Irish Throwdown (What Happens In Vegas Book 4)

by Matt Lincoln

  “Got it,” I replied as I stood from my seat. My muscles were a little sore from chasing Finnian through the street, but I’d have been lying if I’d said I wasn’t also champing at the bit to question him. I could feel the anticipation building as he led us down to the interview room.

  “You go ahead,” Junior nodded at me once we finally arrived. “I’ll watch from out here.”

  “Are you sure?” I prompted, more out of politeness than anything else. I really wanted to be the one to do most of the talking, anyway.

  “Yeah,” Junior nodded. “You chased the guy through a parade. Go ahead. You earned it.”

  “Okay,” I agreed before turning to step into the small room on the other side of the two-way glass. I wasn’t sure what approach to use with Finnian since, so far, he’d seemed pretty unperturbed by everything that had happened. He’d even burst out laughing when I’d tackled him to the ground. For the moment, I’d just speak straightforwardly and watch for his reactions.

  Finnian was sitting back in his chair as Seamus and I entered the room, seemingly entirely at ease. If he was at all nervous, he wasn’t showing it.

  “Ah, hello again, Agent… Charlie Hills, I’m guessing?”

  I paused for just a moment as I took a seat in front of him. I glanced over to Seamus, who looked just as confused as I was.

  “Yes,” I replied simply. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you know who I am. You have friends within the police here, don’t you?”

  “I have friends all over,” Finnian replied coolly. “Would I also be correct in assuming that your arresting me has something to do with that little television broadcast from a few nights ago?”

  “It does.” I nodded. “What do you know about that?”

  “I know that the person behind it is named Liam O’Sullivan,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug. The guy looked utterly relaxed, as though he was having a chat in his own living room rather than being interrogated in a police station, and it was pissing me off. “I wasn’t certain at first, but things are beginning to click into place nicely now. If I’m right, then he’s also the one responsible for all that business with the drug-induced violent outbreaks currently plaguing Las Vegas.”

  I tried to hide the shock I felt at his words, but I must have failed if the smirk that slipped onto his face was any indication.

  “What makes you say that?” I asked. He knew way too many details for this to just be a bluff.

  “It’s the only conclusion that makes sense,” he shrugged. “I didn’t get to this position by chance, you know. I’d be dead right now if I wasn’t capable of outsmarting my enemies.”

  “What position is that?” I asked calmly.

  “Really, do I have to spell it out?” he asked mockingly as he glanced over to Seamus, who’d been fuming silently beside me the entire time. “Fine, then. I’m the head of the Irish Mafia, although I’m sure you already knew that. I’m fairly certain that my former partner, Liam O’Sullivan, is attempting to overthrow me and going to great lengths to do it. It’s also highly likely that some of my own men have betrayed me. That’s probably how you found out where I’d be tonight. Am I wrong?”

  I gritted my teeth in annoyance. This guy might have been a lot of things, but he wasn’t stupid.

  “Alright.” I nodded. “You’re right. So why are you just admitting to everything? Aren’t you concerned about admitting to being a member of the mafia right in front of the police?”

  “I take betrayal very seriously,” he answered. “I need Liam to understand what happens to those who cross me. And I’m not really scared of the Garda. No offense to you, sir.”

  He sneered at Seamus, who looked about ready to explode at his snarky remark.

  “What happened between you and Liam?” I asked before Seamus could go off. “This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that you two didn’t get along.”

  “We had a difference of opinion,” he replied easily, though there was a knowing glint in his eyes that unsettled me. “I’ll tell you what. Find him for me, and I’ll let you know what it is we fought about.”

  I was about to tell him that I really didn’t care that much what their falling out was over, but something in his expression stopped me. It was almost as if he was enjoying some private joke at my expense.

  “Fine,” I conceded flatly. “Where is he?”

