by Ruby Vincent
On and on we went until she was hoarse, and night bled into day. Adeline fell asleep on my chest, tucked in the coat she wrapped around herself, breathing softly on the spot she laid her cheek. And the sight to see became her.
I forgot about the view hours ago. For that must have been how long I traced the dips and curves of her face. Counted her lashes. Drifted to the tiny freckle hiding beneath her ear.
Adeline Redgrave. Beautiful. Smart. Determined. As bold and unpredictable as Sinjin. As strong and quietly burning as Brutal. Flirty and in command of her sexuality like Mercer.
Cold and calculating like me.
It was obvious to me now why she was made for all of us. She was our match. Our mirror. Our equal.
Our kryptonite.
Adeline was fashioned for our destruction, and if every statistical probability I ran wasn’t turning up zero that she orchestrated our first meeting in that penthouse, I’d think she planned to find and destroy us from the start.
Everything about tonight was perfect. Taking me to a place that meant something to her. Constant skin contact. Caring for my wound. Making me laugh. Sharing stories and traumas from her childhood. Worse that I sensed what she told me was true. Worse that my responses were honest too.
If I was any other man, I’d have ended this night madly in love with her. The bleeding box carrying my still beating heart would be secure in her grasp.
I wouldn’t have had another choice. That was how the con worked.
These were old cons. Among the most lethal. It was the single truth in the universe that once you had someone’s love, you could get them to do anything. Steal, kill, give up everything they own.
Love was the con woman’s greatest tool, and the methods our dear Adeline employed were designed to give her just that. I knew, because these were methods I had used myself.
I held her to me, gazing out at the rising sun.
Adeline Redgrave is dangerous, and I trust her even less than when I stepped on this roof.
My phone chimed in the folds of my coat.
Fishing it out, I was careful not to wake her.
Sinjin: Bodies found in the canal. The Kings know.
I shut off the cell.
It begins.
ADELINE
Cash and I stared at the empty space in silence.
“Well,” I drew out. “You did leave an expensive car in front of a known club for a band of car thieves. Even had the busted window saying come on in. It was bound to get stolen.”
His withering glare communicated how he felt about my logic. “I can’t fucking believe this. These Blood Brothers have a knack for stealing from the wrong person that borders on a death wish.”
“You’re telling me,” I mumbled.
He yanked out his phone, fingers flying across the screen.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting my car back. Give me your keys.”
I handed them over, then grabbed his hand as he took off across the street. He didn’t shake me off. On the contrary, he led me to the passenger side, put me in, and slammed my door shut. Cash slid in the other side and gunned the engine.
“How are you going to get it back?”
He showed me his phone. “GPS.”
I narrowed on the flashing blue dot. “Can you track my car too?”
“Of course.”
“Did you?”
“Whenever you left the house.”
“It’s you I can’t believe, Cash. Just like I can’t believe I’m not surprised. Promise me your stalking days are over.”
“I promise.”
“Are you lying?”
“Would I admit I was?”
“Maybe. If it would piss me off.”
He chuckled. “I won’t need to stalk you, Redgrave. Angelo’s body has been fished out. Things are going to move very quickly from this point. Sinjin has ended your reprieve. You’re coming back with me today.”
They found Angelo’s body. How long until the new leader of the Kings stakes their flag? Cash is right. Things will move quickly.
I itched to text Gianna. Ask her about the progress on acquiring funds. Tell her my own mission failed.
“You took the note from Ivan’s body.”
I caught his frown at my subject change. “No choice. It would’ve ended in police lockup as prime evidence.”
“Agreed. But this means the Blood Brothers don’t know the real reason Ivan was killed. They can’t carry on terrorizing Rockchapel like they have.”
“The Merchants terrorize all of Cinco City. Why should we police other gangs when we’re the worst of them all?”
“Even Sinjin has lines he doesn’t cross. He enjoys killing but not for killing’s sake. He wouldn’t murder an old couple for a handful of trinkets.”
“It’s unwise to trick yourself into believing Sinjin has a sense of right and wrong. Don’t turn us into men we’re not, Redgrave.” His tone was harsh. “You’ll only be disappointed.”
“I know the kind of men you are. So does Kaylee.”
His knuckles whitened on the wheel.
“Look, I’m not saying you have to do this with me. I don’t remember inviting you to in the first place. I’m just making it clear that if they don’t stop, I will do something about it.”
“Put the cape away, Super Chef. Ivan’s dead. For all you know, the new regime will return to the old ways.”
“They better.” I let that be the end of it. “So, did we get that place in Waterford?”
He nodded. “The guys are setting it up now.”
“It’ll be nice to be back home. Nicer if I knew how extensive our lockdown will be. Are we lying low?”
“Yes. We can’t move until we know who will become the new leader. Each potential candidate requires a different plan.”
“Why?”
“They run different parts of the business. Have differing strengths, weaknesses, right hands, etc. One won’t react the same as the others against a strike. Jace Parker is sixty percent more likely to kick off a full assault against the Merchants. Sending out men to hunt us down in the streets instead of Angelo’s method of putting bounties on our heads. We’ll need more weapons and more men if Jace takes over.”
