Chapter Twelve

“Did you fancy going out today?”

It was two days later, and while Simon was surprised to hear Kolton’s suggestion, he did think it was a good idea. They’d been holed up at Simon’s place – eating, watching movies, and having a lot of sex. But Simon still felt there was so much more about his mate he didn’t know, and as he was the type that did overthink things and that required details, he wanted to know everything he could about his hellhound. “Sure. Did you have somewhere specific in mind?”

Kolton held up his phone. “Apparently, I need to go into the office. I have papers I need to sign. It will only take about five minutes, but maybe I can take you to lunch afterward?”

“I’m happy to come along. I didn’t even know you had an office.” Simon got up from the table and collected their breakfast dishes, taking them over to the sink. “What sort of business do you have?”

“I own one of the casinos on the Strip.” Kolton named one of the biggest buildings downtown. “I put a manager in there, so I don’t have to do much, but it seemed like the best idea when I came to town and was looking to stake out a territory. Java has a hotel in Greece, and he suggested they were a good source of income. Mine just came with a casino attached.”

“It’s a sound business idea. You rarely hear of a casino going broke.” Stacking the dishes into the dishwasher, Simon programmed it to run later in the day before straightening up and smiling at his mate. “Is that where you were living before you moved in here?” Because Kolton had moved in, in so far as Simon woke up the morning after their late night chat to find Kolton’s clothes hanging in his closet and his shoes lined up beside Simon’s on the shoe rack.

“I have a suite there, but it could be used for guests now. It’s not as comfortable as your place.”

Kolton was still sitting at the table, looking at his phone, and he sounded distracted. Going around the counter, Simon leaned on his mate’s shoulder. “Is everything all right?”

“I was thinking about what you said, about casinos rarely going broke.” Kolton tapped his screen. “Why would Jethro be wanting me to take out a loan to expand the restaurant?”

“I take it Jethro is your manager? Is he another hellhound?”

“No. As I said, hellhounds can’t live in the same area as each other. Now that Faron’s moved to Australia, there’s only Beau in New York, and Petrov lives just over the border in Canada, but the rest of them are scattered around the world.” Kolton was still frowning at his phone. “Jethro Cavanagh is a vampire. He came to work for me just before I met Warner.”

A whole row of warning bells started ringing in Simon’s head. “It doesn’t sound like you’ve known him very long then. You spent a lot of time at the hospital while Warner was sick. What sort of authority does your casino manager have? Does he have access to your business accounts for example?”

“No.” Kolton shook his head as he slid his phone into his pocket. He was dressed in very smart black pants and a plain black shirt, his necklace gleaming at the collar opening. “I have a team of accountants that takes care of the invoices, payroll, and basic expenses. There’s another team who takes care of marketing and promotions. A separate HR department takes care of staff issues, hiring and firing, and then I have floor managers for each of the departments – the restaurant, housekeeping, the gaming floors, and reception. Jethro’s position involves overseeing them all and handling client inquiries.”

“So the finances for a restaurant expansion would be the restaurant manager and your accountant’s responsibility, wouldn’t it?”

“I didn’t have any plans to expand anything, but then I had been busy…you know, with the stuff before.”

“It is all right to mention Warner’s name. It’s not going to upset me,” Simon reminded his mate quietly. “He was important to you, even if it was just for a blink of time, and without him it might have been decades before we met. I was always working too many hours to ever think about going to a casino, and you weren’t likely to turn up at the hospital if it hadn’t have been for your friend.”

“Have you ever had someone important in your life like that – the way Warner was to me?” Kolton leaned his head on Simon’s shoulder.

“Not for a few years, but that’s a conversation for another day.” A conversation Simon didn’t believe Kolton ever needed to hear. That particular relationship still gave him nightmares at times. “Let’s go and see why your manager has suddenly decided to expand your restaurant.”

/~/~/~/~/

“You can park in there,” Kolton said. They’d arrived at the casino, and Kolton waved him past the parking attendant and directed him to the area that was clearly marked for management.

Swinging into the space Kolton indicated, Simon turned off the car and nodded in the direction of a bright pink Lamborghini that was parked two spaces down. “Please don’t tell me that’s yours,” he teased.

“Hades’ gardens, no.” Kolton shook his head, pointing to a black truck that was parked right by the door. “That’s more my style. That pink thing belongs to Jethro.”

Why am I not surprised. Although most of the vampires Simon had met over the years preferred to be more understated in how they presented themselves, Jethro’s car was a clear example against stereotyping.

