chairs in the corner near the blazing fireplace.
“Be careful you don’t fall into the crack, brother,” Ricco warned, as he strode past Jase and closer to the women.
Jase didn’t give Ricco’s words much credence. He’d been attracted to a lot of suspects, and he’d never lost sight of his case. He wasn’t about to lose it here.
Magically, drinks arrived and Jase watched Jade lean toward Hiro and say something. It must have been a toast because they raised their glasses and clinked them. Irritation rose and Jase looked around the room. In the space of only a few minutes several more men arrived. He glanced at his watch: 8:03.
They must have been fighting one another to gain entrance at the front door. He understood all too well. He found release in the soft hotness of women. And he liked smart, classy women. Here they abounded. Sure beat bar-hopping. Not that he did much of that. Like Ricco, women seemed to fall from trees around him.
His gaze swept back across the large inviting room. He was relieved to see Shannon attempting to entertain one of the two newcomers who hovered around Jade and Mr. Hiro. A redhead clung like a vine to Ricco, who didn’t seem to mind much.
Sure reminded him of a high-class brothel.
“They can’t resist her,” Mac said as Jase sat at the bar. “She’s like a bright light and when those moths get too close, they get their wings burned.”
Jase took the bourbon Mac offered. “How about you, Mac? Have you ever wanted in on the action?”
Mac’s face darkened. “A woman like Jade Devereaux doesn’t notice a man like me.”
“Did she burn Townsend?”
Mac stepped back from the bar. “Andrew Townsend isn’t our typical member.” He uncorked a bottle of the vintage Opus and began to decant it. “What happened to him, anyway?”
“Someone killed him.”
Mac scowled. “I heard that part. How?”
“Coroner’s working on it.”
“I get it, you can’t divulge details only the killer would know.”
“Something like that.”
Jase sipped his drink. The smooth liquid gold of the single-barrel bourbon caressed his tongue like warm velvet. “Nice.” He raised his glass toward Mac.
“Blanton’s, my compliments.”
He glanced back across the room and scowled. Nearly a dozen men in the salon had gravitated toward Jade. For someone who was purportedly a man-hater, she maneuvered around them seamlessly.
“Do you think your boss hates men?”
“I think if you want the answer you need to ask the right person.”
“Did Jade date Townsend?”
“Yeah. Once or twice.”
“For such a man-hater, was that unusual?”
Mac laughed, inclining his head toward the salon where Jade was nearly concealed by the group of men surrounding her. Her soft laughter wafted through the room like music. “Does that sound like a man-hater to you?”
“An act.”
“Maybe. But like I said, she rarely dates these days and when she does, she goes for the passive men like Mr. Hiro there. Townsend was not passive.”
Mac was contradicting himself. “You tell me Jade doesn’t date, but she goes out with Townsend. You tell me she doesn’t care for aggressive men, yet Townsend, from what I hear, thought he was god’s gift to every female on the planet, and you also tell me Townsend wasn’t the normal trade here. So what gives?”
Mac didn’t speak for a moment, and when he did his words were low and measured.
“I hear the new owner is hard up for cash. Two months ago Townsend’s type needed connections, a pedigree, and bank. Now all you need is bank.” He shook his head. “Like I said, he isn’t our usual clientele. Callahan’s has always catered to old money, blue bloods and the dignitary type. Not the car salesmen.”
“Do you know who opened the door, and why?”
“Not my job. Jade would know.”
Jase made a mental note to ask her. The ever-benign majordomo Thomas escorted another man from the vestibule into the salon. “Looks like more fresh meat,” Mac said. The
“Be careful you don’t fall into the crack, brother,” Ricco warned, as he strode past Jase and closer to the women.
Jase didn’t give Ricco’s words much credence. He’d been attracted to a lot of suspects, and he’d never lost sight of his case. He wasn’t about to lose it here.
Magically, drinks arrived and Jase watched Jade lean toward Hiro and say something. It must have been a toast because they raised their glasses and clinked them. Irritation rose and Jase looked around the room. In the space of only a few minutes several more men arrived. He glanced at his watch: 8:03.
They must have been fighting one another to gain entrance at the front door. He understood all too well. He found release in the soft hotness of women. And he liked smart, classy women. Here they abounded. Sure beat bar-hopping. Not that he did much of that. Like Ricco, women seemed to fall from trees around him.
His gaze swept back across the large inviting room. He was relieved to see Shannon attempting to entertain one of the two newcomers who hovered around Jade and Mr. Hiro. A redhead clung like a vine to Ricco, who didn’t seem to mind much.
Sure reminded him of a high-class brothel.
“They can’t resist her,” Mac said as Jase sat at the bar. “She’s like a bright light and when those moths get too close, they get their wings burned.”
Jase took the bourbon Mac offered. “How about you, Mac? Have you ever wanted in on the action?”
Mac’s face darkened. “A woman like Jade Devereaux doesn’t notice a man like me.”
“Did she burn Townsend?”
Mac stepped back from the bar. “Andrew Townsend isn’t our typical member.” He uncorked a bottle of the vintage Opus and began to decant it. “What happened to him, anyway?”
“Someone killed him.”
Mac scowled. “I heard that part. How?”
“Coroner’s working on it.”
“I get it, you can’t divulge details only the killer would know.”
“Something like that.”
Jase sipped his drink. The smooth liquid gold of the single-barrel bourbon caressed his tongue like warm velvet. “Nice.” He raised his glass toward Mac.
“Blanton’s, my compliments.”
He glanced back across the room and scowled. Nearly a dozen men in the salon had gravitated toward Jade. For someone who was purportedly a man-hater, she maneuvered around them seamlessly.
“Do you think your boss hates men?”
“I think if you want the answer you need to ask the right person.”
“Did Jade date Townsend?”
“Yeah. Once or twice.”
“For such a man-hater, was that unusual?”
Mac laughed, inclining his head toward the salon where Jade was nearly concealed by the group of men surrounding her. Her soft laughter wafted through the room like music. “Does that sound like a man-hater to you?”
“An act.”
“Maybe. But like I said, she rarely dates these days and when she does, she goes for the passive men like Mr. Hiro there. Townsend was not passive.”
Mac was contradicting himself. “You tell me Jade doesn’t date, but she goes out with Townsend. You tell me she doesn’t care for aggressive men, yet Townsend, from what I hear, thought he was god’s gift to every female on the planet, and you also tell me Townsend wasn’t the normal trade here. So what gives?”
Mac didn’t speak for a moment, and when he did his words were low and measured.
“I hear the new owner is hard up for cash. Two months ago Townsend’s type needed connections, a pedigree, and bank. Now all you need is bank.” He shook his head. “Like I said, he isn’t our usual clientele. Callahan’s has always catered to old money, blue bloods and the dignitary type. Not the car salesmen.”
“Do you know who opened the door, and why?”
“Not my job. Jade would know.”
Jase made a mental note to ask her. The ever-benign majordomo Thomas escorted another man from the vestibule into the salon. “Looks like more fresh meat,” Mac said. The
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