Page 23

B oyd

I fuck Sarah until I’m so exhausted I can barely stand.

She’s on the bed, totally spent. I’m perched over her, finishing my last cigarette of the day as I look down at her gorgeous body.

“How did I get so fucking lucky?” I mutter, putting my cigarette out and getting into bed.

I pull her into my arms and hold her close as I get comfortable in bed. I won’t be able to sleep for long, but I need a little rest. Then I’ll have to say goodbye to the girl with pretty blue eyes and hit the streets again.

I have to find this son of a bitch. Every minute I spend looking for him is time away from Sarah.

Nothing comes between me and what is mine, even a fucking serial killer.

And when I find him, there won’t be a damn trial.

Not this time around. I’ll finish him off myself and give Sarah the exclusive of a lifetime.

I think about her gratitude with a smile on my face as I fall asleep.

I wake up before the sun and glance at the clock. It’s the perfect time to slip out of Salvalagio and swing by my place for a change of clothes. But that means disturbing the gorgeous woman in my arms.

I let out a long sigh as I nuzzle her neck.

“Sarah, I have to leave,” I whisper, kissing her skin.

“No, don’t go,” she whines, moving her body against me. “Not yet.”

“I’m sorry,” I grunt, shifting toward the edge of the bed. “I’ll be back when I can.”

Sarah whimpers her dissatisfaction and keeps her hand on me until I’m out of the bed. I adjust her until she’s on the pillow and kiss her cheek before turning away to get dressed.

I get as far as the door before my phone lights up.

The Mafia Prince Killer has struck again.

“Fuck!” I yell, turning around and stomping back to the bed. “Get up. He hit the Spaniards. Moreno’s oldest kid. Police just got the call.”

Sarah sits up with a confused look on her face.

“Get dressed. Come on.” I kick the bed with my foot. “You want content, right?”

Sarah rubs her eyes and blinks them into focus. “Wait, you’re serious? He killed someone last night? That’s—he never moves this fast!”

“Bring all your shit,” I snap. “You can do your podcast on the road after we see the scene if you want to go live before anyone else breaks the story.”

Sarah is wide awake in no time once she realizes I’m taking her to another crime scene.

She quickly gets dressed and piles some stuff in a bag.

So much for swinging by my place for a shower.

I’ll play it off as being out all night looking for the son of a bitch if anyone asks.

Not that it’s their business. I told the only one who needs to know what is really going on.

“Too late to break the story,” Sarah mutters, scrolling through her phone as she follows me. “But nobody knows what is written on the wall, so that’ll be an exclusive, just like last time.”

“Good,” I say, hitting the button to call the elevator.

I don’t have to bring her with me. I’ve fixed her phone so that it has the same untraceable app for texts that is on mine. I could go to the scene, text her the information, and get on with my day.

But any excuse to spend more time with Sarah is a good one. I lead her to the SUV and open the door, then walk around to my side.

“The Moreno family?” Sarah asks. “I don’t have much information on them.”

“You shouldn’t,” I answer. “Nobody should. They are… don’t put this on your podcast. They’re mostly mercenaries. They do a lot of business with the Brennan family.”

“That’s a pattern then,” Sarah says. “In Chicago, after he hit the first family, he went through their network, taking out others that did business with them. He’s probably doing the same thing in Las Vegas.”

“What about New Jersey and New York?” I ask, glancing over at her.

“No real pattern there,” she replies. “Well, none that was as easy to follow as the one in Chicago. The last murder in New Jersey seemed totally random. It was a brand-new group that was just getting started. The Mafia Prince Killer didn’t even have much dirt on them.”

“Hmm.” I light a cigarette as I ponder it. “Alright, after we go by the scene, I’ll look into Brennan’s network.”

Sarah keeps giving me updates as she finds them. The story has broken, and the true crime world is waking up, but Las Vegas never sleeps. There are plenty of people around who are still partying from the night before, and others who are getting an early start on their day.

I maneuver around the cars and pedestrians until I get to the Moreno family’s territory.

The Moreno family is pretty small-time, especially compared to some of other families in Las Vegas.

Mercenaries. Hitmen. They’re the ones you’d usually call if you need someone eliminated without doing it yourself or using someone in your own family.

Erica hired a Moreno hitman to kill Massimo.

If it wasn’t for our relationship with the Moreno family, the boss would have never gotten a chance to take his father’s throne.

“Same thing as last time,” I mutter as I pull up to the gate outside Lorenzo Moreno’s residence. “Let me do all the talking.”

“Sure thing,” Sarah replies.

Lorenzo Moreno’s oldest son’s name is— was— Miguel.

He wasn’t a kid like Liam Brennan. He was supposed to be getting married in a few months.

I have the wedding invitation on my table at home.

You understand there are risks in this line of work, but getting murdered in your bedroom by a serial killer isn’t usually one of them.

Moreno’s residence is more heavily guarded than Brennan’s was. It takes me longer to convince the guys at the front gate to let me in, but they eventually cave. The police are still here in force. Lots of patrol cars and the forensics team are still gathering evidence.

“Lot livelier than the last crime scene,” Sarah remarks, glancing out the window as I park the SUV.

“Yeah, stay behind me. There are so many cops here it might not be so easy to get in,” I say, getting out of the vehicle.

