“Jackson didn’t appear?” He took a bite, then closed his eyes, his expression one of utter bliss.

“Jackson did,” Jackson said as he stepped into the room and closed the door. “Fuck, is it hot in here, or is it just me?”

“It’s hot.” I continued on to the small kitchen table, depositing the rest of the food on it before shrugging off my coat. “And I won’t object if you strip off.”

“I will,” Rory muttered. “Keep your pants on, mate.”

Jackson chuckled even as he stripped off his jacket, then began rolling up his sleeves. “Never fear, I have no intentions of giving you an inferiority complex when you’re still so new to the world.”

Rory snorted. “Dream on.”

Jackson pulled the chair away from the table and sat down, but his grin quickly faded as my phone rang. “Who’s got that number?”

Tension ran through me, especially after his recent comment about something feeling off. “No one but you and Rory.” I pulled the phone out of my pocket and glanced at the screen. The number was a familiar one. “It’s okay. It’s a rerouted call from the office.”

Jackson’s relief was palpable—and said plenty about the tension still riding him. “It’s probably one of our other clients, wondering why in the hell we’ve failed to give them progress reports in recent weeks.”

“Probably.” I hit the CALL ANSWER button, then placed it on speaker so he could hear it.

For several seconds, the only sound coming from the phone was whisper-soft breathing.

“Crank call,” Jackson muttered. “Hang up.”

“I wouldn’t advise that,” a pleasant and unfortunately familiar voice said, “because that might have dire consequences.”

Sparks danced across my fingers, and it was all I could do to control them and not melt the phone. And this time it had nothing to do with Jackson and everything to do with anger. And if I was being honest, more than a little fear.

“What do you want, Rinaldo?”

“You know what I want,” he replied, his tone urbane and ultrapolite. “And you have not been holding up your end of our bargain.”

“I’ve been calling you every fucking night,” Jackson growled.

“Yes, but your reports have been scant when it comes to information.”

“Hard to give what we haven’t got,” I bit back.

“If that were true—and it isn’t—then perhaps I might be inclined to forgive.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake—”

“I told you what would happen if you failed to play by my rules, so you will now pay the promised price.” Rinaldo paused, and I could almost envision his cold smile. “Or rather, your precious friends now will.”

CHAPTER 2

Jackson’s face went white. But Rinaldo wasn’t quite finished with us yet.