by Cynthia Eden
Victor lunged toward him.
“Stop it!” Zoe leapt to her feet. “Just—stop!”
All eyes were suddenly on her.
Don’t fall apart in front of them. Don’t. “Dice is…what, exactly? Some kind of cop front?” That didn’t sound right. There had to be another term for the joint but…
“It’s a relay space,” Victor told her. He was at her side now. Looking enraged. Looking strong. Looking as if he really wanted to rip someone apart. “When undercover cops need to deliver information, they head to spots like that one. Usually, they’ll have a teammate there. Someone who can make sure the intel gets into the right hands, without the undercover agent blowing his cover.”
His cover…
Her cover?
Don’t fall apart. Zoe turned her attention to Roy. “I’ve been looking for Michelle,” she said.
He met her gaze, unflinchingly. “I know.”
“She…we had a system in place. A way for us to stay in touch.” Because she was my friend. “I’ve been making my calls, but she isn’t answering. Her place is empty and—” She stopped because his expression had altered, for just a moment. There had been the briefest of cracks in his visage.
Pity.
“No,” Zoe whispered. But the truth was right there. All around her. All freaking around her.
“You weren’t supposed to come back here,” Roy said, shaking his head sadly. Then his gaze jumped to Victor. “Isn’t it your job to keep her in protective custody?”
Her hands had fisted. Her nails bit into her palms. “Michelle was working undercover.” No, no, no.
“Michelle was doing her job.” Roy’s lips thinned. “That’s all I’ll say about that.”
She jumped at him, more than ready to swing hard because the pain was so strong inside of her. Lie, lie, lie. It was all a lie.
“Zoe!” Victor locked his arms around her and yanked her back against his chest. “Look, baby, I get it’s tempting as hell, but I can’t let you attack a cop.”
Why not? It seemed like a pretty good idea.
“She vanished because she’s on a new assignment,” Victor said, his breath brushing near her ear. “That’s why there’s been no contact from her. Not because she was taken…”
Tears stung Zoe’s eyes. I thought...She jerked free of Victor’s hold and spun to confront him. “You knew, didn’t you?”
A muscle flexed in his jaw.
“When we were in her apartment. When you saw her clothes were still there but the food wasn’t…I-I saw your expression change, but I didn’t realize…”
He swiped his hand over his jaw. “I worked undercover plenty of times, so I’d been to scenes like that before, yes. They were keeping the place ready, in case she had to resume the role again. But the food was ditched because—”
“Stop.” She hated this little room. Hated the eyes on her. Hated the pity—pity that was even coming from Victor now. “Just stop.” She didn’t want to hear anymore.
Didn’t want to hear…
Michelle wasn’t my friend. She was using me, too. The way everyone does.
“She had a job to do.” Cain’s words were gruff. “We got word that a new player was moving into Vegas about a year ago and trying to take over. A guy with some powerful connections back East, connections tied to Luther Bates.”
And there it was. Every road to hell leads back to my father. Her eyes were stinging. “And I’m supposed to know who the new bad guy is? I was never involved in Luther’s world.” How many times could she say that? Scream that? Why wouldn’t anyone ever listen?
“Getting close to you put Michelle in a prime position,” Roy said. “She was able to…” His words trailed away.
“Able to do—what, exactly?” Zoe threw up her hands. “I had nothing to give her! I wasn’t involved!”
“No, Zoe,” Victor’s voice was soft. “You were her ticket. Her in.”
She shook her head.
“These guys…” He waved to the cops. “They aren’t after Luther Bates. They’re after the guy here in Vegas. A guy Michelle needed to get close to. And in order to get close to him, she got close to you.”
“That’s not true.”
But Victor kept talking. “If the man had ties with Luther, doesn’t it stand to reason he wanted eyes on you? And Michelle was those eyes. She got close to you. Learned your secrets. And then she used them to gain this sonofabitch’s confidence.”
She played me. Zoe’s gaze jerked back to Roy. Red stained his cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” he said, sounding stilted and uncomfortable as hell. “You weren’t supposed to find out.”