Sarah does as I ask. I talk to an officer I recognize, then find a detective I saw at the last crime scene.

He’s not excited about us walking around, but since I’m with the Morandi family, he finally caves.

He gives us an escort to make sure we don’t step on anything important, and I lead Sarah up the stairs to the bedroom where the murder took place.

“Oh, no, the body is still there,” Sarah groans.

“Want to wait until they are done with that part?” I offer.

“Um… no, I’ll manage,” she answers, swallowing hard.

We’re not allowed in the bedroom, but we are able to get a good look from the door. Miguel Moreno is in his bed. There’s a sheet over him that is stained with blood. Based on the amount of blood and the location of the wound, it looks like the killer used a knife again.

Then I look at the wall and tremors of concern shoot through me.

“My work continues. Sin City is so much fun. This time, it’s double or nothing,” Sarah reads aloud.

“There’s been another murder!” a detective calls out.

“Double or nothing…” Sarah says, glancing up at me. “Two in the same night?”

“Fucking hell.” I shake my head. “Come on.”

Things just went from bad to worse. I get a text message when we get to the car, but it isn’t about the latest murder, so I text Massimo to let him know what I heard. I get a reply almost immediately letting me know who the victim is.

“We won’t be going to the next crime scene,” I say.

“Why?” Sarah asks.

“Because apparently we can’t figure out where the fucking Bratva is, but the Mafia Prince Killer can,” I say, turning over the ignition and lighting a cigarette. “Less than a dozen guys, but the fucker still found them. Same shit, too. He killed the oldest son.”

“That means he’s killed three people in two days,” Sarah says. “If he only kills five like he has previously, then he could be done in Las Vegas in a couple more days.”

“Yeah,” I rumble, taking a drag from my cigarette and flicking ashes out the window. “You know anything that could help? You know more about this fucker than any of us.”

“If I did, I would have already told you about it,” she sighs. “He’s never struck twice in one night. The nerve agent has never killed anyone. I mean, that could be a bad reaction to it, but it’s still different.”

I glance at my phone as another message blinks on the screen. “Massimo is sending some guys to clean up what is left of the Bratva,” I mutter. “Looks like I’m going with them. I need to drop you off at the hotel.”

“By clean up, you mean…” Sarah trails off.

“You know exactly what it means,” I say.

They’re wounded and mourning, but I don’t give a fuck.

There’s no way we’re going to give them an inch in Las Vegas, much less a foothold.

A dozen guys is twelve too many when it comes to them.

Erica may have been the mastermind behind the murder of Massimo’s first wife, but the Bratva were still part of it.

They also kidnapped my sister and were responsible for her death, even if they didn’t pull the trigger when the gun was in her mouth.

Sarah doesn’t say much on the way back to Salvalagio.

I’m not sure if it’s because of the bloody crime scene I dragged her to, the news about the Mafia Prince Killer striking twice in one night, or what I said about the Bratva.

At the end of the day, I’ve got more blood on my hands than the Mafia Prince Killer will ever have on his, and they’re about to get bloodier.

“Please be careful,” Sarah says when I turn into the parking lot. “If something happens to you…”

I turn to her after I park the SUV and see tears in the corners of her eyes. It’s not about what I’m about to do. She’s scared. I put my hand on hers and pat it reassuringly.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry about me,” I say, trying to keep my voice low. “This is what I do. I’m good at it. Besides, do you think a bullet or two will stop me?”

Sarah blinks away her tears. “I’d prefer if that was a question I never had to consider.”

“Look, I get it, but this is my job. This is what I do.” I squeeze her hand and pat it again. “Las Vegas will be a lot safer without the Bratva. You know what they’ve done—what they almost did during Erica’s coup.”

“Yeah, and I get going after them,” she relents. “But I can’t help being worried.”

“It’s twelve guys. I could probably handle it myself,” I say sarcastically.

“But I won’t be alone. I’ll have my crew, and Massimo’s sending some of his best. It’ll be over before you know it, and then we’ll continue looking for this Mafia Prince Killer fucker.

Go inside, do your podcast, and I’ll try to get a look at the wall while I’m taking care of business. ”

“I’m not really in the mood to do a podcast,” she mutters, wiping her eyes.

Damn. She cares more about me than her podcast. I really have made her mine. And I’m hers. Which means I need to come back to her, because I won’t rest peacefully if I’m the reason those pretty blue eyes lose their shine.

“Then do it for me,” I say, looking down. “I like listening to your lovely voice while I’m driving around. I did it all day yesterday.”

“R-really?” she asks, blinking away more tears.

“Yep,” I answer truthfully. “Made it feel like you were with me. Plus, you keep me up to date on all the developments I’m not aware of. I don’t have time to read the fucking news.”

“Okay.” She nods and forces a smile. “If I hurry, I might be able to break the news about what is written on the wall again.”

That’s better. She may not be excited about it, but at least she’s got something to focus on besides me. I won’t be so lucky. I’ll be thinking about this gorgeous woman every second I’m away from her.

I walk Sarah to the side door of Salvalagio, hug her, and make sure she’s safely inside before I return to my SUV.

Leaving her hurts more than I’d like to admit.

But it’s time to get to work.