  “Well, if I knew that, do you think I’d be asking for some fed’s help?” he scoffed. “He’s most likely up in Northern Ireland somewhere, though. I’m assuming that’ll help you narrow down your search, right? Haven’t you got a lass that’s good with computers back home?”

  I froze at his obvious reference to Fiona. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he had information on us, considering how powerful he evidently was, but it was still unnerving to be so plainly reminded.

  “Yeah, we do,” I replied confidently.

  “Well, that’s just perfect then,” Finnian grinned. “We’ll both get what we want. Isn’t it great when everyone wins?”

  I glared at him hatefully before pushing back my chair and leaving the room. I couldn’t stand the sight of his stupid, cocky smile for even another second. The entire interview, I’d felt like I’d been yanked around by him. I slammed the door before falling into one of the seats in the viewing area beside Junior.

  “We can’t let him get away with this,” he muttered angrily. “You know that’s what he’s thinking, right? That he’s so powerful and untouchable that he’ll be out of jail in no time. He’s probably right, too.”

  “That won’t happen,” I insisted. “We’ll figure something out. Right now, we need to focus on finding O’Sullivan and forming a plan to go up to Northern Ireland.”

  “You don’t think he was bluffing?” Junior asked.

  “No,” I replied bitterly. “That’s what ticked me off so badly. He’s so confident that he really isn’t scared about admitting to everything. He thinks he can just confess to crimes and still get away with them.”

  “That’s kind of how the mafia operates,” Junior scoffed. “They pay people off to look the other way, or blackmail them, or bribe them. They stay in power by making sure everyone keeps their mouths shut.”

  “Well, that’s not going to happen this time,” I snarled as I glared through the two-way mirror into the room where Seamus was still questioning Finnian about which Garda officers were involved with the mafia.

  “Come on,” Junior prompted as he got up. “It’s late. We should go get some sleep so we can head up to Northern Ireland early tomorrow morning.”

  “Yeah,” I nodded, suddenly feeling the weight of my fatigue hit me all at once at the mention of sleep.

  As we were leaving, I shot one last look over my shoulder at Finnian, who was still sitting there with that cocky, self-assured grin. He might be used to getting his way, but I would make sure he didn’t slip away from justice this time.

  31

  Miranda

  I thrust my hand into the colorful bowl of individually wrapped chocolates that Fiona had set on her desk, and the thin aluminum wrappers crinkled as they brushed against each other. I pulled out one of my favorites, a chocolate-coated truffle with caramel filling, and peeled the wrapper off with way more force than necessary before popping the entire thing into my mouth.

  I was frustrated. Being turned away by that brute at the bar had been irritating enough, but then we’d been unable to secure a warrant to search the place. According to the judge, we didn’t have enough evidence, and we couldn’t exactly explain to him that Fiona had illegally hacked into the police database to get the information about the cases that had been covered up.

  “Did that candy do something to offend you?” Fiona paused her work to look up at me as I ripped open another piece of chocolate.

  “It’s not the candy,” Naomi sighed as she leaned forward to rest her elbows against Fiona’s desk. We’d invaded her small office after getting back, and now the three of us were crowded around her desk.
“She’s just sore about the fact that we couldn’t get a warrant to search that bar, and she’s pitching a fit over it.”

  “Well, aren’t you mad about it?” I protested as I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. I knew I was being childish, but this was just so wrong. We knew that something was going on with that bar, but we couldn’t access it due to a legal technicality.

  “Of course I am,” Naomi rolled her eyes. “But whining about it isn’t going to get me anywhere. Anyway, we should probably start heading out soon.”

  I checked the time and realized that she was right. The sun was only just starting to go down, but people would start heading out to their parties the moment it got even a little darker. After all, it was Halloween, and we were planning on patrolling around the strip just in case anything happened. Halloween in Las Vegas was known for being a wild, drug and booze-fueled party, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if another attack occurred tonight.