“Because I wasn’t supposed to come back?” Goosebumps were all over her. “I’ve been trying to contact her…again and again and…OhmyGod.” Her hand covered her mouth. I did this. Horrified, she backed up, hitting the table with her hip. “There was no new leak at the FBI. I’m the leak.”
Victor’s brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Back when you first pulled me out of that bus station in Kansas…you’d said that word had spread that I wasn’t dead.”
He nodded grimly. “I was trying to keep you safe.”
Wasn’t he always? “You’d spread the word that I was dead. You were trying to take all the targets off my back, but I kept trying to find Michelle. I made the calls—I let her know I was alive. She didn’t answer me, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t get the messages. And she used them.” Her head hurt. “She turned the information over to this guy—whoever the hell he is—she turned me over to him, and that’s why the hitmen keep coming after me. She offered me up as her ticket inside…”
“I’m sorry,” Roy said again, miserably. Uselessly.
“Fuck sorry.” She stalked for the door.
“You weren’t supposed to come back!” Roy called after her. “I mean, hell, why come to Vegas? You knew this place was trouble! You—”
“Because I thought she needed me.” Zoe stopped at the door and looked back at him, disgusted. “I thought that was what a real friend would do.”
Cain swore.
“But I get the picture now.” She yanked open the door. They were on the second floor, so Zoe hurried down the stairs, her steps echoing in the building.
“Zoe!” Victor was rushing after her. Victor. Poor Victor. She’d forced him to Vegas for nothing. Put him in the line of fire for nothing.
She hit the bottom of the stairway.
“Wait, Zoe!”
She didn’t want to wait. She wanted to get the hell out of there so she could stop feeling like such a fool.
But he was fast. Damn him. His hands curled around her shoulders and he spun her back. “Stop.”
“I don’t want to stop. I want—”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. You were a good fucking friend to her. You risked your life for her.”
Her eyes burned. “We weren’t friends.” All along, Michelle had been using her. Not looking past the shadows that surrounded Zoe, not offering friendship in spite of Zoe’s criminal world ties…
Footsteps thundered on the stairs. She looked up. Cain was rushing down toward her. No, she did not want to deal with him then. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Michelle went completely dark over a month ago.”
Cain’s words froze her.
“She had been working undercover, making her way up the ladder slowly but surely as she gained the trust of that group. She was sure she’d get to meet the boss soon enough, one-on-one, and that was what we’d been waiting for.” He’d stopped on the second step from the bottom. Cain raked a hand through his hair. “This guy—he’s so sneaky. Smart. He’s some freaking shadowy puppet master who has plenty of fall guys to do his dirty work. Powerful guys who shouldn’t be bowing down to him, but they are. The drugs have tripled on the streets and the weapons—they flow in like a freaking river.”
Victor moved, positioning his body protectively in front of hers. Why? It wasn’t as
if Cain was going to attack her. He and his buddy Roy had already done their damage.
They all sold me out.
“Michelle used you,” Cain said and his words were cold and brutal. “It was her job. She needed an in with the guy, and you were that in. We heard rumbles that he wanted you. Probably for payback against Luther Bates. Isn’t that what everyone wants?” His gaze cut to Victor and his lips curled in a hard smile before he focused on Zoe once more. “Everyone. Being who you are, I’d think you’d have gotten used to that shit by now.”
“Watch your fucking mouth,” Victor warned him.
She put her hand on Victor’s chest. “If I can’t hit a cop, neither can you.” Her chin lifted as she faced Cain. “You think I’m supposed to just smile and say… ‘Okay. No harm, no foul. She was just doing her job?’” Beside her, Victor stiffened. “Screw that. She did do harm. I risked my life for her.” For nothing.
“She went dark.” Cain grabbed the wooden bannister. “You know what that means? It means no communication from her at all. It means we don’t know if she’s just in deep cover and can’t contact us…or if she finally made face-to-face contact with the puppet master and he figured out that she was a cop.”
