Page 21

B oyd

After dodging everyone I can on the way out of Salvalagio, I swing by my condo so I can clean myself up, shower, and put on a clean suit.

Once I’m on my way, I send a message to Massimo to let him know I’m coming.

I can’t believe Lloyd Brennan is dead, but more important, how? What the fuck happened? I hope he didn’t… do the same thing my sister did. I can’t imagine what it’s like to mourn your child. Especially when a list of your evil deeds and enough evidence to put you in prison is left beside the body.

We worried about the Mafia Prince Killer when he was active, but he never got anywhere near us. Chicago. New Jersey. Then they caught him in New York. He caused a lot of chaos in those cities, which means he can do the same thing in Las Vegas.

I get back to Salvalagio and park my SUV around back. After entering through the side door with my keycard, I hurry to Massimo’s office. I have no idea why he needs to see me, but at least somebody fucking called me this time.

I was beginning to think I had been completely forgotten.

“Wanted to see me, boss?” I ask, walking into Massimo’s office and closing the door. “Something happened to Lloyd Brennan?”

“Yeah,” he says, looking up with a tense jaw.

“Lloyd Brennan had some kind of negative reaction to the nerve agent the killer used. He passed during the night. It’ll be in the news soon, but I need everyone on the streets looking for this son of a bitch.

Whoever he is. We need to find him. I’m assigning you a crew.

Told you I’d get you back on the streets for taking care of Sarah. ”

“Mm, about that,” I say, rubbing the back of my head. “She might be staying a little longer than expected.”

“I’m sure she is,” Massimo says. “But that’s fine. She can do her podcast in her room, or whatever. I don’t give a fuck.”

“Little more complicated than that, boss,” I sigh, flashing the first sheepish look of my life. “I kind of like her. Might not want her to go.”

Massimo’s face furrows into a scowl and he leans back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest with a sigh.

“Damn it, Lea was right,” he mutters. “She told me that you might have a thing for her. I said no fucking way. Not Big Boyd.”

“Lea said that?” I raise a brow.

“Yeah,” he answers, shaking his head and relaxing his arms. “Good for you, man. You deserve it. Just like you deserve to out there on the streets, with a crew, helping us find this motherfucker before he hits another family.”

“You got it, boss,” I nod and grin. “Who are my guys?”

“Talk to Dante,” Massimo says, waving a hand toward the door. “He’s handling all of that.”

“Not Rowan?” I question, then bite my tongue because it really isn’t my place.

“Nah, I’ve got Rowan watching my house,” he says. “Just to be safe. I mean, this fucker has never gone after a pregnant woman before. We don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl. But I still feel better with Rowan there with a rather large security detail.”

“Understandable.” I nod in agreement. “We’ll find this fucker.”

“I’m counting on that,” Massimo says.

The boss knows that Sarah is mine. One less thing to worry about.

I process the news about Lloyd Brennan as I leave Massimo’s office.

I didn’t know Lloyd very well but worked with him a few times before I became Erica’s bodyguard.

The killer must have used something a lot stronger than he previously did, if it was enough to kill someone.

That’s never happened before, as far as I know.

But I can confirm that with a text message, so I pull out my phone.

Boyd: Has anyone ever died from the Mafia Prince Killer’s nerve agent?

Sarah: No, never! Is that what happened to Lloyd Brennan?

Boyd: Yes. You can put this on your podcast now if you want. Massimo said it will be in the news soon, so there’s no danger.

Sarah: Oh, my gosh! Thank you!

I can’t see the excitement in her eyes, but I can certainly imagine it.

Boyd: I’ll be out looking for more information, but it might be a while before you hear from me.

Sarah: Okay, I won’t bother you unless I have to. Please be careful!

Boyd: I will. Also, Massimo knows about us. You should tell Lea.

Sarah: I’m meeting with her tomorrow. She’ll be at the hotel.

Good enough. I put my phone away and continue down the hallway.

Salvalagio is a base of operations for the Morandi family. Massimo has an office here, just like his dad before he retired. Most of the guests have no idea that we operate out of here, but it could be turned into a fortress if there was a reason to do so.

I find Dante in our war room and nod to him.

“Massimo said I should come see you,” I say. “Said you got a crew for me.”

Dante De Luca. Massimo’s cousin, by way of Salvatore’s younger sister. He’s a Capo, but technically one rank below me since I’m a Bodyguard Capo. Because he’s one of Massimo’s blood relatives, he’ll likely sit at the table one day, especially once Salvatore’s generation follows him into retirement.

“Yeah, several guys who reported to Emilio will make up your crew. Should be guys you’re familiar with.

” Dante stands and walks to a board behind him.

He flips it over and I see a list of the men who will be reporting directly to me.

“All the information you need is on the board. They’re already on the streets, looking for information. ”

“Perfect, I’ll check in with them,” I say.

I have most of their numbers in my phone, so I add the ones I’m missing, and I set up a group text with everyone. I send a message to see if they’ve come up with anything useful. After a few responses, I learn they haven’t gotten very far.

“Fuck. I’ll hit the streets myself,” I mutter, lighting a cigarette once I’m outside. “Hopefully I still remember which heads to kick around.”