  “Alright,” I nodded as I regretfully stood up. We’d been holed up in Fiona’s office eating Halloween candy all morning, and I much preferred that to dealing with idiots acting stupid on Halloween.

  “Have fun, stay safe,” Fiona called flatly as we left the office and headed toward the stairs. As we left the building and headed into the parking lot, I noticed that the sky was overcast, and everything around me seemed washed out and dreary. It definitely fit the spirit of the holiday, but it also gave me a bad feeling, like something terrible was about to happen.

  “Where to?” Naomi asked as we got into the car.

  “Let’s head to Fremont Street,” I suggested. “They’re having some kind of costume competition there, so there’s bound to be a lot of people. We can drive up and down the strip from there.”

  “Sounds good,” Naomi replied as she started the car.

  We spent the next few hours doing rounds of the strip as we listened in on the police radio. Occasionally, we would respond to a call if it sounded like something that might be related to our case, but for the most part, we just kept watch as the sky grew darker and more people began to spill out onto the streets of the city.

  “Here you go,” Naomi announced as she ducked back into the car and handed me a steaming caramel apple. We’d noticed a street vendor selling them and had decided to park the car nearby.

  “Thank you,” I chirped as I took the Halloween treat from her. The apple was enormous, easily bigger than my fist, and freshly dipped in piping hot melted caramel. “I wish we were off the clock. Those drinks look good, too.”

  All around us, party-goers were walking around holding multi-colored cocktails. I kept seeing people holding the same blue one with smoke floating off the top, and I wondered what it could be and where they were getting them.

  “Well, you’ll have to wait until we’re done working,” Naomi replied. “Which shouldn’t be that long, honestly. We’ve already been out here a couple of hours, and I’m sure the celebrations go on late into the night.”

  “I hope so,” I chucked. Despite my earlier reservations, it didn’t seem like anything bad had happened at all. Even the rain was holding off, and although the sky was dark and covered with menacing-looking clouds, the ground below remained dry. I wouldn’t mind coming back out after work and having a drink or two.

  “All available units respond,” the radio crackled to life as a voice called.

  I listened with rapt attention as Naomi turned the volume up.

  “Shots reported at thirty-five-forty-five Las Vegas Boulevard,” the dispatcher continued. “Possible two-forty-five in progress.”

  “Thirty-five-forty-five,” I muttered out loud. “That’s the address for the High Roller.”

  “The Ferris wheel?” Naomi asked as she put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking spot.

  “That’s the one,” I confirmed. “She said there was a possible assault in progress. We should check it out just in case.”

  “On it,” Naomi nodded as she sped down the Strip.

  The High Roller was a massive Ferris Wheel located in the middle of the Strip, and it was viewable from almost any part of downtown Las Vegas, considering it was the largest Ferris wheel in the world. It was so big, in fact, that it took a full thirty minutes for it to make a full rotation. I could already see it from where we were, lit up with yellow and pink lights. I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of action on the ground as we approached the wheel. I could see people scrambling around and yelling, but I couldn’t actually spot the source of the commotion. It wasn’t until my eyes drifted back up toward the Ferris wheel that I realized what everyone was panicking about.

  About halfway up the right side of the wheel, a small black figure was dangling off the side of one of the carts, swinging something in his hand around threateningly.

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” I muttered as we pulled up to the base of the wheel. I threw open the passenger side door and stepped out of the car, careful to keep a visual on the person the entire time.

  “Do you think it’s related?” Naomi asked as she rushed to stand beside me.

  “Well, he’s clearly not in his right mind,” I remarked as I watched the man get onto his knees on top of the cart and start wildly pounding on it with his fists. “I’d say that’s a safe bet.”

  I heard the sound of sirens and turned to find two police cars pulling up to the scene.

  “Oh, thank goodness you’re here,” a blond, middle-aged woman cried as she ran toward the cops. “I don’t know what to do. I tried reversing the movement so that he’d come back down, but he just kept climbing higher.”

