by Jaye Wells
Morales growled. “I’m going to make you bleed, motherfucker.”
Souza’s low chuckle oozed out of the speaker. “You’d have to find me first, and that won’t happen until I am ready.”
“What do you want from us?” I asked. No man sent a picture like that without following it up with a demand.
“Not what, Detective—who.”
Morales and I looked at each other. A bitter cocktail of emotions mixed in my gut—frustration, anger, fear. Finally, I said, “Volos.”
“Very good, Detective. From what I understand, the mayor has a special affinity for you.”
“You can’t honestly expect us to hand over the mayor for you to murder,” Morales said.
“I expect you to do whatever I say or I will kill Gardner and then come after you. I understand Detective Prospero has a little brother, yes?”
“You son of a bitch.”
He clucked his tongue. “You’re wasting all of our time. Bring Volos to me and Gardner lives.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, trying to buy some time.
“You forced my hand after you interrupted me at the junkyard.”
“Why did you kill Cho?” Morales snapped.
“I’d hoped her murder would keep you running in circles so I could get to my real target. But once again you proved inconveniently clever. So I decided to do the only thing that would ensure you would bring Volos to me.”
“How can we trust that she’ll be alive when we get there?” Morales asked. I flashed him a look—was he really considering capitulating? He avoided my gaze.
“Despite her vocal hatred of me because of the actions of my cartel, I have no beef with your boss. But I will not hesitate to kill her if you try to screw me. You have until six o’clock. When I call again, I expect you to have him in custody and ready to hand over. Or Gardner dies.”
The call went dead.
Morales dropped the phone onto the carpet. Instead of speaking, he pivoted and punched a fist through the wall. I didn’t bother trying to calm him down. I wasn’t feeling so tranquil myself. While Morales took his anger out on the wall, my heart was trying to pound its way through my ribs. I ran a hand through my hair and tried to push down the surge of adrenaline. We didn’t have much time and I needed cold clarity to guide us, not hot tempers.
“Morales,” I said.
He pulled his knuckles from the ruined drywall and shook off the dust. “What?”
“We have two choices.”
He paused and looked at me. “You heard Souza—we don’t have any choice at all. If we want to save Gardner, we have to hand him Volos.”
I shook my head. “What if we find him first?”
“Kate, we spent most of the day yesterday combing the docks with no sign of Pantera. Face it, he’s got every advantage here.”
“So, what? We’re supposed to just hand the fucking mayor over to Souza to murder?”
“Yes.” There was no doubt in Morales’s expression. “Yes, we fucking hand over the mayor. He’s the reason Pantera Souza is here to begin with, remember? We hand him over and in the process rid this city of two menaces.”
I crossed my arms. “Assuming I’d willingly do that, which isn’t too fucking likely, Ace, there’s no way you could get close to Volos right now. Ever since Cho’s death his team has circled the wagons. He’s got a posse around him twenty-four seven.”
“You’re right. I can’t get near him.” He looked me in the eye. “But you could.”
I snorted. “That’s bullshit.”
He popped a brow. “Really? Has he ever denied you anything, Kate?”
“He’s refused every demand I’ve made that he leave me the fuck alone,” I said, exasperation adding an edge to my tone.
“Exactly. He won’t leave you alone because he can’t. Don’t you get it? He’s still in love with you, Cupcake.”
The words bounced off my brain. They were just sounds, really. Ones that made no sense to me. “What the hell are you talking about? Volos doesn’t love me. He’s done nothing but blackmail me, manipulate me, and be a general pain in my ass for the last six months.”
Morales crossed his arms. “Don’t kid yourself, sweetheart. The man’s got it bad for you.”
I blinked and shook my head. “Look, you’re wrong. The only person John Volos loves is John Volos.”
He shrugged. “You want to be in denial? Fine by me. But the fact remains that you’re the only person who can get close to him right now. We just have to figure out how to use it.”
