“I’m staying in tonight, so don’t worry about that ... but I was wondering if you could help me with some information.”
I can practically see the trademark smirk cross her face. “Oh ... now you’ve piqued my interest. What do you need to know and about whom?”
Kelsey has made a name for herself in this city as not only being excellent at what she does, but also as a trusted source of legitimately true gossip. Of course, she’d never talk about one of her clients, though.
“Gabriel Legend. I need to know everything you—”
“Whoa. Whoa. Back up,” Kelsey says, interrupting. “I didn’t hear you right. Did I? Because I thought you said Gabriel Legend.”
“I did.” I look around the room, suddenly feeling like I shouldn’t be saying his name out loud. Like if I say it three times, he might appear.
But would that be so bad?Oh my God. What is wrong with me?Stop it, Scarlett.
“Why? How? A sweet little thing like you shouldn’t even know that man exists, let alone want to know more about him. Wait. Wait. Did you ... hook up with him? Oh shit. Oh my God.” Kelsey’s tone is halfbouncing out of her chair with excitementand halfI’m scared for your life. It’s a little disconcerting, but thrilling all the same.
“I didn’t hook up with him,” I say quickly, not letting her very active and vivid imagination run away with her.
“Then why?”
As much as I want to tell her the truth, Bump’s warning hangs in the back of my mind. So I go with the closest thing I can say instead. “I heard about his club and the shooting, and wondered if there’s a chance it can make a comeback.”
Kelsey snorts. “That place is dead in the water. Not even you could resuscitate it. That grand opening party wasoff the chain.Like ridiculously insane.”
“That’s a good sign, though.”
“Yeah, until someone came in wearing a mask and shot up the place. You know better than anyone that the who’s who of Manhattan doesnotdeal with gunshots and chaos. You all are way too protected to handle that level of gangster shit. No one will go back there now, no matter how hot and sexy the reclusive Gabriel Legend is. They’re terrified, thinking they’ll get shot at again.”
I search my brain for details, and want to kick myself for not clicking on the articles about the shooting before I got sucked into the raw display of male power that was the fighting video.
“But no one got hurt, right?”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything. People are afraid, and there’s no way they’ll chance it again. Why do you care? You aren’t really a party girl if you can avoid it.”
Considering she’s been part of my life since I was twenty-five, trying to find my own personal style, and let me cry on her shoulder when my mom passed, Kelsey knows me better than almost anyone.
Or really, better than anyone except Ryan and Christine, my brother-sister business and financial advisor team. I inherited them from my mother, who worked with their father. The three of us were all raised together, and Ryan and Christine are the closest thing I have left to a family, other than my father. Well, except for Flynn, my former stepsister. But after Dad’s ugly split with her mom last year, we don’t see each other much anymore.
“Scar?”
Kelsey’s prompt makes me realize I’ve been silent too long. One thing is for sure—if I try to bullshit her too much about Legend, she’ll see right through me. I have to go with something as close to the truth as possible.
“Someone kind of dared me that I couldn’t help bring the club back to life ...”
“Oh shit.” Kelsey sighs. “You have no chill when it comes to being dared. Dammit, Scarlett. This is a terrible idea. You don’t want to walk into Gabriel Legend’s world. I don’t care how hot he is; he’s dangerous in a way you aren’t equipped to handle.”
Kelsey has absolutely no idea how right she is about that, and I’m not talking about my reaction to his video.
“You don’t think I can do it,” I say, trying not to sound defeated.
“I didn’t say that. You know I believe in you. You’ve got this drive that makes me feel like a slouch every time I see you. I know you’re capable of amazing things ... but some things don’t deserve your fire, girl. This might just be one of those.”
“What if ... what if I kinda already shook on it?” My question comes out hesitant, because I don’t really want to tell her that, and I also don’t want to remember the unsettling spark of feeling that shot up my arm when I touched Gabriel Legend’s hand. Yet, I can’t deny either one.
“Dammit. If you gave your word, then I guess there’s nothing we can do but honor it.”
I smile hearing her saywe.
“You should’ve called me first. This is going to be damn near impossible. Like, you’re going to need a serious miracle to have a shot. It’s been—what—two months since the shooting? And from what I’m told, the only people who go are wannabe bangers and people who’d never be able to get in if the velvet rope had any kind of line. It may have been a high-class club for part of one night, but it’s not anymore.”