by Kelsie Rae
“The blonde who slipped through the cracks.”
“He wants her?”
Dominic’s head drops forward in an exaggerated nod.
“What does your boss want with the girl?” Kingston growls.
“H-he didn’t say.”
“And you’ve never met him?”
His attempt at shaking his head is quickly followed by a grimace, confirming my suspicion that I gifted him with a minor concussion. “No.”
“Then how the hell did he give you his orders?” I interject.
As a bit of blood-stained saliva dribbles down Dominic’s chin, he mumbles, “M-my phone.”
“And where is your phone?” Kingston prods.
“F-front pocket.”
Kingston raises his chin at me, and I retrieve the cell before tossing it back at him.
“He probably used a burner,” I add as Kingston catches the only lead we have.
“Yeah, but Leo might be able to give us a location by tracking the cell towers he used to contact Dominic,” Kingston counters. “And who knows? The bastard might still have the phone on him.”
“If they communicated through text, we might be able to convince him to meet up, too,” I return.
Turning back to our almost unconscious friend, Kingston asks, “What’s your passcode?”
Deep wrinkles line Dominic’s forehead, showcasing his pain, but he doesn’t respond.
“Now,” Kingston orders in a frigid tone.
“4-3-6….” With another groan, he squeezes his eyes shut and repeats, “4-3-6-5-2-0.”
“Stefan!” Kingston calls out. “Take this to Leo. See what he can find.”
Rushing to Kingston, Stefan grabs the phone then slips out the door with a quiet click.
After we’re blanketed in silence, I ask, “What do you want me to do with him?” My gaze shoots to a barely conscious Dominic.
“Leave him here for now. We might need some more info before he pays for revealing Regina’s identity. And good work. I can see why Burlone used you for his muscle.”
I laugh. “See? I come in handy on occasion.”
“Apparently, you do. Now, let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Forty-One
Dex
The party is finally quieting down when we step back into the Romano estate. Only a few stragglers are left, but I can barely contain my annoyance as one of them approaches.
“Hey,” Bianca purrs.
“Party’s over. Go home.”
Hand gliding from my shoulder, then down to my ass, she gives it a firm squeeze. “Or it could just be starting.”
My fingers wrap around her delicate wrist, wrenching it away with controlled force before I growl, “Not gonna happen. Go home.”
“I can’t find my brother.”
“So? You didn’t drive with him, remember? I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
Her eyes narrow in suspicion, but she’s smart enough to keep her over-injected lips shut.
“Go,” I push, releasing my hold before I step around her.
I don’t bother to see if she listens or not. To be honest, as long as she leaves me the hell alone, I don’t care what she does.
My phone buzzes with a text as I saunter up the stairs to the second floor.
Stefan: Security room. Now.
Taking the steps two at a time, I round the corner then rap my busted-up knuckles against the security room’s door.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Get in here.”
Doing as I’m told, I twist the handle and enter the security room. Leo’s sitting behind a heavy metal desk, his fingers tapping against the keys in earnest while Stefan leans against the wall with his phone in his hand.
“Hey. We’re just waiting on Kingston,” Stefan explains before turning his attention back to whatever’s on his iPhone. Sucking my lower lip into my mouth, I observe the room I’ve never been privy to enter before tonight.
Apparently, Kingston wasn’t kidding about earning his trust.
The walls are painted a dark gray and are lined with monitors showcasing different parts of the house. My gut tightens when my attention falls on a screen that frames a view of the room Regina and I had sex in.
If Kingston sees that footage….
A creak sounds behind me, and I glance over my shoulder to see Kingston.
“Hey, Boss,” Leo greets him without bothering to look up from his computer screen.
“Hey. Any luck?”
Nodding, Leo’s fingers continue tapping against the desktop in front of him. “Yeah. The dumbass didn’t delete any of his messages, and we were able to track it to a quarter-mile radius in The District.”
“The District?” Kingston repeats, unable to hide his surprise. Striding closer, he leans over Leo’s shoulder to inspect a map of the city more closely.
“Yeah.”
“Who the hell do we know that’s around The District?”
Silence follows Kingston’s question before he turns and stares at me point-blank. “Do you know anyone around there? Anyone who has a problem with the Romanos? Anyone who Burlone used to deal with? Anyone?”
My mind churning for options, I slip my hands into my slack pockets before shaking my head. “Nah, Boss. That’s cop territory. Some of Burlone’s associates might’ve enjoyed living on the edge, but no one was suicidal enough to share a backyard with the Feds.”
After another beat of silence, Kingston barks, “Leo, call Diece. I want to hear his thoughts.”
A speaker crackles a few seconds later, followed by the clear sound of a dial tone.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
“Hello?” a voice answers.
“Hey, D. It’s Leo. We have you on speakerphone,” Leo explains in a crisp, clear voice.
“Hey, guys,” he acknowledges. “Who’s all there?”
“Kingston, Stefan, Dex, and me,” Leo explains.
“Okay. What’s up?”
Clearing his throat, Kingston answers, “How’s Q?”
There’s a slight pause.
