Dirty Empire

by Nina West

  Gabriel exchanges an unreadable look with Caleb. “It’s just better when we have the upper hand, is all.”

  “Did you tell her who was here?” Caleb’s calm mask is slipping, his voice more frantic.

  “I said there were a bunch of men—”

  “How many?” He barks and she jumps.

  “I didn’t say. I just recognized the two from the club last week, but I didn’t recognize the others.”

  He sighs heavily.

  Michelle’s phone chirps then, as if on cue.

  Caleb reads the screen. “Lux Nails.”

  “That’s her. She’s probably checking on me. I should have been downstairs by now.”

  “I guess we need to answer her then.” Caleb hands Michelle her phone. “Open it.”

  She hands it back to him with a trembling grip.

  “Texting to confirm that you’re keeping your appointment?” He grunts. “Clever. Are there any code words you use? Anything to verify that it’s you responding?”

  She shakes her head.

  “If you’re lying—”

  “I’m not! I swear!” she stammers. “She said this was safe, that you’d never find out.”

  “So she lied to you and put you in danger. Big surprise.” His thumbs fly over the screen. “Okay, you’ve just told her that you’ve changed your mind about leaving. You’ve had too much to drink and you don’t want to leave Mercy in the frazzled state she’s in. They’re pretty sure the informant was either Felix or Finn.” The muscle in Caleb’s jaw ticks. He doesn’t like using his dead friends as scapegoats. “Let’s hope they buy that, for your sake, because if they bust in here right now, it’s going to get very bloody, very fast.”

  “Am I….” She swallows and asks in a barely audible whisper, “Are you going to hurt me?”

  “For what? Fucking me while working with a federal agent to try and send us to prison?” His voice is emotionless as he watches the screen for a reply. Is he angry? Hurt? Feeling foolish? “You know, those guys lying in there? The three dead guys?”

  Her eyes flash to the glass doors that lead inside, though she can’t see them. She nods.

  “If you did to them what you did to us, you wouldn’t be sitting on this couch, having a conversation right now. They would have taken turns raping you and then sunk a bullet into your head and left you in a ditch. Just like they did to our mother.”

  She lets out a horrified sob.

  “Oh, look. A response.” He pauses to read. “Agent Bitch has asked what ‘they’re’ up to. I guess that’s us, right? She wants to know if we’re committing any crimes you can tell her about?” He snorts as he types a response. “See how concerned she is about your well-being?”

  Farley pokes his head out of the door to announce, “He’s here.”

  Behind him, I catch a glimpse of a short, bald man in blue coveralls carrying a black case with him into the games room. There’s nothing remarkable or threatening about him. He looks like any average man walking down the street. But this must be this “cleaner,” here to erase all traces of the bodies.

  Behind him, Moe wheels in a housekeeping laundry bin.

  I still can’t believe this is happening and I’m a witness to it.

  Caleb slides down to take a seat on the couch next to Michelle. He stretches his arm across the back, behind her. “So, here’s what’s going to happen, Michelle. You’re going to give me your password, and I’m going to keep your phone for the night to make sure this agent doesn’t find cause to come looking for you. We’re going to go deal with this little problem of ours, and then we’re going to continue on like nothing happened. You’re going to get really drunk, so it’s hard to keep track of details.” His hand settles on her bare knee. “We’re going to keep you nice and close for the rest of this trip. And then, when we’re back in Phoenix, the next time this agent comes at you, you’re going to tell her you saw nothing out of the ordinary and that Mercy doesn’t know anything either, but she’ll never flip on Gabriel. Because she’s loyal, and she’s not stupid.” He pauses and when he speaks again, his tone has taken on a dangerous edge. “There is nothing we can’t find out and nowhere out of our reach. If you so much as breathe another word about us to this agent or any other law enforcement, we will find out about it.” He leans in to whisper something in her ear.

  A fresh wave of tears stream down her cheeks. Whatever he’s saying to her, it’s scaring her.

  He finally pulls away. “You understand me, right?”

