Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Gimble’s lip quivers.
“So it does.” I lean in and speak directly into his ear. “Let me lay a secret on you, Gimble. You and I frequent the same club downtown. Aces Underground. I recall seeing you with a young lady who works—worked—there a few weeks ago. Svetlana. The Nine of Diamonds.”
Gimble’s face twists. “Please… Don’t tell my wife. You can have anything you want. I’ll write you a check. Anything.”
“Funny you should mention your wife,” I say. “Is there anything you’ve done with that young woman that Mrs. Gimble might find upsetting?”
He grimaces at me. “I think you’re aware, Maddox.”
I grin. “I thought it was odd that you pretended not to recognize me at first. I’m sure you’ve seen my face splashed over the front page of the Tribune more times than you can count. But that’s not the point. Tell me. Were you the last person to see her alive?”
“How the hell should I know if I—”
“The Nine of Diamonds—Svetlana—was reported missing not long after your liaison with her.”
Gimble grimaces. “This may surprise you, but I didn’t exactly keep a personal relationship with the woman. I have no clue what happened to her. Maybe she was deported, or maybe she just left town.” He shoots me a side-eye. “Besides, how would you know about her, anyway? I’m sure your girlfriend here wouldn’t be too keen on you following other women’s footsteps.”
I clap the back of Gimble’s head with my gun. “Keep my girlfriend out of your fucking mouth, Gimble. I know that Svetlana was your favorite. We need to know if you know anything about her.”
“Why do you care so much?”
Alissa barrels into the room, her hands balled into fists. “Because we think she might be dead, Mr. Gimble. Her friend, May, who was the Seven of Spades, is dead, and right before she died, she mentioned that her friend Svetlana, the Nine of Diamonds, had disappeared after her five-year contract with Rouge was up.”
Gimble’s eyes widen. “They wouldn’t… Rouge wouldn’t…”
“Right now, your only concern is what I would or would not do, Gimble,” I snarl, prodding him harshly with the gun.
“Fine, fine.” Gimble squeezes his eyes shut. “I’ll tell you. Would you at least put the gun down?”
“Fat fucking chance,” Alissa says.
I turn my head toward her, my eyebrow raised.
Damn. She’s brought a little fire to this interrogation as well.
“My girlfriend is right,” I say. “If you give us information that we determine is worthy of your pathetic life, then I’ll consider putting the fucking gun down. Keep stalling and your wife will be wiping your splattered brains off this hideous wallpaper.”
“All right,” Gimble says. “Yes, you’re right. The Nine was my favorite. I took her to the private areas many times. But everything we did was one hundred percent consensual, I swear. And I always paid her well for her services.”
“When was the last time you saw her?” Alissa asks.
“Not long ago. Mid-January, I think. I booked her for our private session, and we…enjoyed each other’s company.”
I grit my teeth. “You sick bastard.”
I’m one to talk. I took a waitress into the private areas once. But only once. And I wasn’t fucking married.
“Was she acting strangely?” Alissa asks. “Did she seem nervous, anxious?”
Gimble shakes his head. “No. If anything, she seemed very excited. She didn’t speak, of course. They never do at Aces. But she had something of a bounce to her step.”
Alissa shifts her weight between her two feet.
“I had been going to the club for years, though, and it was pretty clear, mathematically at least, that her time at Aces was coming to an end. So I brought her a small gift. It was against the rules, but I sneaked it past Chet and gave it to her. A little token of my admiration, my thanks for years of companionship.”
“As opposed to the thirty-fucking-five years of companionship that your wife has given you,” I add.
He glares at me. “I didn’t say I was proud of what I’ve done.”
“What was the gift?” Alissa asks.
He takes a deep breath in. “A brooch. In the shape of a lotus flower. I picked it up in a little trinket shop downtown. It made me think of her—the beauty, the perfect shape. And it was bright pink. Women love pink.”
I roll my eyes.
“Did she take it?” Alissa asks.
“She did. She took it with a smile. She still didn’t say a word, but she attached it to her bikini top, wore it the rest of the night. I remember her wearing it when I left. Rouge was glaring at her. The servers aren’t supposed to add anything to their uniform. But it was her last night. She gave me a chaste kiss on my cheek when I got my coat to leave, and that was the last I saw of her.” A single tear runs down his cheek. “That’s all I know, I swear to God. But please don’t kill me. And please, for the love of all that is holy, I’ll give you anything to keep this information from my wife. My relationship with the Nine was purely physical. It meant nothing. I have a reputation to maintain among my peers, for God’s sake.”