“Hmph,” we all said in unison. I took a swig of wine directly from the bottle.
“Speaking of six-packs.” Trace cleared her throat. “How’s Chase?”
The wine spewed out of my mouth, landing on the red floor. The dark carpet soaked up the red immediately leaving a large wet spot that looked more like water than anything.
“We’re so going to have to pay damages.” Mo shook her head. “And we’ve been here like fifteen minutes.”
“Our damage is a wine stain in their red carpet. It’s Vegas. That’s normal.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “The boys’ damage is gonna be blood.”
We all looked at one another and then started laughing all over again. “Then again…” I stole an M&M from Mo. “It is Vegas.”
“To Vegas!” Trace took the wine bottle from my hands and lifted it in the air.
“To six-packs!” Mo held up an M&M.
Both girls set their eyes on me, waiting. I laughed and lifted my one M&M into the air. “To the craziest honeymoon in history.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nixon
“That’s enough, Chase.” I jerked him away from the bloody mess and semi-mangled body. But Chase lunged again for William’s face. “I said…” I gripped his shoulders and shoved him toward Tex. “…that’s enough.”
“Sorry.” Chase stepped away from the rat bastard, a smirk of self-satisfaction plastered all over his face. “I didn’t hear you.”
“My ass,” Tex said from the corner, grinning like an idiot as he took Chase’s place and pulled out a switchblade. “Now, we can do this the easy way.” He pointed to himself. “Or the hard way.” He pointed to me and smirked. “And word to the wise? Always choose easy.”
William spat in Tex’s face.
With a laugh, Tex wiped his face, handed me the switchblade, then walked toward the bar and poured himself a drink. “He’s all yours, man.”
Smirking, I pulled the little freak to his feet and dragged him to the bathroom. “Don’t feel like talking, hmm? Think you’re tough? A mafia bad ass?”
I threw him against the wall, his head cracked against the tile. After a second push, blood ran from the back of his neck. I leaned in and growled, “You disgust me.”
To his credit, the guy didn’t even yell. Maybe he wanted to die, maybe he didn’t care, but I couldn’t take that chance. I needed to know for sure who he worked for because if it wasn’t Campisi, someone else was tailing our every move.
I kicked his legs out from underneath him and pushed him into the shower, motioning for Chase to hold him against the floor. I grabbed a washcloth and put it over William Herald’s face and then started the Jacuzzi tub. Chase’s hands were on either side of William’s body, holding him down as he choked and gasped for air.
“Enough,” Tex said from behind me.
Obviously I’d done enough if Tex was the voice of reason. That happened once every ten years.
I turned off the water and pulled the washcloth from his face. “Ready to talk yet? A simple nod will do.”
Hatred dripped from his eyes.
I tilted my head to the side. “Impressive.”
With a grunt, I pushed him down again and motioned for Chase to hold his jaw open as I turned on the water, this time leaving it on twice as long. William’s body started to shake.
Cursing, I turned off the water and pulled the cloth off for a second time. “Memory still fuzzy? Or you think we can have a nice little chat. Tell you what.” I tapped his face with my hand. “I’ll even pour you a drink, and when you’re done spilling your guts, put you up in one of the nicest rooms in the hotel, William. How does that sound? I may even send you a nice call girl, someone real classy, maybe two. Hell, I’ll send you three.”
Snot mixed with spit trailed down William’s chin and onto his chest. He gave a jerky nod. Chase got off of him and tugged him to his feet.
We walked in silence back to the main living room and each poured a drink. When I handed our guest his whiskey, he could barely hold it in his hand, let alone drink it without getting it all over his face. Maybe we’d beaten him too much. Or maybe he was just a really good actor.
“Spill,” I pulled out my gun and aimed it at his face, “or this ends here and now.”
“You’d kill me without knowing who sent me?” William threatened, his voice gravelly and hoarse.
