didn’t know about,” Karl said, his eyes moving to Nick.

“I’d be glad to,” Tony said.

“And who’s your friend?” Karl asked, smiling as he looked Nick up and down. Nick shifted on his feet, jutting his hip out in a sultry pose, and I bit my lip to hide a smile. He knew Karl liked what he saw and was playing it for all it was worth.

“Oh, sorry. This is Nick Chambers. Nick, this is Karl Bruder, Cane’s cousin. I did some work for him recently.”

“A pleasure,” Nick held out his hand a little limply.

Karl squeezed it and placed his other hand on top, drawing Nick closer. It was like watching a tiger with a gazelle. “Do you have a special interest in health products, Nick?” he asked.

“Well, I do think it’s important to stay healthy.” Nick put a finger of his free hand to his mouth. “Do you have something for sexual stamina? My boyfriend is quite a bit older than I am and has trouble keeping up.”

“If he lacks stamina, perhaps you need a new boyfriend,” Karl said, wrapping their arms together.

“Why, that’s just naughty of you, Mr. Bruder,” Nick said.

“Karl, please.”

“Karl, please,” Nick repeated in a breathy voice, and I could practically see my cousin vibrating with sexual tension. He glanced at me over his shoulder. “Go eat lunch, Cane, before it gets busy. Nick and I are going to take a stroll to scope out the competition.”

“I thought that I was going to do that,” Tony said innocently, but Karl ignored him and walked away with Nick on his arm.

“Join me?” I said to Tony.

“Love to,” Tony said, watching the two men meander through the crowd. “Think he’ll be okay?”

“I’d say Karl will be too busy today to be able to yank Nick into a closet for a quickie,” I said as we sat down at the long table set up behind the booth.

“Nick is such a flirt. He loves it. I’ve seen him flirt with ninety-year-old men.”

I began unpacking the food Karl had had brought in from a nearby restaurant on the long table behind the booth. I looked around but didn’t see Bruno or any of the others.

“Bruno should be here,” I said, choosing a sandwich marked Italian veggie from the pile. “He’s always with Karl.”

“Bruno? He the guy with the big head?”

I laughed. “Yeah. He’s my third cousin and Karl’s chief enforcer.”

“Well, I hope he’s good to his mom on Mother’s Day. That head must have been a bitch to push out.” Tony unwrapped a salami on rye and bit into it.

I leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I want to fuck you so hard right now.”

Sucking in a breath, Tony shut his eyes. “Are you trying to kill me? We have to stay on task today.” He opened his eyes and looked at me. “Now, tomorrow we’ll find someplace private, and I promise you, I’ll make it worth the wait.”

I groaned and adjusted myself under the table.

We ate and chatted casually, keeping our eyes open. The rest of the Hedonists were staying clear of the convention center, having decided it safest to station themselves at the pier, except for Blaze and Matteo, who were meeting with the Pistons to bring them up to speed.

Too soon, Tony and I finished lunch and cleaned up our trash. Before walking away, Tony briefly hooked our pinkie fingers together and squeezed. It was incredibly corny and junior high, but I found myself smiling for a good five minutes after he’d disappeared into the crowd.

More and more people poured into the convention center, strolling down the aisles between booths, making it difficult for me to keep an eye on Tony. I knew he’d be okay, but I felt better when I could lay eyes on him every now and then. Business at the booth became heavy, and I had to help Georgia out with customers.

I looked at my watch. 2:38. The event ended at five. Blaze called and I took a break outside so I could hear him.

“Wallace and his guys are fully armed, and so are we,” he said.

I let my head drop, squeezing my eyes shut. “God, I owe you guys.”

“Nonsense. Family, remember?”

My chest expanded with warmth. “Yeah.”

“Can you get away? I need someone to take a couple of their guys into the tunnel. The plan is for them to hide in the shadows and follow Karl and his people out.”

Spotting Halifax having a smoke outside the B-Natural store, I said, “Okay, I’ll head that way now.”

I strolled over to Halifax. “I need to do something. Take over at the first booth.” He nodded and took a final drag off his cigarette before throwing it in a nearby bin and heading inside. I sent a quick text to let Tony know where I was going. Then I headed for where I’d parked my motorcycle.