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“Always in such a rush,” Ares noted, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry, but I would like to know why this asshole tried to steal from me?” Matteo growled, glaring at Marc.
Chase watched as Marc sat there calmly, staring at Matteo from across the table. There was something eerie about the way Marc just sat there, watching him. It was as though he were calculating his moves as the man spoke. Working his way through every possible scenario before he finally decided on how he was going to destroy the handsome man sitting before him.
Chase swallowed hard, waiting for the big guys to duke it out. Marc was the boss, so Chase would wait for instructions.
Raising his fork to his lips, Marc took a bite of his perfectly braised chicken in no rush at all. “Mmm, this is delicious, Ares. Thank you again for this wonderful spread.”
Next to him, Alex picked up his glass and took a sip of wine, trying to contain his laughter.
Across from him, Matteo’s eyes narrowed. Apparently, patience was not one of the Italian’s superpowers.
“Six months ago, I came into possession of a certain journal written by an unknown individual. Inside the book are names and details of some very personal and private information that, if made public, could be very damaging to the individual named. Hidden within these pages are also the names and descriptions of certain acts that can only be described as heinous and require immediate attention,” Marc began.
“What sort of heinous acts?” Matteo asked. Chase couldn’t help but notice the difficulty he was suddenly having swallowing.
“Rape, murder, kidnapping. Crimes that cannot be allowed to continue and deserve to be punished,” Marc responded, calm and collected as always.
Sometimes, Marc’s demeanor worried Chase. The man appeared borderline psychotic at times. He seemed to know the difference between right and wrong but didn’t always show human emotions very well—sometimes he was calm and collected, then other times he would go off the rails if angered. Alex, it seemed, helped to keep Marc in check. Alex was the only one who appeared to have any control over Marc and his emotions. Chase had only known them for a few months, but the love and devotion Marc showed Alex was like nothing he had ever seen before.
“And you think that I am the author of this journal?” Matteo asked, eyes still locked on his accuser’s.
“That is what we are trying to figure out. We hoped to conduct our investigation discreetly, but then you went all caveman and tried to dismember my investigator,” Marc shot a look over at Chase, who gave a sheepish smile.
There was no greater failure than being caught during an undercover operation, especially when you were hired because of your investigative skills.
“Psht. It wasn’t that bad,” Matteo let out a breath, glancing briefly over at Chase. “The boy barely has any bruising.”
That comment didn’t sit right with Chase. There was more than a little bruising left on his skin. He decided it was probably better for everyone’s nerves if he kept his sarcastic comments to himself. He glanced up at Levi and gave a slight smile.
“And you suspect me because of some logo you found in the book?” Matteo asked, looking more than annoyed with the assumption.
Marc nodded.
“Can I see the book?” Matteo asked, reaching over a bowl of nicely prepared salad.
Marc reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a ratty leather-bound book. He passed it to Matteo, never taking his eyes off the man.
Shifting in his chair, Matteo carefully flipped open the cover and stared at the tiny emblem hand-drawn in the top right corner. Judging by the expression on his face, the logo was definitely his.
It was a small drawing. A top hat in a circle. Very simple and easy to dismiss as a random doodle. It wasn’t until Marc suggested googling top hat logos that they were able to find a similar-looking logo. The only difference was that Matteo’s had the words La Maison de M splashed across the front in fancy lettering.
It was a discreet logo. Fancy and elegant, while not giving away any of the actual activities that occurred at La Maison de M.
Chase watched as Matteo began slowly flipping through the pages, reading through each entry and grimacing at the ones that detailed horrific acts.
After ten minutes, the man closed the book and placed it down on the table next to his plate. He lifted his glass and downed the rest of his wine. He was clearly disturbed by what he had just read.
Clearing his throat, he looked up at Marc.
“Well, it appears that I am partially responsible for the information contained in this journal.”
Across from him, Levi dropped his fork in his plate, startled, and turned to face his friend and mentor.
“The names and information contained in these pages were gathered by me—well, not all the information, but some. You see, the real source of my wealth and power is information. I use La Maison de M to get close to people and collect information from them. Personal secrets, corporate secrets, things they would never tell another living soul. It’s amazing how much men open up when they are in the throes of passion with a handsome naked man beside them. I collect this information, then use it to expand my own wealth and influence, making investments in companies I know will be expanding or ensuring that certain individuals are placed in the right companies at the right time. It’s like playing chess—always having to be three moves ahead of your opponent.
“The other reason that I collect this information is for the safety of my boys. I conduct extensive background checks on each person before they are granted access to La Maison. If I find any information that I feel will be a danger to my boys, I decline their application, and they are denied access to my club.”