“Absolutely.” I laughed. “What’s one less person in the world? Hell, what’s one less hired man? You’re replaceable, even to the people you’re working for. You mean absolutely nothing. Damn shame, I doubt anyone would even mourn your passing. Ten bucks says when I bury your body out in the desert, people won’t even file a missing person report for another two weeks.”
His eyes flared to life, his lower lip trembling.
“Aw.” I tilted my head. “Did I hurt your feelings? Strike a sore spot in that greedy little heart? Let me be very clear.” I lowered my voice. “You don’t matter. You never did, you never will. You’re a joke. An idiot, actually. Tell me, how much did you get paid to spy on us? Were you even told what you were dealing with? As far as you’re concerned, I’m the judge, jury, executioner, and the only prayer you have of walking out of this hotel alive. As it is, I’m debating whether or not I want to cut out your tongue first or start with your hands. It’s an art form, you know… breaking the tiny bones in a person’s fingers. You want to be sure to snap them at just the right angle to inflict enough pain and swelling to render a person utterly useless.”
The man’s leg shook as a stream of piss ran out of his pant leg and across his shoe into a puddle on the floor.
“I take that as a yes, then?” I grinned. “You feel like having a nice long chat now?”
“Y-yes,” he stammered. “I didn’t know.”
“Know?”
“They didn’t say who you were. I don’t know who you are,” he repeated. “I’ve been taking odd jobs for years from him. I got the tattoo after the first job. He said I was part of the family, that this was the last test.”
Him. At first he said they, now he said him. Why? I stored that piece of information in my memory and asked, “How many years?”
“Six, maybe seven.”
“You a local?” I bared my teeth and leaned in.
He nodded his mouth trembling again. “I never met with the main guy. My orders always came from someone else.”
“Name?”
“I don’t know.”
I cocked the gun and pushed the point of it against his skull. “Name?”
“I don’t know!” William whimpered, his teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.
Rolling my eyes, I rose from my seat and slowly approached him. With a grunt, I pulled William’s arm out and twisted until I heard a pop. “Name?”
The man started screaming. I covered his mouth with my hand, muffling the sound.
“You can kill me.” He dry heaved. “You can threaten me… all I know is he goes by Angel Santiago, but I think it’s a made-up name.”
“No shit.” I dropped him to the floor and wiped my hands on my jeans.
“Hey.” Tex pointed to the clock in our room. “Our meeting’s in a few minutes. What’s your call?”
I shrugged. “We take him with us. If he works for Campisi, we’ll at least see some recognition on his face. If not, then we’ll set him up in a room, put a few men outside, and let him eat his last meal.”
William let out a low whimper from his spot on the floor. Whoever he was, clearly he hadn’t been broken before. The man was already dead and he didn’t even know it.
“I’m not killing you.” I rolled my eyes. “So stop being dramatic. Believe me, if I wanted you dead, your ass would be dead.”
“Uplifting.” Chase nodded in approval.
“Always.” I popped my knuckles and stretched my arms high above my head. Tex yawned from the corner.
“Should I call the girls?”
A soft knock sounded at the door. I whipped my head
around. “Shit.” I held up my hand and motioned for the guys to be silent as I made my way toward the door and looked through the peep hole.
“Of course.” I rolled my eyes and opened it wide as the girls all shuffled in. Trace’s eyes bulged as she looked at William. I had to give it to her, she didn’t even flinch. The guy was an absolute mess. Dislocated arm. Two swollen eyes, blood still spewing from parts of his body, and of course he still smelled like piss. Really he was a sight. Trace sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples briefly before flashing me a confident smile. God, I loved her. I loved her for dealing with this, for not running away screaming, for trusting me. Most of all? For seeing the ugly, and loving me anyway.
Mo was used to that type of scene. She was examining her nails while Mil stepped around her and stared in curiously.
William’s face flinched just enough to give me pause, his eyes on Mil. “What? You recognize her?”
He shook his head violently.
