Page 141 of Double Down

Phoenix

I know a way to get him into it.

Mav

You two can’t have all the fun.

I look at her. She doesn’t look at me—she looks at the horizon beyond the glass. The river is flat as a held breath.

“Careful,” I say.

“I will be,” she answers, and I believe her just enough to hate the risk.

One issue off the board, but the bigger war is still waiting. And Phoenix? She’s looking at me like she just learned I can play more than one game.

Oh, little angel, there are so many games we are going to play.

38

Conrad

We’re goingto destroy a dirty cop, and then I’m going to make Phoenix wear my shirt while she fucks all four of us. Maybe all at once.

I don’t know, yet. But I do know it’ll be good.

The spa is cleared of the fake Botox, and Legal is taking charge of pressing charges against the manager, hanging every ounce of liability around her neck. The police aren’t going to pursue charges against the resort.

Storm’s leverage made sure Langford tucked tail and left without dragging us into headlines. Not bad for a morning’s work.

I lean back in my leather chair, roll my shoulders, and finally let myself breathe. It’s been so long since I’ve had one problem handled cleanly, I almost forgot what it feels like.

The lawyer’s still on the line, his voice cool and steady. “The videos of Danner you sent, along with the call logs and the threatening texts from the cop, are enough to get his badge pulled. I’ll make sure it’s all handled quietly. Suits will be filedagainst the manager and anyone else tied to the counterfeit meds. You’ll be clear of any liability.”

I nod, even though he can’t see me. “Good. Keep pressure on the cops. I want it all tied off before lunch. Better if you can throw him in a cell.”

“We don’t have enough for charges, not without the video Mr. Vale refuses to give me. Your real consideration is that Danner could lead you to whoever is behind all of this, though. It might be worth a deal just to try to get to that information.”

The idea sits like sawdust in my throat. I don’t like Danner. I’d much rather see him rot than offer him any kind of consideration.

But I do want to know who’s been using Danner to send threatening messages to Phoenix, who’s been fucking with my hotel.

“Do what you can,” I say and hang up the line, staring at the muted reflection of myself in the polished wood.

Storm lays his knife on the desk in front of me like an answer to the unasked questions in the room. Atticus moves his laptop so that we can all see it, and I nod to Maverick.

“Run it.”

“Assuming Legal can’t get him tossed into a cell, we can expect him to flee.” Atticus speaks in his no-nonsense tone while pointing at the map on his screen. “The last ping on the burner phone he used was a mile from here, and then it was gone. If they don’t arrest him, he’s definitely headed for us.”

So we build a trap, and we wait for our prey to make a mistake.

Atticus records a loop of the security cameras while we hang out in the blindspots. Maverick leans easy against the ice machine like he belongs to it. I stand in the center and let the corridor’s sanitized scent of lilies lie to me.

If he does as expected, Danner should come through this door.

He’s not in cuffs. He’s not on a plane. He’s not brave. Cornered men pick the back-of-house because it feels like a secret.

Storm’s knife doesn’t click. It rests along his forearm like it’s a part of his body. Mav checks the time on his phone and sighs.