Chapter 2 - THE PRICE OF A NAPKIN
Dante Varga looked at the trembling woman standing beside his table.
“You can pay for it?”
Khloe nodded.
“How much?”
“Forty dollars?”
“Three hundred.”
Her mouth fell open.
“For a napkin?”
“Imported linen.”
“I didn't know.”
“I gathered that when you crawled beneath my table.”
She looked toward the velvet curtains.
“I should leave.”
Dante placed his bourbon down.
“You should sit.”
“I don't think that's a good idea.”
“Neither was hiding beneath the table of a man you've never met.”
Khloe stiffened.
“You're right.”
She turned toward the exit.
“Khloe Bennett.”
She stopped.
Her name sounded different in his voice.
Not affectionate.
Not threatening.
Simply deliberate.
“How do you know my name?”
“Your former boyfriend announced it to half the restaurant.”
She felt foolish.
Dante gestured toward the empty chair.
“Sit for five minutes. Warm up. Then leave through the kitchen if you prefer.”
Khloe hesitated.
Finally, she sat.
A waiter appeared with hot tea and a clean towel.
Dante said nothing until she wrapped the towel around her shoulders.
Then he asked, “How long has he been following you?”
“Tonight?”
“In general.”
She stared into her tea.
“Two years.”
Dante's expression remained unreadable.
“Did you report him?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“Nothing useful.”
She explained the restraining-order petition, the threatening messages, the unwanted visits, and the way Jared repeatedly convinced people she was unstable.
Dante listened.
Then he asked something unexpected.
“What do you do for a living?”
“Accounting.”
“Where?”
“HarborPoint Financial.”
For the first time, Dante's expression changed.
“HarborPoint?”
Khloe nodded.
“Why?”
He leaned back.
“Interesting coincidence.”
“What coincidence?”
Dante studied her.
“Your employer handles accounts belonging to several companies associated with mine.”
Khloe's stomach tightened.
“I don't know anything about your companies.”
“I didn't say you did.”
“Then why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because the man chasing you works for one of those companies.”
Khloe froze.
“What?”
“Jared Collins is employed by Meridian Security.”
She knew that.
Jared had been promoted there eight months earlier.
But she had never connected Meridian to Dante.
Dante continued.
“Meridian Security is currently under investigation for diverting funds from my shipping businesses.”
Khloe looked toward the curtains.
“Are you saying Jared stole from you?”
“I'm saying he may know who did.”
“And you think I know something?”
“I don't know.”
She pushed her chair back.
“Then I'm leaving.”
Dante nodded.
“Of course.”
She stared at him.
“You're not stopping me?”
“No.”
“Then what was this conversation?”
“An introduction.”
Khloe stood.
Dante slid a business card across the table.
“If Jared approaches you again, call the police. If he approaches you here, the staff will help you.”
She looked at the card.
Dante Varga.
A private number.
No title.
No company.
“Why would you help me?”
Dante looked toward the empty doorway.
“Because men who use fear to control women tend to become problems for everyone around them.”
Khloe considered the statement.
“That's ironic coming from you.”
Dante's mouth curved slightly.
“Yes,” he said.
“It is.”
She took the card.
May you like
Then walked away.
Neither knew that before the week ended, the number printed on that card would become the most dangerous thing in Khloe's possession.