Even as my brain tried to reject the words, an idea formed. Unfortunately, if we acted on it, it would make me no better than Volos. It was deceitful, dangerous, and damned if it wasn’t the perfect solution to our problems.
I’d gone very still as I grappled with my own conscience.
“What’s going on in that head?”
I looked up and cringed. “I think I know what to do. It’s illegal as hell but it might be the only way to ensure both Gardner and Volos walk away from this alive.”
Both brows rose. “I’m all ears.”
I glanced at my watch. It was already after eleven. “I’ll tell you in the car, but first I need to make a call. Let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty
The SUV idled half a block from our destination. “I really wish we had time to recon this,” Morales said. “If things go pear-shaped, we’re toast.”
I put down my binoculars, which had basically been useless since the midday glare of the windows prevented seeing inside the restaurant. “If wishes were horses, poor men would ride.”
“Huh?”
I shook my head. “It’s just something my mom used to say.” I cleared my throat. “Anyway, I don’t love doing this, either, but neither of us has been able to come up with an alternative that doesn’t end with someone dying.”
A deep sigh heaved from his chest. “All right, let’s get you wired.”
A call to the mayor’s office revealed that Volos was having a lunch meeting at this bistro, which was a couple of blocks from City Hall. I hadn’t met any of the members of his security detail directly, but I knew that a few of them were old BPD officers, as well as a few security guys from his company, Volos Real Estate Development. But I wasn’t worried about them. Whether or not Morales was right about Volos’s feelings for me, the fact remained that the man always seemed to have time for me.
My second call after locating Volos had been to Mez. Luckily he’d been at the gym so we could swing by, pick up what we needed, and give him and Shadi instructions. Morales grabbed the ampoule we’d gotten from Mez and exited the car to go open the rear door. I followed him and hopped onto the bumper.
We were parked at the mouth of an alley, and behind us were nothing but trash cans and hungry pigeons. The privacy was a blessing, since Morales was strapping a wire to my chest. If any of the mayor’s security detail looked out the window, seeing that going down would have sunk us before we had a chance to get started. I had to lift my shirt to give him access, but I didn’t bother being self-conscious. Ever since that morning, we’d both done a decent job of pretending the kiss and the fight that followed had never happened. I guess that was the one good thing about Gardner’s disappearance—it gave us the perfect excuse for denial. And even if I had the energy or interest to act like a chick about showing Morales my bra, he didn’t seem to notice. He’d been as focused as a heat-seeking missile ever since the call with the murderous shaman.
Once the wire was in place, Morales handed me the ampoule. Mez hadn’t balked or acted shocked when we told him our plan. He just warned us not too use too much of the potion or it might stop Volos’s heart.
“Don’t tempt me” was all Morales had said.
When we’d gotten in the car after leaving Gardner’s, Morales had vented for a good five minutes about how the entire mess was Volos’s fault. While I wasn’t exactly an apologist for our new mayor, I wasn’t ready to sacrifice his life, either. Not to say my motives
in this operation were pure. A small, dark part of me relished the idea of turning the tables on the man who’d repeatedly tricked and blackmailed me. I’d do everything I could to ensure he survived this operation, but by the time it was over he was going to think twice about trying to screw me over again.
“You ready?” Morales asked.
I took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and released it in a rush. “Yeah.”
As if he couldn’t help himself, he touched my cheek. “Be careful.” I felt the bass of his voice somewhere below my breastbone. He held my gaze, daring me to pull away. Instead, I met his stare directly.
“Piece of cake,” I said carelessly. Then I pulled away as gently as possible so as to lessen the rejection and checked the ampoule in my pocket.
He was silent for a moment, but I could feel the heat of his gaze. Finally, he sighed. “Remember, it only takes a couple of drops. We don’t want him out for long.”
Something hard formed in my gut. I looked into Morales’s eyes. “I got it.” I couldn’t keep the snap out of my words.