Zoe didn’t move.
“If he found out, she’s dead.” Cain eased down another step, his expression tight and angry. “Do you understand? She’s—”
The second floor exploded. The boom was deafening, a roar that had her screaming even as the force of that blast picked Zoe up and tossed her through the air. And as she flew, as she screamed, she saw the flames rolling across the ceiling…
Oh, dear God…we’re all dead.
Chapter Ten
“Two million fucking dollars…” Zoe heard the whisper distantly. It was almost…giddy.
She cracked open her eyes, but she just saw fire. Flames rolling. She coughed and her whole body ached. She was trapped—her legs and lower body were beneath some heavy chunks of wood. The stairs? The bannister?
Someone grabbed her wrist. Held tight. Tight enough that she thought the bone might break. And then she was being dragged by that punishing grip on her wrist, yanked out from beneath the chunks of wood. She tried to turn her head and see who’d grabbed her. “Vic…”
“He’s dead. Not going to save you this time.”
The voice was familiar, but it was hard to hear the male clearly because the flames were crackling and roaring. Heat lanced across her skin. Had he said…
Victor is dead?
“No.” Her legs kicked out. He was dragging her by the right hand and her left flew up and yanked at his fingers. “Let me go!” Victor couldn’t be dead. He was wrong. She’d heard wrong. Victor was fine. Victor was—
Lying a few feet away. His eyes were closed. His body still. Blood slid from a wound on his forehead. “Victor!”
A gun pressed to her cheek. “Stop your damn screaming.” Her gaze jumped to the man who held that gun. Even before she saw his face, she knew who he was. His voice had clicked. He had clicked.
Roy was holding his gun on her. Roy was glaring at her. And Roy…
“I can kill you here, but I need you alive—if I’m going to get her, then I need you alive.” He grunted. “Plus, there’s talk of a freaking bonus…I like bonuses.” He hauled Zoe to her feet, but kept the gun shoved against her cheek. “So play nicely, and I won’t let this bullet blast through your pretty face right here and now.”
Her gaze darted frantically around the burning building. The second floor was a wreck. Flames were rushing everywhere. Soon the bottom floor would be engulfed, too. She needed to get Victor out. He’s not dead. He’s not. The smoke was thickening around her, and her lungs hurt even as her eyes burned.
“Come on.” Roy wrenched her toward the door.
No, no, if she left, Victor would die. Zoe couldn’t let that happen.
She also didn’t want a bullet blasting through her cheekbone. Roy hauled her toward the door. Another cop gone bad. Two million dollars could do that, though. Two million dollars could make a good man lose his soul.
Roy eased his grip on her when he went to open the front door. He had to be careful because the handle had to be freaking hot. He moved the gun away from her face. A few inches, that was all she needed. A few…
She slammed her elbow back into him, then she whirled around to face him. She kicked the gun out of his hand, then, for good measure, she kicked the bastard right in the face.
Blood flew from his nose.
That’s right, asshole. This showgirl’s legs aren’t just for dancing. Hope you liked that freaking high kick.
Roy let out a guttural roar, but she was already rushing past him, going back into the flames and racing toward Victor. There were two boards on top of him. One of the boards had just started to burn. She shoved both boards out of the way, ignoring the quick flash of pain in her hands. “Victor!” Zoe grabbed his shirt front and dragged him away from the wall. There were too many flames there.
She inched to safety slowly with him. The guy was solid muscle. A dead weight. Not dead. He’s not dead. I can see his chest moving. He’s all right.
Victor let out a long, low groan.
“It’s okay,” Zoe said, coughing on the smoke. “We’re getting out.”
“No, he’s not.” Roy’s voice came from right behind her. His arms locked around her waist and he jerked her back. Then he lifted up his hand—he had another gun there, a smaller one. A back-up gun? Don’t cops always carry back-ups on them? And he aimed that gun down at Victor’s body. “He’s dying right here.”