  Her head bobs furtively as she swallows hard. She looks ready to vomit. I feel the spasm of sympathy deep in the pit of my stomach for her, but it’s diluted by shock and the sting of her disloyalty.

  “Good girl.” Caleb gives her knee an affectionate pat before he stands. “You ladies get yourselves a drink or two. It’s going to be a long night.”

  Gabriel leans in, clasping my chin within gentle fingers to lift my gaze to his. That wild darkness in his eyes has faded. Now, I see nothing but worry and fatigue. “You good?”

  I don’t know what I am, but I nod anyway. I want to ask him so many questions, and at the same time, I don’t want to know anything about what transpired. Seeing the dead bodies was explanation enough.

  “Okay. Let’s just get through this next bit and then we can figure out the rest.”

  Figure out the rest of what? Of us? Is there an “us” after this mess?

  He seems unnerved, at least. Cold-blooded murderers who kill regularly likely aren’t concerned by what they’ve done. That brings me some small comfort.

  He moves to follow his brother into the house.

  “I’m so sorry—” Michelle begins, but I cut her off.

  “Does your dad know about this arrangement you’ve made with the Feds?”

  “My dad?” She shakes her head. “God, no. He’d never be okay with me risking my life for him.”

  The deep ache of sadness and disappointment pierces my chest. She was trying to save her father from incarceration. I understand that part, more than anyone. “But you were willing to risk my life.” That’s the glaring issue.

  Her mouth opens, but she falters, several times over, searching for the right response to that. Is there a right response? “You said you didn’t think he’d hurt you.”

  Whether I believe Gabriel would harm me or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that Michelle believes he would. Earlier, she argued that I was being naïve for thinking otherwise. Yet, she still went ahead with helping that FBI agent to corner, coax, and threaten me, to try and convince me to turn on Gabriel.

  Michelle has been my best friend and confidante for years, and yet just like that, all trust between us has been destroyed. I don’t know how I’ll ever see her the same way again.

  I could ease her fears now. I could tell her that I still believe that. I could tell her that, if they were going to kill us for what we saw, they would have done it already. After all, what’s two more dead bodies to the mix?

  But in that moment, my hurt overpowers my compassion. “They’ll kill you and your family. Your father, you mother, Lisa…, Bo. All of them. If you ever say a word about tonight to anyone, they will find out.” My legs feel wobbly as I stand and calmly walk to the poolside bar to fix us drinks, her sobs drowned out by the sounds of the city below.

  The bedroom door creaks open, and the sound of drunken feminine laughter slips into the dimly lit room.

  I break from my quiet observation of the terrace—the half that can be seen from our suite—to peer over my shoulder. My heart stutters at the sight of Gabriel. Even in the low cast of the bedside lamp, the dark circles beneath his eyes are visible. It’s after 4:00 a.m. and he has slept for maybe three hours in the last forty. “You look exhausted.”

  He tosses his watch and phone on the nightstand. His gun, he sets down more carefully. I’m already getting used to seeing him with it. “Moe said you came up here an hour ago. I thought you’d already be asleep.” His voice is croaky, like it sounds in the mome
nts after he first wakes up.

  “So did I.” But I can’t quiet my mind, I can’t ease this guilt that weighs on me, that Gabriel might feel betrayed by me, as I do by Michelle. “I’m sorry. I should have told you about Lewis right away.”

  He sighs heavily. “I know you are.”

  Is he still upset with me though?

  I turn back to the view of the pool, afraid of what comes next for us. Blackmail… betrayal… murder… Was there ever any hope for a real, normal relationship?

  A light switch clicks, and the room is thrown into darkness. Footfalls approach from behind me. Gabriel’s hands settle on my hips, smoothing over them in a soothing manner.

  “How’s the hotel thing going?” I nod toward Caleb, who’s been talking to Bruce Cohen by the bar for the past half hour. It seems to be a friendly conversation. I wonder if this guy will be as friendly toward Caleb when the FBI shows up with a warrant and a forensics team to dissect this place, looking for evidence. Does he realize who Mr. Green really is?