“She’s uh…she’s fine,” D murmurs.
“Has she mentioned anything about her past?”
A drawn-out pause, longer this time, is Kingston’s only answer before D clears his throat. “No. Why?”
“Because we had a visitor asking about her,” Kingston divulges. “Do you think she’s capable of hiding something?”
Another pause.
“I dunno, Kingston. I think she’s pretty messed up after everything that happened.”
“I need you to bring her back here. We need to chat.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“And I don’t give a shit,” Kingston counters. “Someone contacted Dominic Castello and asked him to reach out to Dex to see where the pretty blonde virgin ended up.”
“Why the hell would someone be asking about Q?” he growls low in his throat. The threat is clear in his voice, and it’s easy to hear that he doesn’t like anyone sniffing around her.
“That’s what we want to know.”
“Do you think the guy who contacted Dex might be….” Diece’s voice trails off.
“Do I think he might be the same guy trying to screw over the Romanos?” Kingston finishes for him, showcasing his trust for the thousandth time in one night. “I don’t know. They might be related. They might not be.”
“It’s possible,” I interject. All eyes turn to me as I explain. “Dominic said the guy was willing to give me the Romano family as a gift for my loyalty. Sounded to me like he was willing to kill two birds with one stone, ya know what I mean?”
A cold Kingston nods but doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he gets to the point of his phone call. “D, do we know any enemies in The District? Leo tracked Dominic’s conversation with whoever his contact is. It led us there.”
“But that’s Fed territory.”
“It is…,” Kingston confirms.
A longer pause is drawn out before Diece mutters, “We only know
one Fed.”
Kingston’s mouth forms a long, thin line as he breathes, “Yeah.”
“Why would Jack double-cross us? Why would he be looking for Q in the first place?”
“I don’t know,” Kingston answers, shaking his head. “But I also don’t know who else would be interested in the Romanos or any of the girls who were initially taken by Burlone who happen to work in The District. Do you?”
“Shit.”
“Who’s Jack?” I interrupt, needing to catch up when I’m aware I’m missing a very large piece of the puzzle.
Kingston eyes me warily before explaining, “Jack is the Fed who gave us the fabricated documents that framed Burlone as a snitch. He’s also the guy you contacted with the location of Burlone’s body.”
“So, he double-crossed us?”
“Either that or he works with someone who is double-crossing him,” Stefan chimes in with his two cents.
Kingston waves him off. “Regardless, I think it’s time we bring him in for a little chat.”
“And if he doesn’t feel like talking?” Dominic is one thing, but messing with a Fed is an entirely different matter.
With an arrogant smirk from Kingston, followed by a dark chuckle from Diece through the speaker, Kingston divulges, “That won’t be a problem. Bring him in, Dex. Leo, will you get you his address. And D?”
“Yeah?”
“I wasn’t kidding about having a little chat with Q too. Understand?”
There’s a heavy silence that follows, and I’m positive D is debating how he can respectfully disobey his boss’s orders before he releases a resigned sigh. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“Good,” Kingston acknowledges. “Let’s get to—”
A loud banging noise cuts Kingston off. Tilting my head to the side, I try to place the sound before realizing someone’s at the front door. And they sound pissed. Or desperate.
Leo’s fingers fly across his keyboard as he comes to the same conclusion. He pulls up a live feed onto one of the largest screens in the room that showcases the front porch of the Romano estate.
With his gaze glued to the image, Kingston breathes, “What the—”
“Who is that?” My attention shifts from Kingston to the stranger at the front door. Blonde hair. Built like a surfer with a stick up his ass. And a dark blue jacket with the letters FBI strewn across the back.
“What’s going on?” D’s voice vibrates through the speaker. Clearly, he’s not amused that he’s being left out of the loop. And neither am I.
“Who the hell is that?” I reiterate, growing frustrated.
Tearing his gaze away from the screen, Kingston looks me straight in the eye. “That’s Jack Connelly.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Jack
My heart is pounding a million miles a minute as I pound my fist against Kingston fucking Romano’s door another time.
“Open up,” I mumble under my breath. “Dammit, Kingston! Open up!”
Glancing over my shoulder to confirm I haven’t been followed, I find the street empty, but it does nothing to calm my nerves.
The jarring from hitting the door with too much force vibrates down my forearm, but I continue my assault.
“Open the damn door,” I growl for what feels like the hundredth time.
With my fist still raised in the air, the solid door opens to reveal Burlone’s right-hand man, or ex-right-hand man, along with the Dark King himself.
Tsking, Kingston asks, “What the hell are you doing on my doorstep, Jack?”
I drop my hand to my side and voice a sentence I never in a million years would’ve guessed I’d ask a damn mob boss.
Keeping my features smooth, I get straight to the point. “I need your help.”
The bastard laughs, and so do his men. “I’m sorry, I must’ve heard you wrong. Care to repeat that?”
“I said….” I take a deep breath and pray for patience. “I need your help.”
“From me?” Kingston grins, though I don’t miss the way Dex’s hand disappears behind his suit. “Never took you for a funny man, Jack.” The bastard is two seconds away from pressing the barrel of a gun to my forehead.