“No!” The cry was torn from her. “I won’t fight. I’ll go with you, I swear. Just…don’t shoot!” Because Victor wasn’t trapped now. He was alive. He could get out. There was hope…
As long as he doesn’t have a bullet in his chest.
The roof gave a long groan. Her gaze shot up. She saw only flames…so much fire.
“It’s going to collapse! Shit, let’s go!” Roy yelled.
He yanked her back and Zoe knew he was going to shoot. Because Roy was still aiming at Victor. That bastard was going to kill Victor!
“No!” She threw her whole body against him. The bullet went wide, missing Victor. Missing him.
She and Roy were on the floor. He had his gun pointed at her now.
“You are such a fucking bitch,” he swore. “No wonder he wants you dead.”
She smiled at him. “Maybe…but you’re about to die, too.”
The roof wasn’t just groaning any longer. It seemed to be screaming. Fire rained down on them. Down, down…
Before the flames could hit them, Roy slammed his gun into the side of her head.
***
“You weigh…a freaking ton.”
Victor’s eyes opened at the low, grunting voice. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust his gaze to the darkness around him.
Darkness…
Flames?
“What the hell?” Victor lurched upright and found himself sitting on the pavement just outside of what looked like a freaking inferno.
“For the record,” Cain muttered as he dropped down beside Victor, his breath heaving out. “I just saved your ass. That means you’ll owe me. Big. And I will want payback.”
Victor’s gaze was on the burning building, not that cop asshole. A building he’d been inside…with Zoe. They’d been on the lower floor. An explosion had sent him hurtling across the room and—
Victor leapt to his feet and started running toward the flames.
“Stop that!” Cain shouted. “Stop that shit!” He tackled Victor.
They went down hard, rolling across the pavement. When the cop tried to hold Victor down, he drove his fist right at Cain’s jaw. Cain flew back.
“Zoe is in there!” Victor bellowed when Cain tried to come at him again. “Get the fuck out of my way!”
“She’s not!” Cain shook his head. “Listen to me. Listen! She’s not in there! I saw Roy carrying her out. She’s gone.”
/> Gone? He swiped the dripping blood from his eyes even as he felt a dull throbbing near the top of his forehead. “What the hell do you mean?”
“I mean…” Cain gestured toward the fire. “Your lady isn’t dead in there, okay? So calm down. She’s alive.” His hands fell and his face turned pensive. “Or she was…I think she was.”
Victor grabbed him and shook the guy as hard as he could.
“He was carrying her out! Jesus! Stop! Or I will head butt you in your already bleeding head!”
Victor stopped, but only so he could glare at Cain. “You saw her being taken…and you didn’t save her?” He wanted to rip the cop apart.
“I was busy dragging your ass out of the fire, you ungrateful bastard.”
Victor shoved him away. “She was the priority! You save her!”
“Yeah, well, I’m getting she’s the big fucking deal in your life and all…”
Victor threw a punch at him.
Cain dodged it, barely. “Would you stop that shit? I woke up, dragged my ass out from the pile of debris and fire, and I saw her trying to save you.”
Victor stilled.
“She was dragging you. Doing her best to get you out of that place. Roy came up behind her. I was yelling but the flames were so loud neither one of them heard me.”
The flames were a roar right then.
“I thought he was going to help her.” Cain gave a grim shake of his head. “Then he grabbed her and he aimed his gun at you.”
“He didn’t shoot me,” Victor said. His body ached, he had some burns, but no bullet holes.
“Because she made the bullet go wide. I was trying to find a way through the flames to help her, but then Roy slammed his gun into the side of her head.”
Even though the fire was raging, Victor suddenly felt ice cold. “He’s a dead man.”
“He carried her out. I fought the flames and got you out.” Cain turned around, glancing down the empty street. “He had split ass by the time I got out here. He took her. The guy betrayed us all. He was supposed to be on my team.”
“I know that feeling.” Victor pulled out his phone, but the thing had melted. “The bounty on her head is two million. Are you really that shocked that Roy would flip for that much money?”