  “Not great, but Caleb’s determined. He’s trying to find out who his business partners are. Bruce owns a majority stake, but he has partners who can be pressed, if needed.”

  “So he doesn’t want to sell, is that what you’re saying?”

  “Everyone has a price.” His lips are tender as they move to the crook of my neck, and I tip my head to the side, reveling in it. He pulls my body into his, and I feel the tension coursing through his body. He’s far from at ease.

  Silence hangs in our darkened bedroom, as I search for what to say next.

  My gaze drifts to the sectional couch, where Michelle is curled up, asleep, and the now familiar mix of hurt, anger, and sympathy stirs. I haven’t talked to her since I first left her there. She quietly disappeared into the powder room to clean herself up, reemerging just as Gabriel and Caleb came to collect us.

  The four of us, plus Merrick and Vince, Farley and Moe, bounced from club to club, skating past lines and door lists, staying just long enough to make our presence known and keep any FBI tails on us distracted. True to Gabriel’s promise, Farley stuck so close to Michelle all night, his body heat must have kept her warm. She said nothing to anyone, accepting drinks and smiling politely.

  It was after two when we arrived back at the penthouse to a small horde of mostly women on the terrace. The cleaner—and the bodies—were already long gone, leaving not a trace of evidence, not even a hint of bleach in the air. The morbid side of me wonders what they used to erase the murders.

  Michelle bypassed the skinny-dippers without so much as a glance and curled up in a corner of the sectional, visibly exhausted. At some point Merrick settled next to her and gently coaxed her down to rest her head on his lap, covering her with her blanket. He didn’t seem in much of a mood for a party either. Not like his brother, who had a scantily clad woman rubbing up against his thigh before disappearing with her.

  “She’s safe there, right? He seems decent but…” He’s a Perri.

  “She’s safe there.” Gabriel rests his chin on my shoulder.

  The question that’s been burning my tongue for hours slips free. “What happened tonight?”

  “Things didn’t go as planned.”

  No shit. They clearly hadn’t planned on ending their meeting with three dead bodies in our penthouse. I hesitate. “Did you… Were any of those bullets fired from your gun?”

  “Is that your polite way of asking me if I killed anyone?”

  “I guess.”

  “No. I didn’t.”

  A weight lifts from my chest. He must have felt it, too.

  “Do you want to hear about it?”

  Do I? The fact that Gabriel is offering to tell me doesn’t go unnoticed. It means he trusts me more today than he did yesterday, even though I’m being pressed by Agent Lewis.

  My chest swells with that knowledge as I nod.

  “Miles Perri was as much of a hothead as Caleb is, and he was looking for an excuse to kill him. He said something about our mother, they went back and forth a bit, and then Miles drew his gun. Luckily Caleb was faster.”

  “You both could have died tonight.”

  “Yeah. It’s been a busy thirty-six hours. That’s two near deaths.” His tone is full of amusement, but there’s nothing funny about that.

  I reach for Gabriel’s hands, guiding them around me until he’s holding me in his arms. “And the others?”

  “Leo and Miles are a package deal.”

  “And the old man?”

  “Merrick fired that bullet.”

  My mouth drops as I study the handsome man who must be around Gabriel’s age, his head falling back against the couch. He appears to be asleep. “He shot his own father?”

  “Yeah. I think it was a heat-of-the-moment thing. Camillo had Merrick’s boyfriend murdered. A guy who had nothing to do with this world. Like you.”

  “Holy shit.” Talk about messed-up family dynamics. “Is he upset?”

  “He definitely doesn’t seem like himself, but he’ll get over it. It’s not like it wasn’t coming. It just wasn’t supposed to go down like this, or tonight. And Leo wasn’t a part of the plan. He didn’t give a shit about family legacy. He’d be happy to cut out the others to run it himself. Like my uncle and cousins.”

  “And Merrick and Vince are okay with that?”

  “They want out as much as we do. Now, they’ll probably take over the family’s wineries and venture into a few other businesses. Legit ones.”

  Pieces are starting to fit together. “So, this whole plan to get away from the drug business, those two have been in on it all along?”