Before anyone could say anything, I grabbed Mil by the elbow and thrust her into his face. “Think really hard.”
“Nixon!” Chase yelled frantically. “Let her go.”
“Think.” I squeezed her arm, causing a little yelp of pain to escape her lips. In the corner of my vision I spotted Chase’s lunge for me. As Tex tried to push him back, the man’s eyes watered, and then he closed them as a tear slid down his cheek. Hell doesn’t make him break, but an attractive girl makes him cry?
“I didn’t recognize you,” he muttered, almost like he was talking to himself.
Releasing Mil, I waited for the guy to talk more.
“She was so much younger in those days.”
Mil looked at William in confusion. “I’m sorry. I don’t know you.”
“That is probably for the best,” the man confessed. “Besides, we met in very… unusual circumstances.”
“Two minutes.” I nodded. “Give me the short version.”
“Do you not know who she is?” the man sputtered, looking from me to Mil.
“Of course I know who she is.” I felt a headache coming on. “But I want to know how you know.”
“The Cave,” he said simply. “Everyone knew of it.”
“The C-cave.” Mil’s lower lip trembled. “Why does that—” Her face went completely pale, and I thought she was going to pass out. Instead she lunged away from me and punched him in the jaw, knocking him out cold.
“Hot,” Tex muttered, pacing back and forth like a caged lion. Fights always left him on edge, like he’d just taken a shot of adrenaline and was ready for more.
“Mil…” Chase was at her side in an instant. “What was that about?”
Her lips were still trembling, but she forced a smile and shrugged. “Can’t let you guys have all the fun. Don’t we have a meeting?”
Her eyes met mine and held them. Fine. I’d get it out of her later.
“Don’t want to be late!”
“Tex, grab the body,” I ordered.
“Why do I have to carry the extra weight?” he whined.
“Um.” Mo lifted her chin in his direction and flipped him off. “Because you’re an ass. Isn’t that what they do? Kind of like a pack mule?”
Tex’s face twisted in pain as he stood motionless in the middle of the floor as if waiting for Mo to take back the words. The room fell into an awkward, tense silence. It was as if she’d sucked all the life straight from his soul and left him defenseless. But that wasn’t right. Hadn’t he screwed her over? My head hurt just trying to figure it out.
“Just… do it.” Chase hit Tex in the shoulder. “Alright?”
Tex popped his knuckles a few times then picked up the man.
“Question,” Trace said once we were all in the hall. “How the hell are we going to carry around a body like this without getting caught?”
“Dude,” Chase interrupted. “It’s Vegas. This shit happens every day. Believe me, all we say is he got drunk and got in a bar fight. Case closed.”
“Seriously?” Trace gripped my hand tighter. “That’s it?”
We turned a corner and waited at the elevators. The meeting was going to take place in the other tower, which meant we had to walk a good five minutes into the rest of the hotel.
The elevators dinged open. A man with sunglasses eyed us and winced. “Rough night?”
I smiled. “You have no idea.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mil
I clenched my hands behind my back to keep them from shaking. I didn’t recognize the man. Then again, I wouldn’t recognize any of the men. I’d purposefully pushed that memory so far into my subconscious that even a shrink couldn’t pry it free.
The Cave.
My body shuddered — I felt cold and hot all at once. The walls of the elevator threatened to close in. Every breath I sucked in left me needing more, like I couldn’t catch my breath if I tried. The tension was thick, making it worse. Chase’s hands were on my waist and I couldn’t deal. I was going to meet with Tanya, Chase was touching me, and The Cave. God, I’d forgotten about The Cave. I’d been dreaming about it but I hadn’t known or wanted to believe it was… real. I’d pushed it away. Hoping that by denying the existence of the truth it would turn out to be a lie, or a horrible nightmare. I’d take either one. I needed to pull myself together. If I appeared weak, it wouldn’t end well for anyone.