He held up his hands. “All right,” he said slowly. “Let’s get this over with. You want to explain to me why you’re mad at me?”
I jerked my hair back over my shoulder. “I’m not mad.”
He sat back and crossed his arms, daring me to lie to him again.
I sighed. “I’m not mad,” I repeated. With another sigh, I continued. “I’m embarrassed.”
He frowned. “Why?”
I looked at him. “Um, because I freaked the fuck out the other night.”
He blew out a breath. “Look, you shouldn’t feel embarrassed. I get it.”
“What?”
He smirked. “I scare the shit out of you.”
My mouth dropped open. “No, you don’t. I just need some time.”
“Kate,” he said, “please.”
“Egotistical ass,” I muttered. “Only you would read a rejection as me being intimidated by your awesomeness.”
“Look, Cupcake, like it or not, there’s business between us. You’re not ready to deal with it?” He shrugged. “Fine. But understand that I won’t be forcing the issue again. When you’re ready you can come to me, and then I can decide whether or not I should bother.”
“Whether or not you should bother?” I asked, my voice rising. “You’re a real piece of work, Macho.”
“Pot. Kettle. Black, babe.”
I huffed out a frustrated breath. “Whatever. I’m going in.”
I jumped off the bumper before he could speak and jogged across the street. The movement helped work off some of the residual frustration.
He’ll decide if he should bother, my ass.
I rolled my shoulders and tried to focus. Morales’s dickishness notwithstanding, I had a job to do. According to Souza, we had only three hours to secure Volos before he called again with instructions. That meant I didn’t have time to waste on my infuriating partner. I needed to keep my eyes on the mission.
As I jogged across the street and up a block toward the bistro, I felt better. Having a goal made my brain focus with laser-like precision. There was no room for worry about interpersonal drama.
As I approached the door, I looked into the large windows out front and spied Volos sitting at a table with a couple of men in suits and his lawyer, Jade. I hadn’t anticipated her being there, but I wasn’t worried. The story Morales and I had come up with ensured Volos would send everyone away.
Instead of a maître d’, there was a security guard in a slick navy suit standing at the front door. Unfazed, I approached the podium.
“May I help you, ma’am?”
“I’m meeting Mayor Volos,” I said. I removed my badge from my waistband and flashed it.
He tilted his head and regarded me with suspicion. “The mayor is already in a meeting, Detective.”
I smiled and flashed my badge. “Pretty sure he’ll see me.”
“One moment.” He walked toward Volos’s table. I leaned an elbow on the podium and watched the drama unfold.
The guard was all apologies as he interrupted something Jade was saying. Volos nodded at something the man said and then listened as the security guy whispered something in his ear. A moment later those intense eyes searched the front of the restaurant. I smiled and waved.
Volos frowned, as if taken off guard, and said something to the muscle, who motioned me over. I took my time walking toward the table. As I approached, I watched Volos say something to his companions. The suits rose immediately and shook his hand in farewell. That done, Volos turned toward Jade. The lawyer didn’t look nearly as accommodating. In fact, she leaned in and her body language was argumentative.
To his credit, Volos didn’t raise his voice. If anything, he seemed to lower the pitch. Whatever he said to her, it seemed to do the trick, because while I was still two tables away, she rose from her chair and grabbed her designer purse from the floor with twitchy movements. Without a parting word to Volos, she stomped away on her impossibly high heels.
She was almost on me when she saw me. She froze and looked me up and down. Judging from the scowl on her pretty features, she didn’t like what she saw. “Jade,” I said with a nod.
She took a step forward, bringing her within striking distance. I held my ground. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I will advise you to tread carefully, Detective.”
I shrugged. “Relax, counselor. I’m not here on official business.” I paused to make sure she could hear me and smirked. “It’s personal.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Whatever.” As she stalked away, I heard her mutter, “Bitch.”
“Drive Miss Turner back to the office,” Volos said to the security guard.