  “Yeah. And the only way that’s ever going to happen is if our family is dealt with.”

  Dealt with. As in dead.

  “But your father is still alive.”

  “For now.”

  A shiver skitters through my body. That sounds like a promise. I tell myself that I don’t want to know what they have planned. It’s called plausible deniability, and I need to wade deep in that pond, given I have Lewis hounding me.

  At least the terrace is quickly emptying of people. Only a few stragglers linger by the bar, pouring back shots that they’ll feel tomorrow.

  I watch as Moe’s sleek form closes in on where Michelle and Merrick doze. Only, Merrick’s head snaps up as if on guard. Words are exchanged and then Moe collects Michelle’s sleeping body with slow, gentle movements, like a parent would pick up their child.

  “Moe will carry her to bed,” Gabriel says, answering the question before I have a chance to ask.

  “Whose bed. Caleb’s?” Talk about a living nightmare. As if tonight wasn’t bad enough. She shouldn’t have to wake up next to the man.

  Gabriel chuckles and points to where two women—one the blond showgirl who rode Caleb’s lap earlier—have peeled off their costumes and are stepping into the pool naked, each beckoning Caleb with crooked fingers. “He’s not going to sleep tonight.”

  I can see his mischievous grin from here as he begins shedding clothes. I shake my head. It’s a good thing Michelle is unconscious. “Is this what normally happens when you guys come to Vegas? Booze and debauchery?”

  “And excessive gambling. Usually no dead bodies.”

  I turn to give him a flat look.

  “This is pretty tame, compared to the usual.” His eyes are twinkling.

  I shift my focus back to Moe—I don’t want to think about the kinds of things Gabriel has done with other women while here—and watch him whisk Michelle away. My guilt flares. “Is he upset with me?” He didn’t say a word to me the entire night, not that he was much of a talker to begin with. But will I be dealing with a bodyguard carrying a grudge from now on?

  “No, he gets it.”

  “I almost got him killed.”

  “You were trying to protect me. And what were we supposed to think? He did ask Farley to be on your detail.”

  “Yeah. Why?” That still doesn’t add up.

  “From what Far
ley told me, he has a soft spot for women and children. He likes protecting innocent people, and he’s good at it.”

  And the Eastons are far from innocent. Though, I’m not sure I fit neatly under that label anymore, either.

  I turn back just as Caleb strolls into the pool, naked and proud and fully erect. If I didn’t know him, it might be an enticing sight. The problem is, I do know him. “I’ve seen your brother naked far too many times.”

  Gabriel’s dark chuckles tickles my eardrum. “He would argue not enough.”

  The drunken people by the bar must notice what’s happening in the pool then, because they suddenly flock to it in chorus of laughter, stumbling over their feet as they discard their clothes. In less than a minute, there are six drunk naked people in the pool.

  Against my back, I feel Gabriel harden. I’m not surprised that he would respond to this free-spirited fuckfest unfolding below us. Even I’m having a hard time ignoring the heady feeling growing in the air, an intoxicating carelessness that distracts from all our looming worries.

  But, the worries are still there.

  “So, what now?” I ask softly.

  “Now, we enjoy being alive another day while we wait to see how this all plays out tomorrow.” Gabriel releases me from his grip to slip his hands beneath my dress. Hooking his fingers in the sides of my panties, he slides them off. They fall to the floor, settling on my heels.

  I gasp as his finger slides into me from behind. “Gabriel—”

  “Relax. It’s dark in here, and no one cares anyway.”

  He’s probably right, I realize, watching as the two women swarm Caleb, each pressing up to a side of him, taking turns kissing him, their hands disappearing beneath the water to tag team a hand job. The other three—two men and a woman—have grouped off, settling onto the steps, three sets of hands wandering over flesh with curious abandon. Only Merrick sits on the couch, a glass of something in his grip, quietly watching the spectacle.

  “You know that I could never hurt you, right? Even if you had taken that agent’s deal… ” His words drift. “I haven’t been a good man, Mercy. Not to you, not to anyone. I probably deserve to rot in a cell for the rest of my life.”