Page 13

Chapter Thirteen

T he brisk knock on my bedroom door startles me awake. Instinctively, my hand grazes the handle of my gun secured under the bed frame.

“We roll out in fifteen,” Antonio says through the door.

“Fifteen?” I ease my shoulders down, rubbing my face. Throwing the covers to the side, I check the clock. Somehow, I managed to sleep until ten in the morning. Of course, my brain didn’t switch off until almost three.

“That’s what you got left for your beauty routine. When Finn says wheels up, we leave whether you’re in the car or not.”

“Got it.” I grab the gun I keep latched to the underside of the bed and put it on the nightstand. I rush into the bathroom. I brush my teeth with one hand while I comb my hair with the other. I strip off my pajamas and throw on another black outfit. Screw you, Antonio.

An alarm would have been helpful. Why didn’t I set one? At least I showered last night.

Grabbing my gun, I tuck it into its spot inside my coat. I double-check each of my other guns for ammunition and ease of use before leaving my room. The hallway is empty, and I stride toward Lorcan’s office.

Once again, I pause at the door, debating whether I should ask if he spoke to Finn. To take them down, I’ll need information. To prevent the war between the brothers, I need them both to connect with and trust me.

I’m about to leave when the latch clicks unlocked. Glancing up, I spot another tiny camera above the doorway. With a huff, I open the door.

Lorcan looks up from the pile of papers on his desk. “You’re right. This camera thing is quite handy.”

I shake my head and roll my eyes. “Are you really loaning me out to Finn today?”

“Of course. I gave him a hard time about it. I was never gonna say no, was I?” Lorcan drops his pen and rocks back in his chair. “You’ve got a problem with that?”

I stare at him for a minute. “I gotta go.” I rotate on my heel.

He is around the desk and in front of me before I reach the door. “You’re mad. Why are you mad?”

“Your brother is a dick.”

“I’m paying you to get close. The closer you are, the more information he’ll reveal. I need to know.” His voice dips low, racing along my spine, leaving goose bumps in its wake. My body warms at his proximity, the heat radiating off his body.

“I get it.” I can’t look at him. For a reason I don’t want to examine, this arrangement bothers me, and it shouldn’t. With my back to him, I grab the door handle.

“You’re armed?” He takes the door from me as I open it.

“Yeah.” My fingertips graze one of the guns attached to my leg. “Do you know where we’re going?”

“No.” His voice is tight. “He wouldn’t say.” He examines me, his gaze sweeping over my face. “When you get back, come see me.”

“Got it.”

“Kim,” Lorcan calls. “Be safe. Be smart.”

“I’m part of the pack today,” I call over my shoulder. His chuckle echoes behind me.

When I get to the front entrance, Finn and five men are halfway out the door. I jog to catch them before the door shuts. He doesn’t acknowledge my presence as we get into the car. He has a take-out container clutched in one of his hands. My stomach rumbles. How did I forget to eat again?

Once we’re settled in the back, he passes the container.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“That’s your breakfast.”

Easing the top off, the smell of eggs hits me. It’s possible my stomach will reach out and grab the food before it hits my lips. There’s an omelet, a set of cutlery, and a smoothie inside. “Oh.” I glance at Finn who is gazing out the window. “You made this?”

“No. Someone else cooked me breakfast this morning. I asked her to make extra for you.” He glances at me before focusing his attention out the window. “She’s not much of a cook, I’m afraid. Her talents lie elsewhere.” He sighs and then stares at me. “Since I’m sure you didn’t get a chance to eat, it’s probably slightly better than nothing.”

His speech strikes me as funny. The idea of him eating a breakfast his one-night stand cooked him that tasted terrible is amusing. With the cutlery, I slice into the omelet and slip it into my mouth. “It’s not bad. Just a bit bland.”

“Sadly, that also describes her.”

I choke and have to cover my mouth for a few minutes while I get myself under control. He’s serious, and I can’t decide if he’s repulsive or humorous.

“Sometimes ready and willing is the best I can do on short notice.” He slouches deeper into his seat.

“Poor woman.” I unscrew the cap to the smoothie. Gulping back a mouthful, I catch Finn’s grimace out of the corner of my eye.

“Poor woman? Poor me, you mean.”

“That’s not what I mean.” I take another bite of the omelet. “Am I allowed to ask where we’re going?”

“You can ask.” He takes one of the berries beside my omelet.

“I think I just did.” I polish off the final piece. It might have been bland, but it certainly did the trick. At least I won’t be in danger of falling over today.

“Chinatown.”

There’s an up-and-coming Asian organization in Chinatown. The file didn’t have them connected, but maybe this is something new. Taking a calculated risk, I play a card. “The Zhangs.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Lorcan knows more than I thought.”

I close the takeout container and place it at my feet. After swallowing the last of my drink, I say, “He doesn’t know much.” Or anything. “Why am I here?”