Kolton took his hand, and together they made their way into the building through a side door. “You should know, I do play at the tables occasionally,” Kolton said quietly, as they went down a short hallway to the elevators. “I don’t know how you feel about that. Some people are against gambling in any form.”

“I don’t have an issue with it.” Simon chuckled. “Gambling can be a fun night out. I’m guessing you never spend money you can’t afford to lose, and that’s the only issue I’ve ever had with people who gamble. If they’re gambling their rent or food money, in some desperate attempt to win, which barely ever happens, then I’m thinking those people need serious budgeting advice. But again, personal choice is a thing for a reason. Decades ago, I used to play poker, but it’s not something I’ve done for a while. Maybe you and I can play at home one evening. That way we could play for more interesting stakes than just money.”

He waggled his eyebrows and Kolton laughed, although Simon could sense Kolton was tense and that tension increased when they stepped out of the elevator onto the fifth floor, which Kolton explained was the administration department. “I have another executive office upstairs, alongside my apartment,” he explained. “But the managers and admin staff have offices on this floor, including Jethro. Robert, how are you doing today? Are there any messages for me?”

As Kolton spoke to the young man at reception, Simon hung back and looked around, curious about how staff members reacted to their owner’s presence. He knew from his time working in the hospital that there were some doctors or managers that would come onto a floor and the anxiety levels among everyone shot through the roof.

It was clear everyone knew Kolton was present – there were a few hair fluffs from men and women alike, and a couple of people who put their phones away. But no one seemed worried or anxious, which spoke to Kolton being a good boss. The room was bright and airy, and most of the desks had personal pictures and little knick knacks on them, so clearly Kolton wanted his staff to be comfortable in their space.

“Apparently, Jethro is using the executive office,” Kolton grimaced as he came to stand next to Simon. “He’s in a meeting with a contractor.”

“The executive office as in your office?”

Kolton nodded. “Robert said that Jethro’s been using it this past two weeks. I didn’t notice, because I’ve been busy…”

“It might be time to renegotiate that man’s employment contract,” Simon suggested, following Kolton back to the elevator. “If he starts acting as if he has a right to be in the executive office, people will start treating him as if he owns your place.”

“I didn’t see anything in him that suggested he was out to rip me off or take over my position,” Kolton said as the elevator door closed behind them. “Hellhounds can sense the spirit of a person, making it really difficult to lie to us. Most people have more sense than to try and con another paranormal.”

“And yet, it does happen. Vampires are very good at hiding their true self, and while I’m sure you’re not affected by their mind control methods, their ability to hide their emotions is well documented.” Seeing as Kolton didn’t look any happier, Simon added, “Perhaps he’s just let his new position go to his head a bit, and thought he was doing things that would help you both make more money.”

“The casino makes more than enough money as it is. Jethro’s not on a profit share, he’s on a salary, and like everyone else I employ his terms of employment are very generous.”

The elevator door opened into a plush space with a warm red wall-to-wall carpet and the same wide windows seen in the offices below. But this time, instead of cubicles, and office spaces, along with the accompanying noise of many people going about their day, in Kolton’s space there seemed to be piped music kept on a low tone and one large reception desk where two women were typing.

“Mr. Kolton.” One of the women looked up. “I wasn’t expecting to see you in today, sir. Is everything all right with your friend?”

“He’s dead. Thank you for asking, Monica. What in Hades’ garden has been going on here? Shut that music off, and who ordered this carpet?”

“The music is controlled from the executive office, Mr. Kolton.” Monica had stood up, and nervously peered at the closed office door to her left. “Mr. Cavanagh has made quite a few changes. He said you approved them all. Jane and I wanted to talk to you about it, but we were warned not to bother you during your personal time. I am sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.” Kolton didn’t seem to know how to handle condolences and that was evident when he continued. “I was in my suite every night, Monica. You could have left me a message then.”

The anger was real, and Simon could tell Kolton was ready to burst a gasket. He gently touched Kolton’s arm. Kolton inhaled sharply, and added, “It is not your fault, and I am not holding you responsible. I should’ve been clearer with my instructions during my absence. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll…”

“Mr. Cavanagh is using your office,” Monica said quickly. “He said he absolutely could not be disturbed by anyone.”

“You’ve done your job, passing on the message.” Kolton flashed his teeth. “Unfortunately for Jethro, I’m not just anyone.”