It’s been a while since I was on the streets.

Emilio got Erica pregnant when she was sixteen, and they were married not long after that.

She seemed like such a sweet girl back then.

After her coup, I found out there was a lot more to it, and she wasn’t as innocent as I thought, even back then.

She tried to get with Massimo first. The bitch even threw herself at Leo, after he became a damn priest. That left Emilio, and I guess he was less resistant than his brothers.

Once I’m in my SUV, I locate Sarah’s podcast on my phone and connect it to the audio system in the vehicle.

If I’m going to be on the streets looking for information, I can at least listen to her lovely voice while I do.

She recently did a live broadcast and the countdown is ticking toward another one.

I wait it out while I finish my cigarette.

Finally, I hear her.

“I’ve got a huge update for everyone, but first, we need to go through all the latest recaps!” Sarah says excitedly.

All I want to do is turn the SUV around, go upstairs to her room, and pull her into my arms. I’ve got it fucking bad.

The quicker we deal with the Mafia Prince Killer, the better.

I finally found someone that can wrap me around her finger with an adorable tilt of her head or lovely laugh, and now a fucking serial killer shows up.

“Fucking asshole,” I mutter, letting Sarah fill me in on all the latest updates while I drive.

The Mafia Prince Killer always strikes five times, which means Liam Brennan is just the first victim.

Sarah asked me if I knew who he might go after next.

That’s a difficult question. There are plenty of options in Las Vegas.

Everyone will have extra security, but that’s never stopped the asshole before.

“He always uses gas. Always uses tranquilizer darts. If the nerve agent he’s using this time is different, he had to get it from somewhere,” I say while Sarah excitedly goes over the news about Lloyd Brennan with her listeners. “Only a few guys in Las Vegas who could supply something like that.”

Fuck. The first, and most likely option, would be the Sin City Devils MC.

They run guns, weapons, and other shit like that.

I hate dealing with them. They’re a bunch of cocky, arrogant fuckers that think they should be running Las Vegas.

They’re smart enough to give us our cut, but they’re unpredictable.

The Sin City Devils MC operates out of a club near The Gutter where I grew up.

Smart thing would be to round up a few members of my crew, rather than going alone, but I’m in the mood for a fight if they start anything.

I make sure I’ve got a full clip and one in the chamber before I park next to the row of motorcycles.

There are a couple of guys standing outside. I nod to them as I walk in.

It looks like the Sin City Devils MC is having a party. Lots of drinks. The air is thick with smoke. There are several naked women running around, being chased by guys wearing the MC cut. A few people notice me, but don’t stop what they’re doing.

I spot Ajax, the VP of the Sin City Devils MC, and walk over to his table. He’s in the middle of snorting a line and finishes it before lifting his head.

“Big Boyd,” he says, sniffing and rubbing his nose. “Been a long fucking time.”

“Yeah,” I mutter. “I’ll make this quick. The Mafia Prince Killer used a new nerve agent in Las Vegas. It’s different from what he used to use. You had anybody buying something new? Something that might not be on the streets yet?”

“Hmm,” Ajax says, stroking his chin and smirking. “The Morandi family doesn’t get to know the ins and outs, Big Boyd. All you get is a cut of the profits.”

“Not the time, Ajax,” I growl, leaning forward and putting my fists on the table. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.”

Ajax stiffens like he’s sizing me up. He glances around at his guys like he’s wondering if the fight is worth it. It isn’t, but I’ll let him figure that out on his own.

“Fine, whatever.” Ajax waves a hand. “Yeah, we heard the same shit. He didn’t get it from us. Probably something Russian. They’ve been working on several new nerve agents.”

“Bratva isn’t active in Las Vegas anymore,” I say. “Who is bringing in Russian gas?”

“Yeah, the Bratva isn’t active in Las Vegas anymore,” he chuckles sarcastically and winks. “Just because the Morandi family ignores them doesn’t mean they’re not here.”

A growl rumbles in my chest. Erica was working with some remnants of the old Bratva. The group Massimo eliminated. Are there more? I haven’t been on the streets to hear shit like this.

“Appreciate it,” I say, nodding to Ajax.

Ajax has the most punchable face in the world, but I’ll let him keep it today. He’s not the one who needs his head kicked off his shoulders.

As soon as I leave the bar, I send a message to Massimo.

Boyd: You know anything about the Bratva operating in Las Vegas again?

Massimo: Rumors. I haven’t seen any proof.

Boyd: Ajax said the nerve agent might be Russian.

Massimo: I’ll get Dante to look into it. Thanks, big man.

Good enough. I can’t spend my time hunting Bratva ghosts if I’m going to find the Mafia Prince Killer, even if the nerve agent is Russian.

That purchase has already been made. If he got it from the Russians, then they aren’t going to identify him.

Way too much bad blood for that, and I’m not sure what I would do if I ran into them—it wouldn’t be pretty, that’s for damn sure.

I spend the rest of my day hitting up other suppliers and running into a bunch of dead ends. My crew doesn’t come up with anything useful, either. I touch base with Massimo and the other crews are reporting the same thing. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I haven’t done my job well, but I can’t keep going forever without a little rest.

Or maybe I’m just eager to get back to Sarah.