society one day.
Her dark hair is up in a knot, her eyes are heavily outlined in kohl, and she’s wearing black eye shadow to match, which makes her icy blue eyes glow like lanterns.
We head on over and I order Carlotta a soda with a handful of cherries, and the way she’s squealing you’d think I just took her to an amusement park. At least she’s easy to please.
Meg chuckles at the sight. “Hey, Lot. Carlotta told me you went out on a booty call down at the courthouse.”
I frown over at Carlotta. “Like mother, like daughter. Carlotta was charging for her booty calls, right out in front. And apparently, that’s where the real money is.”
Meg steps behind the bar and gets me a glass of ginger ale. The bar itself is strewn with silk fall leaves in orange and red, and there’s a miniature scarecrow sitting crooked at the end. It’s nice to see that even a place like Red Satin puts in an effort in the decorating department. Although, most likely, that was my sister’s doing.
“You can always convert the bakery to a massage parlor after hours.” Meg shrugs. “You can call it the Cutie Pie After Dark. Keelie and Lily will probably run it with you, and the three of you will make a killing. I bet Noah and Everett will volunteer to be your very first customers. Although, you might get arrested for prostitution if there’s a cash exchange between the three of you. We all know what takes place after dark at Noah’s cabin.”
“You would be wrong.” I pull out my phone and show her the picture of the man in the fedora. “You wouldn’t happen to know this person, would you?”
She makes a face at the screen. “That’s the Mad Hatter. Don’t tell me you’re looking to put a hit out on someone, Lot.”
“A hit?” I say a touch too loud and three different waitresses shoot me a look. “Meg, are you saying he’s a hitman?”
“That’s what he is. He works for the Canellis.”
I take in a quick breath. The Canellis is the mob family that happens to own and run this lusty operation. The Canellis and the Lazzaris are the two feuding crime families that station themselves in Leeds. I’ve had the misfortune to have run-ins with them both on more than one occasion.
And Carlotta? Not only was Caterina Canelli her BFF growing up, but she used to date Luke Lazzari.
Carlotta leers my way. “You’re not looking to take a hit out on me, are you, Lot? If you enlist a Canelli connection to try to take me out, that means I’ve got to get me a Lazzari to do the counterattack. I’d hate to see a turf war break out on my behalf, but it wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I don’t doubt it,” I say. “But I’d be the last person to hire a hitman. If I wanted you gone, I could off you with expert ease. It’s safe to say, I’ve learned a thing or two over these last few years while hunting down a killer. Putting a hit out on you could be messy. I’d have to make it look like an accident, like tossing some water onto the stairs when they’re covered with snow and getting them good and icy. You’d slip, crack your noggin open, and no one would suspect a thing.”
Both Meg and Carlotta stare at me with their mouths hanging open.
“Relax,” I tell them. “I’m totally kidding. I’ve never even thought about it.” Much. “Now where can I find this Mad Hatter? I’ve got a few questions I need to ask him.”
Meg straightens stiff as a board. “He’s here.”
“He’s here?” I brighten at the thought of getting my mitts on this man of intrigue.
“Yup.” Meg’s cheeks rise and fall in a poorly executed smile. “He’s right behind you.”
I spin in my seat, but it’s not the man in the fedora standing behind me. It’s Noah Fox with his arms crossed over his chest and that dark stubble on his cheeks looking soft to the touch because it’s longer than it’s ever been.
“Noah!” I pop out of my seat and pull him into a hard embrace, but he’s slow to reciprocate.
“Lottie, are you nuts?” he hisses. “Don’t answer that. Do you realize that you’re housing an innocent life who has zero say in the shenanigans you keep dragging them into? And seeing a hitman? This is going too far even for you.”
I scowl over at him. “If