Suspicion spiking, I keep my feet firmly planted where they are, but reply, “Yeah? I guess we’ll see how comical you find the situation when I explain what I recently found out, eh?”
“Likewise,” he declares, coolly. “And because I’m feeling generous, I’m going to let you dive right in.”
I wipe my nose with the back of my hand before glancing over my shoulder. Again.
“Any chance we could do this somewhere more private?”
He stays silent. Watching me. Inspecting me. Analyzing every tiny movement like a fucking lie detector. Because that’s exactly what Kingston is. After a few tense seconds, he raises his chin. “Of course. What kind of host would I be if I didn’t invite you inside my humble abode?”
He takes a step back, and his men follow suit, giving me plenty of space to enter a place I was sure I’d never step foot in.
Well, not without a warrant, at least. I scoff at the irony before remembering how screwed I really am. While studying the grand staircase leading to the second floor, I can feel Kingston assessing my every move.
“Tell me, Jack, what brings you here on this fine morning?” Kingston inquires. It’s almost three in the morning, but I didn’t really have a choice to appear this early on my enemy’s porch. Not when I knew I couldn’t stay home with two unconscious bodies that’d been sent to arrest me.
Kingston motions to a dark leather couch on the left that separates the foyer from a large family room. Dark wood floors are only the beginning of the lavish yet not over-the-top decor. Hell, it’s almost tasteful.
Conceited bastard.
I take a second to appreciate the furnishings before sitting on the edge of the leather cushion.
“I’m being set up.”
There. I said it.
Kingston appears indifferent as he takes a seat across from me on a comfortable two-cushioned sofa. One of his men does the same, but the other, Dex, is out of my sight, though I can feel his presence behind me. My anxiety spikes.
I shouldn’t be here.
Leaning forward, Kingston rests his elbows on his knees before asking, “By who? And for what?”
“I-I don’t know.”
With a condescending tone, Kingston prods, “No theories? Nothing?”
I rub my hand from the top of my forehead and down to my chin, loathing the corner I’ve been backed into.
“I. Don’t. Know.”
His jaw stays clenched shut before Kingston brings up a different, and much more tender subject. “Why are you in my house right now, Jack? And I suggest you choose your next words very carefully.”
A large hand falls onto my shoulder, pinning me in place, though it’s not like I have anywhere else to go. If I did, I wouldn’t be here. It seems the Romano family is my only hope.
With a deep breath, I dive right in. “I was at my apartment a few hours ago when a couple of buddies knocked on my door with an arrest warrant. I guess they figured I’d go quietly and didn’t think to bring backup.”
Kingston’s face remains indifferent. “And?”
“And apparently, they found evidence that I was working with Burlone before he died.” I laugh dryly at the memory of them pointing their guns in my face when I opened the door to let them inside my apartment. “I asked them what kind of evidence they could possibly have since, ya know, I’m the one who got my hands dirty with you guys in order to catch the bastard. The only thing they were willing to tell me was about the cell phone in my desk that was linked to multiple men in the mob and an email from Burlone saying it was good doing business with me.”
The room is quiet. Not a single person moves a muscle as they digest my current predicament before Kingston asks, “Were you doing business with Burlone?”
I shake my head as my blood boils. “Are you serious right now?
I would never get into bed with Burlone. He was the lowest scum on this Earth.”
“And the other made men you were supposedly in contact with?”
“I’m not a dirty cop,” I spit, my frustration finally taking over.
“You made a deal with me, remember?”
“So, because I accepted your deal to take down four pieces of shit in return for a little piece of paper and the biggest shit being wiped from this Earth, you think I’m a dirty cop?”
“You tell me.”
I grit my teeth. “I’m here because I’m being framed. I’m here because I have nowhere else to go. And I’m here because you owe me.”
Laughing, Kingston refutes, “We had a deal. And that deal is over. I owe you nothing.”
“Kingston—”
He raises his hand, and my mouth snaps shut.
“But,” he adds, “I might be willing to make another deal if you can prove to me that you aren’t the rat who sent Dominic Castello to approach Dex with the opportunity to screw over the Romano family in return for learning the location of one of the girls that went missing the night of the tournament.”
“Wait, what?” My mind scrambles to piece together the information he just launched at me like a damn missile.
I don’t miss the way his eyes are zeroed in on my face, taking note of every muscle twitch and every damn wrinkle. I must’ve passed some unknown test because he continues, “I think you heard me just fine, but because I’m feeling generous, I’ll give you a more thorough explanation. Earlier this evening, Dominic Castello approached Dex. He was in contact with someone through a burner phone that happened to have sent a text within a quarter-mile of The District. I assume that it happens to be the phone they found in your desk. Whether it was planted there or not remains to be seen. What I want to know is, why would someone in your office want information on a random girl off the street?”
“I-I don’t know.” My eyes go hazy as I stare at a random sconce on the wall and attempt to sort through all the information that’s just been handed to me. Patiently, Kingston and his men wait for me in silence to do exactly that.
