Page 24

Kane is not amused by my laughter. “Oh come on, Kane. You’re way too on edge over me being me. You need another drink.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“Is it your father?”

“Ghost isn’t helping the situation, but yes, it’s my father. Until he’s gone once and for all, I’ll be on edge.”

“You have a plan. It’s a good plan.”

“He’ll have his own plan. On top of it all, I have a business meeting I can’t miss in the morning.”

“What kind of meeting?”

“The kind that keeps my oil business going, bella. No mob, cartel, or Society involvement. Which is where my focus should be in the first place, not on the rest of this bullshit. And you’re right. I need a drink. You want one?”

“Me and booze on camera might be fun to watch, but I’ll pass.”

“You’re not that bad,” he teases and walks toward the bar. “Just almost that bad.”

My cellphone rings where it’s sitting on the kitchen island, an unknown caller flashing on my caller ID, which screams Ghost to me. Fabulous. Kane is never stressed, not in a visible way, and he is not going to be happy, but just as he has to do his job tomorrow, I have to do mine tonight. I answer the call, “Who is this?” I’m pleasant that way. I know Tic Tac would agree, especially in his current state of joy and happiness.

“The guy you spent hours terrorizing before putting me on a chopper,” is the reply, in a deep male voice.

Pocher’s head of security. Paul, I think. He’s not memorable enough for me to remember his name, if I ever knew it. “Oh,” I reply. “You. My people must have failed since you’re calling me, and for the record, hours seems a bit exaggerated. Enrique wasn’t with you that long, but apparently, he made the time count if it felt like hours.” Kane reappears, two glasses filled with amber liquid sloshing about the sides in hand, and sets one in front of me.

He lifts his chin at the phone, a pinch of curiosity on his face that has me placing the call on speaker, and just in time for Kane to enjoy the show, it seems.

“Your cousin yelled at me in random outbursts,” Paul, or whatever his name is, complained. “Worse, he flashed a gun around that he didn’t know how to use when he did. He could have killed us both.”

“He’s quite irritating, and I agree that at times his very presence can terrorize a person. I mean, I for one can only take so much stupidity.”

Kane sits down and sips his whiskey, amusement lighting his eyes, his stress banked, at least for now. I’m entertaining, if nothing else.

Paul grunts and says, “I want to talk about election night.”

“What about it?”

“Max Oliver is one of our largest donors. His place in the Hamptons is sixty-four thousand square feet. He has private security that’s top notch.”

“Why do I care what Max Oliver has on his property?”

“I want to move the party there. We can have the three targets stay on property.”

“Are you asking me, or telling me?”

“You’re the FBI agent handling the killer. Isn’t it your job to help me secure a safe event?”

“Well, considering you got kidnapped by Lucas, I think it’s valid to believe you need help doing your job and protecting my father.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a bitch?”

Kane silently laughs. I shrug. “I am. Thank you. And despite that good news for you, I don’t plan to allow the assassin to be an issue that long.”

“It’s only days away.”

“Your point?”

He makes a frustrated sound and rather abruptly hangs up. I have that effect on some men. I’ve already dismissed him, refocusing on Kane. “I need to get Tic Tac here where he feels safe. The minute we lured him to the city, we left. I’ll have him stay with Lucas.”

“And that will make him feel safe?”

“If you have Enrique stay with them.”

“You’re really trying to get rid of Enrique, aren’t you?”

I see no reason to pretend otherwise, which makes my answer a simple, “Yes,” and then I move on, “which reminds me. Where are Kit and Jay?”

“I sent Jay to check into a hotel. He’ll be back. Kit’s staying out of our hair, but he’s here, securing the property. He’ll be waiting on us to take us to the press conference.”

“Securing the property from Ghost,” I say flatly.

“From whoever the fuck dares try to enter. Apparently, you’re about to invite Elsa over to kill you.”

“I need her to actually be able to get in if we’re that lucky.”

“That means Ghost can get in,” he counters. “Hard no.”

“We’re already locked down like Fort Knox. Easing it right now would be better than aiming higher.”

“When there’s a threat, you change things up; you don’t give them the chance to know what you do not want them to know. Ghost studies his targets.”

“I’ve told you, I’m not a target for Ghost.”

“I might be. He’s obsessed with you. Maybe he wants me out of the way.”

“No,” I say immediately. “It’s not that kind of obsession. It’s—it’s just not.” I wave off the topic. “I need to call Tic Tac. Can you get a chopper set-up for him and have the men with him escort him?”

“Is Jack coming?”

“I cannot believe I’m even saying this.” I down the contents of the whiskey glass. “Yes. We’ll bring Jack. I cannot believe I’m even saying this.”

“You just said that.”

“It’s worth repeating. He’s smart, too smart for my own good at times, but Tic Tac leans on him, and we need an extra brain on this.” I grab my coat. “I’ll call Tic Tac on the way to the press conference. I really need to get there and talk to Andrew in advance. Knowing my dumbass brother, he hasn’t even thought of the potential that Elsa might show up at the press conference with her sniper gun.”

Kane responds to my concern by calling in discreet manpower and reinforcements, which is fine by me. Maybe they’ll kill her so I don’t have to, because this isn’t going to be pretty.