  “Wait, you haven’t turned it off yet?” I snapped as I turned toward the woman.

  “Who are you?” one of the officers demanded as he squared up to me.

  “Agents Castillo and Patel,” Naomi stepped in before I could respond and pulled out her badge. “We’re with the Military Border Liaison Investigative Services. We’ve been collaborating with the police on a case involving a series of drug-fueled assaults. We believe this might be related.”

  “You mean that stuff that was on the news?” the woman gasped. “Oh, my word, what do we do?”

  “Well, first, shut that thing off,” I instructed. “He’s obviously not going to stay still, so there’s no point in letting it continue turning. It’ll just make it harder for us to get him down and put more people in danger in the process.”

  I was abruptly cut off by the sound of a gunshot. The people watching from the ground screamed in response, and I snapped my head up to look at the man. He was leaning over the side of the car and had shot a bullet into one of the windows in an attempt to smash it open. It was hard to see from down here, but it looked like the window had managed to hold.

  I flinched as the sound of a gunshot exploded right behind me, which caused my ears to ring and for the gathered crowd to panic even more. I turned to look at the officers behind me, one of whom was holding his gun aloft and staring wide-eyed up at the Ferris wheel.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I roared past the ringing in my ears.

  “I… I’m sorry,” he stuttered. “I thought he was going to shoot the people in that car, so…”

  “So you decided to help him out?” I snapped angrily. “Did you really think you had a shot from here? What if you hit one of the people in the cars? What if the bullet ricocheted off the giant hunk of metal you’re shooting at and hit one of the people in the ground?”

  “I’m sorry,” the man muttered weakly.

  “Whatever,” I scoffed. “Okay, here’s what we need to do. Call a cherry picker here as soon as possible. I’m going to climb up after him and get him restrained up there.”

  “What?!” the older officer exclaimed. “Are you insane? Is that really your plan?”

  “Do you have a better one?” I retorted. “Or were you just going to follow your partner’s lead and shoot blindly into the Ferris Wheel until you hit him?”

  The officer glared at me before calling for a crane over
his radio. I turned around to hide the smirk on my face and walked toward the metal base of the Ferris wheel.

  “Miranda!” Naomi called as she gripped me by the arm. “I didn’t want to question you in front of them, but are you sure this is a good idea? This is a little crazy, even for you.”

  “What’s the alternative?” I asked. “That glass is going to break any second. Am I just supposed to leave whoever’s in there to the mercy of a madman hundreds of feet above the ground? I’m going.”

  The cars of the Ferris wheel were a lot larger up close than they looked from far away. They were actually circular pods big enough to hold around twenty people, and they were equipped with televisions and even bars. The pods were fixed to the Ferris wheel by long, thin metal rods that could be climbed like a ladder if you were careful about your footing. I assumed that was how the man had gotten up there, and if he could do it, then so could I.

  I ascended as quickly as I could. I was extremely thankful at that moment for all my Marine training because I found myself doing more pull-ups than I had in years as I hoisted myself from one rod to the next.

  “Be careful,” a muffled voice called out to me, and I turned to see a small girl in pigtails with her nose pressed against a pod window, watching me with wide, curious eyes. Two people who I assumed were her parents were standing behind her, watching me with stunned expressions. I smiled at them before continuing my way up.

  It felt strangely loud up here, and I wasn’t sure if it was just windy this high up off the ground or if it was my own blood rushing through my ears as the fear and adrenaline coursed through my body. I could see the man clearly now. I was only one car below him, and he hadn’t noticed me yet. If I was quiet, I might be able to sneak up behind and get the jump on him before he ever saw me coming.

  Just as I thought that, the surrounding air flashed white, and seconds later, everything seemed to shake as a crack of thunder boomed across the sky. Almost instantly, drops of rain began to pelt down on us. The man jumped and looked around wildly, clearly startled by the sudden noise. His eyes landed on mine, just a few feet below me, and he pointed his gun at me.