The doors opened to the twenty-second floor. We all quietly walked out. Luca and Frank were both leaning against the far wall. The rich smell of cigar smoke filled the air as they approached us.
“So…” Luca kept his eyes trained on me. “Shall we?”
I nodded.
“A friend of yours?” Frank motioned to the guy Tex was still carting around.
“Friend or enemy, not really sure yet.” Chase spoke in low quiet tones. “Thought we’d take him in, just in case he’s one of theirs.”
Luca’s eyes narrowed as he examined the man’s face, his eye widened just a fraction before returning to their usual cool indifference.
I couldn’t help it. I asked in a snotty voice, “Why? He a friend of yours, Luca?”
He gripped my wrist; pain sliced through my arm. I refused to make a sound as everyone walked ahead of us. “My dear, I’m merely surprised you didn’t castrate him upon your meeting.”
“Why would I do that?” The pain increased as his fingers pressed against the veins in my wrist, almost like he was separating them from one another.
Luca’s face broke out into an evil grin. “No reason. My apologies.”
I jerked my arm free and stormed past him. Chase turned around just as I reached his side. Flashing him a confident smile, I gripped his hand and tried to press my body as close to his as possible. Safe, he was safe.
Chase’s arm wrapped around me protectively as we walked the rest of the way to the room. Nixon knocked twice.
“Want me to kill him for you?” Chase whispered across my ear, his face completely void of any emotion. It was as if he just asked me if I’d like to go to the movies or something.
“Not yet,” I said in a shaky voice.
“Say the word.” Chase’s breath was hot against my neck. “And next time, Mil, when he touches you, use a knife.”
“What?”
Luca’s familiar cigar-infused scent permeated the air around us, meaning he’d finally caught up. I cleared my throat and looked at the door, willing it to open so I could get away from Luca and closer to my mom.
The door still didn’t open.
With a curse, Luca pushed passed all of us to the front and banged on the door.
Nothing happened.
A maid and her cart came slowly down the hall. Without thinking, I walked toward her and tried to look as normal as possible. “Would it be possible for you to open the room for us?”
Her eyes darted from me to the group behind me, including the guy who’d just gotten the crap beat out of him by Nixon, Chase, and Tex. “Hotel policy says you have to go down to the lobby to ge
t a new key.”
“It’s really important,” I urged, sliding the knife from underneath my jacket, “that we get into that room.”
“Miss, I don’t think—”
The words died on her tongue as I held the knife to her neck. “The key card, now.” I held out my hand.
Shaking, she pulled out a key card and handed it over.
“Thank you.” I offered an apologetic smile. “And I’m sorry.”
She nodded, her lips trembling.
When I turned, Chase was behind me. In an instant, he maneuvered around me and knocked the maid out with the back of his Glock. “No loose ends.”
“Right,” I huffed, feeling all sorts of horrible that she was going to wake up with a headache from hell.
“Besides,” Chase took the card from my hands, “the less she knows the less danger she’ll be in.”
I gave a firm nod and followed him as he walked back to the door and slid the card into the slot. The green light blinked, the door swung open and in we all strolled, guns raised… waiting.
A black desk chair had been dragged to the center of the room. Sturdy yellow nylon zip ties wrapped around the arms and legs of a frantic-appearing woman, binding her hands and her feet to the chair. Her hair was matted to her face with blood. The bruises left on her chin made her appear deformed. Her head hung slightly to the side, and then her eyes flashed open. Dread turned my blood to ice. My mother stared directly at me. And I knew, it was over before it even began.
“Ma!” I tried to push through Nixon and Tex but was jerked back against Chase’s chest. “Let me go!”
“No.” He growled. “We don’t know if it’s a setup.”
Tears streamed down her face as her head moved back and forth… in warning? What?
“Tanya Campisi?” Luca said in a low voice. “Did she do this to you?”
My mom shook her head no.
Luca swore and took a few steps closer to my mom’s chair. She screamed like she was in pain, moving her head back and forth over and over again.
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