“Sir, I—”
Volos flashed him a tight smile. “I’ll be perfectly safe with Detective Prospero. I’ll call you to pick me up when I’m ready to leave.”
The guard executed a clipped nod, flashed me a warning look, and then walked away to catch up with the pissed-off attorney.
Volos came forward. “Has there been a break on the case?” He sounded hopeful.
He leaned forward as if to hug me, but I held out a hand to shake instead. “I’m afraid not. I’m here on a personal matter, Mr. Mayor.” He paused and smiled, as if amused by the formality of my greeting. When his hand wrapped around mine, the contact was warm and familiar. Before I could withdraw, he’d quickly bent over my knuckles and grazed them with his lips.
I jerked my hand from his grasp and wiped it on my jeans. I’d be damned before I let him take charge of this meeting. Also I was really glad that the wire taped to my chest was only a one-way communication device. Otherwise, I’d have had to deal with Morales’s profanity in my ear.
“May I?” I asked, motioning to the empty chair next to his.
“Of course.” He stepped behind the seat and pulled it out like a gentleman. He only took his seat once I was settled. “Are you hungry? I’m afraid I’ve already eaten.”
I shook my head. I hadn’t eaten since coffee and a handful of cookies that morning, but my stomach curdled at the idea of food. Not least because I was about to potion the man who’d just offered me lunch.
A waiter ran up. “May I bring you something, miss?”
I smiled at the waiter. “Hmm, yes.” I drew out the moment, relishing the intense scrutiny of my tablemate. It wasn’t often I was able to catch Volos unawares. “I’ll have a beer.” The carbonation would settle my stomach, and the alcohol would give me courage—the perfect elixir.
“Of course, ma’am. What brand do you prefer?”
I waved a hand. “Doesn’t matter. Just no IPAs or stouts.”
He nodded. “Foreign, domestic?”
I shrugged. “Cold.”
His mouth twitched. “Right away.” The waiter turned to Volos. “Anything else for you, Mr. Mayor?”
He shook his head and flicked a hand to dismiss the young man. Once he was gone, Volos leaned forward with his elbows on the table.
“Now, why don’t you tell me what is so urgent you had to interrupt a meeting with two of my most generous donors.”
My brows rose. “You didn’t have to cancel the meeting for me.”
He laughed. “Bullshit. You wouldn’t willingly seek me out without a very good reason. So spill it, Katie.”
I tensed at his casual use of the old nickname. “It’s about Danny.”
His expression darkened. “Is he okay?” No doubt he was remembering the last time I’d asked for his help regarding my little brother. Back then, Volos helped me save Danny’s life—just before he blackmailed me.
I held up a hand. “He’s not in danger, if that’s what you mean. Well, not direct danger, anyway.”
The waiter brought my beer in a frosty pint glass. Before he ran off, Volos grabbed his arm. “On second thought, bring me a bourbon, neat.”
The waiter nodded eagerly and took off to the bar. Inside, I did a little victory dance.
“Tell me,” Volos said to me.
“There’s been trouble at school.” I proceeded to fill him in on the basics of Danny’s issues. In the middle of my explanation, the waiter returned with his bourbon. As I talked, he sipped on the drink.
“Wait,” he said, “Pierce Rebis? You’re sure?”
I nodded. “Anton Rebis’s son.”
“And Danny hexed him?” He couldn’t hide the smile on his face, which made him look younger. And more dangerous to my equilibrium. Morales’s words drifted like a poison cloud through my head. He’s still in love with you, Cupcake.
My chest felt tight, but I blew the words away and focused on my mission. If I let my guard down, Volos would for sure turn the tables on me.
“Don’t look so amused. I still haven’t decided on how to punish him for misusing magic.”
“Oh please, Kate. Back in your day you would have done a lot worse to anyone who dared mess with one of your friends.” He shot me a look daring me to argue, but I couldn’t. He was right. I’d gotten in my share of brawls with girls and boys in school who dared even look at people in my coven the wrong way.