Yes, exactly right. I chose well aligning myself to the Merchants. Cash understands what needs to be done.
“We also need more men and more guns right now,” I said. “You’re driving us straight at that blue dot without all the things you got pissed at me about. That car is most likely in a chop shop surrounded by BBs.”
We drove deeper into my old neighborhood, and Blood Brother territory.
“I don’t need backup.”
“You can’t go in there alone. Which makes me your backup.”
“No. I’ll be in and out in ten minutes. Watching your ass will slow me down.”
“I should think so.”
He snagged the hand inching toward his lap and put it back on mine. “Flirting has little effect on me.”
“So, it’s only jealousy that works? That could get dangerous for both of us.”
“Yes, it fucking would,” he growled.
I cocked my head. “Is that why you’re so grouchy about me, Sinjin, and Brutal? Saying I dangle and walking out when I’m with them?”
“Grouchy? What am I? A five-year-old throwing a tantrum because my cookie went down a grate? I had a problem with the guys getting close to you because there was something off about you.”
“But now you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re willing to share me with the guys?” I asked, smile breaking out.
“We’re not together.”
“Not yet, but as a young Saint proved, you only shed the mask for those worthy of seeing beneath it. That’s me.”
“I’m willing to hate-fuck you when the mood strikes me. Close enough?”
“Ugh.” My treacherous lower belly heated at the thought. “You don’t make it easy, do you?”
�
��What about last night gave you the impression I ever have?”
I rested my head on the window. I got many impressions of the stoic Killian Hunt last night. That he would make it easy to steal his heart was not one of them.
I was given his name and those of his siblings. Tales of his job caring for the animals of the circus. The places he’s been. The reason why Cinco was best of them all.
But I wasn’t given the story of how a promising young med student became a feared gang leader. He stood toe to toe with Sinjin since he entered his life. When and how did my wild love corrupt him? What does he stand to gain from getting his hands on that ledger?
“Did our game end when we stepped off the roof?”
The scenery was shifting. Red graffiti covered almost every building, sidewalk, dumpster, and sign.
“You want to ask me something,” he said. “Ask.”
“What’s in this for you, Cash? Why do you want Kieran? The ledger?”
“We told you that already.”
“You didn’t tell me much of anything,” I admitted. “Kieran is a shadow kingpin running the city, and no one can pretend to be the real power in Cinco while he has that ledger. I get that. I also understand why this is important to Saint, but not to you.”
“Sinjin is my brother.”
I relished him the same scrutiny he gave me the night before. “I doubt your motives are that simple.”
“Ouch,” he said mildly. “I am a cold bastard in your eyes.”
“No. But you didn’t veer your life off track to serve Saint’s mission for vengeance. Even though you sympathized. Even if you agreed the person responsible should die. Sinjin’s morality is whatever he decides it is, but I never got the impression you were the same. You hold standards of right and wrong, and your unbending sense of self wouldn’t give in unless you had a reason. What is it, Cash? Does Kieran have something on you too?”
“Redgrave, I had an unexpectedly pleasant time with you last night, and after sampling a taste, I finally understand the lure of that pussy,” he said, “but some things are just none of your damn business.”
I bared my teeth, ripples of anger going up my spine. “You’ll pay for that.”
“I suspect so,” he said with a chuckle.
“And I will find out what the rest of you are hiding from me,” I snapped. “Once you find that ledger, I hope you’re not imagining I won’t take a look inside.”
“Why are you imagining you’ll be there when we find it?” Cash turned on the corner of Lexington, narrowing in on the blue dot. “You’ve got an unbending sense of self and standards of right and wrong too.” He looked me in the eye. “What’s your reason for serving Saint’s mission for vengeance?”
Walked right into that, didn’t you, Adeline?
“I love Saint,” I stated. “I can’t be without Brutal. My feelings for Mercer are growing, and I want you. Most days. I tried walking away from you guys once, and I didn’t get far. But you knew that was the answer. Stop fishing for some deep secret, Cash. You wouldn’t have hired me if you hadn’t picked through every inch of my life. You didn’t find anything because there’s nothing to find.”
“You’re right, I did pick through your life. A history of fighting to get the future you want and letting nothing, and no one, stand in your way. You never let a boyfriend knock you off course before, why now?” He blinked big eyes at me. “Or are we just special?”
“You’ll pay for that too.”
He barked a laugh.
“Maybe I like it, Cash.” My glance drifted to the window. “Vengeance. Maybe Saint wasn’t the only reason I was wet the night I beat that child-selling demon into a mass of vomit and tears. Maybe I like having power. Causing fear instead of knowing it. Never being helpless, or trapped, or used again.” I met his gaze, and Bunny/Serenity/my other half looked through. “Did you ever think Sinjin chose me because he’s known my secret from the beginning?”
Cash said nothing. I couldn’t read his expression, but my own reflected in his eyes. He was first to look away.