“Because I wanted you here.”

The car glides up to the entrance of a strip club before I can ask any more questions. Unlike Lorcan, who is the first out of a vehicle, Finn waits for one of the guards to open his door, and then he nods at me to do the same.

A few of the guys go ahead of me, and Finn and a few others trail behind us. It’s less organized than Lorcan, but being in the middle of the pack is safer than leading the charge.

Once we enter the club, it takes a few minutes for my eyes to adjust. The lighting is dim and, like in Vegas, there’s not a clock anywhere. Losing time, as well as the money in the wallet, is the point of a place like this. Alcohol and sex waft toward me. The women on stage are moving to the music as though they’re in quicksand, sinking further under. The walls and furniture are in shades of red, whereas the stage is bright white. The poles are dull, in need of a cleaning. While we wander through the club, the women are full of blank-eyed, dazed stares. Places like this set my teeth on edge. Outwardly, I can’t afford to show my disgust. It’s business, that’s all.

Money. Power.

Nothing else matters.

We’re led to the back by a security guard. In a room, before the office, is a gang of security guards who appear to be pressuring a drunk guy to go to his bank machine and clear it out. They’re holding his wallet and a bunch of photos as ransom.

Tell your wife what you did, buddy. One way or another she’ll find out you’re not a good man.

When we get to the office, a slight Asian man and his willowy wife come out. She’s draped across him like a shawl. People like her also cause my blood to boil. The women working here are selling themselves and not in the ‘I’m putting myself through college’ way but more of the ‘this is my life, watch me crumble’ kind of way. How do you see someone do that to themselves and not try to help? Instead, this guy’s wife smooths over problems, escalates deception, and creates a false sense of understanding or trust. I’ve seen her too many times.

“Finn!” The man holds out his hand. “I’m so happy you came.”

“Shen. Interested to see what you’re offering,” Finn says, his tone mild. “So far, it doesn’t seem to be much.”

Shen’s smile falters, but he waves us into the office with enthusiasm anyway. “Drinks!”

We sit in a strained silence while we wait for the drinks to arrive. He didn’t ask what we like, so I can only imagine what we’re going to be obligated to consume. A waitress teeters back into the room carrying shot glasses and a bottle of báijiǔ . I’m not much of a vodka drinker, and depending on what they’ve used to make it, this won’t be far off. Holding back a sigh, I take the shot.

Finn takes his shot and suspends it between his fingers. “Let’s get this done, Shen. How much are you after?”

Shen reclines in his chair, any trace of nerves gone with the shot he took. Liquid courage is a real thing for him. “Five hundred thousand.”

He doesn’t bat an eye. “I give you that, and you give me what?”

“Any woman you want. Any time. A fifty percent cut in this establishment.”

That deal would be good for me and my case against Finn and Lorcan. That sounds like prostitution, and it’s clear the money trail isn’t going to add up. Taxes might be another angle to work around this place. My brain keeps ticking along with other ways this deal might benefit me when Finn rises.

“I’ll think about it.”

Shen stands as well, pressing his fingers into his desk. “If not you, we’ll go to the O’Malleys. They like making money.”

Finn chuckles and narrows his eyes at Shen. “Don’t threaten me, or I’ll move my people in here and take over. I got the manpower to do that. You know it. You might want five hundred thousand, but you’re not going to get it. I’ll give you two fifty for a seventy percent stake.”

Shen gasps and appears offended. “You’re no friend of mine. I thought you were going to think about it.”

“I did,” Finn says. “I thought you were offering a shitty deal. Mine’s better.”

“Only for you.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m not that desperate.”

“You will be.” Finn comes across the desk, getting into Shen’s face. “Once the pressure starts, when the vise tightens, you’ll think back to today and wish you’d taken my deal.”

“I got other things going on.” Shen’s cheeks are full of color. “I don’t need you.”

“Give it a few days. You might be surprised.”

Finn drops a card onto Shen’s desk. It’s for a heating and plumbing business, another one of their enterprises. They charge excessive interest rates to people who can’t get credit elsewhere. When they can’t pay, they lean on them in any way they can to squeeze money out of them. Blood from a stone.

As we’re leaving, my stomach drops at what a waste of time this meeting turned out to be. I can’t help any of these women; I can’t act like I want to help them. Indifference. That’s all I’ve got. At the light touch on my elbow, annoyance zings through me because Finn keeps touching me when I’ve made it clear I don’t like it.

“Over there.” He jerks his head in the direction of the bar. “Isn’t that the guy who was tending bar in Newport?”

These are the kinds of moments I hate. The rush through my body isn’t adrenaline or excitement but fear. Raw fear. Malik is tying a garbage bag by the side door of the club. He’s not focused in our direction, and I don’t know if it’s because he grasps the seriousness of what might happen or he doesn’t realize I’m here. My heart kicks in my chest.