“We’re here.” Rolling to a stop, Cash jerked his chin to a garage on the other side of the street. Men in greasy coveralls walked in and out of our sight—laughing back and forth with each other and bobbing their heads to the music blasting out of the shop.
Leviathan Auto Shop screamed its name on the sign, doors, and likely the patches on their clothes. They gave every appearance of regular guys on the job. If it wasn’t for the red bandanas hanging off their hips, and Cash’s car sitting plain in the middle of the garage.
“I thought they’d have taken it apart by now,” I said. “One of the brothers must have taken a liking to it.”
“Go back to Cross’s place. I’ll meet you there in an hour.”
I caught the keys he tossed at me. “You can’t go in there alone. You need help.”
“No.”
“You’re going to get yourself shot to prove how macho you are!” I shouted as he climbed out.
I considered going in after him anyway. The only thing that stayed with me was the fact Cash wasn’t Sinjin. My blue-haired love would walk into certain death whistling and flipping a knife on his palm. Cash was the other side of his coin. Order versus chaos. Plans in place of unpredictability. He wouldn’t walk in there unless he knew the odds of walking out were in his favor.
I climbed into the driver’s seat, stalking his approach. What the hell is he going to do? There are about a dozen guys in there.
Cash strode directly into the shop. He wasn’t noticed at first—covered by the noise and commotion. Then one guy lifted his head from beneath a hood.
He ran to Cash, putting a hand up to stop him. Cash sidestepped him and walked up to his car.
The scene pulled me from my seat, drawing me to the driver-side mirror.
Cash’s new friend followed him, waving his hands. He pulled up short of his hood and paused to chat the man up. Killian pointed to his car a few times, and swept out his hand to encompass the whole garage.
Whatever he was saying had to be funny. The mechanic doubled over clutching his stomach. Straightening, he waved his bandana in Cash’s face.
I inched for the glove box without looking away. Raul was bound to have some kind of weapon in there, and frustrating as Killian Hunt was, I would not watch him die.
The guy grabbed Killian’s collar and two things happened at once. The music shut off, and Killian snatched up a wrench.
The banger’s head snapped all the way around. Blood spurted from his ruined mouth clear from across the street. Shouts broke the brief silence.
One man rushed Killian, scrambling in his coveralls to pull a weapon. Killian flung the wrench and nailed him. He dropped on a tool cart. Both crashed to the floor.
That’s when the shooting started.
Cash dove in his car. Bullets pinged off the door and hood. They ricocheted off tires and hydraulic beams to shower the garage in sparks.
His engine revved—headlights lamping the men in his path and more converging on him. Killian hit the gas, plowing them over, and through the chaos I saw him stick his hand out the window and an object go flying.
I could do nothing but sit, jaw hanging, as he rolled over three men, tore out of the garage, and sped off down Clark Street—roaring gangbangers spraying his tail and racing for their cars. They peeled after him, kicking off the high-speed chase.
Shaking my head, I stuck my key in the ignition and turned.
Boom!
My scream barely pierced the noise. Debris showered the hood, bits of car parts and those who didn’t get clear in time.
Ears ringing, I stared in disbelief at the smoldering wreck of Leviathan Auto Shop.
As the girl with all the secrets, how did this man keep surprising me?
“WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU last night?” Gianna wiggled in between me and the couch. She laid her cheek on my forehead. “You had me up all night worrying.”
“Raul had you up all night.”
“Yeah, him too.”
I blew out a breath. “I got a surprise visit from Cash. He followed me, G. Been following me for days.”
“What the fuck?” she cried. “What did he see?”
“Nothing I couldn’t explain away. Except for me in the women’s bathroom with Ivan between my legs, sucking on my throat.”
“Shit.”
“Summed it up exactly.”
“What did he do?”
“Have you heard the expression ‘fucked my brains out’?”
She snorted. “Think I know that one.”
“Still doesn’t come close,” I said. “I was lucky, G. He didn’t catch me dosing the guy with eye drops, or find out that I went there to kill him. I had to admit I was carrying out a vendetta though. I had to admit a lot of things.”
“How bad is it? Should we be worried? Do we have to call it off?”
“Can’t. Angelo’s body was dredged up and my love has summoned me to his side. Cash is taking me back today.”
“To their cage for all you know.”
I shook my head. “We’re past that now.”
“Seriously, Adeline. Did he buy your explanation? He could follow me just as easily as he followed you. And he’d catch me doing a lot worse. I sent out the ransom demands yesterday.”
“He says he trusts me now, but I’ve never known what that man is thinking.” Blazing infernos flashed through my mind. “All I can say is last night was real. From the jealousy to his laughter and stories on the roof. I wouldn’t have gotten so much as his favorite color if he didn’t feel something for me. I’ve got to work with that until I crack his shell. In the meantime, I’ll keep an eye on him.”
A knock sounded on the door.
“Or he’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
There wasn’t a reply for that. Mostly because the door swung open and Cash strolled inside.
