“Yeah, you’re a hat check girl in my casino. What you learn there?”
“Well let’s start with the fact you play the part of the bumbling cousin who’s really the brains behind everything. Adorno likes to act like he’s smart and in charge while you’re really running things, aren’t you? Keeping his ass out of jail and saving the family business. Of course you’re also setting him up for a fall.
“On the other hand, Adorno hates you equally as much and wants you out of the way. He was leaking stuff to the feds to put you away.”
“You know shit.”
“Yeah, that’s what you thought about Phil. You thought he was a nobody. He was twice the man you are in intelligence. He played the part the whole time he was collecting info on both of you. His death automatically released everything he’d found to two federal agencies that are knocking on your door as we speak.
“They know about the money laundering in your restaurants, sex trafficking, the drug sales at the casino. Oh, and that little gold ingot that was so precious to you? They have it. And we haven’t even discussed all the murders.
“You’ll be out of business in seventy-two hours. And you didn’t even see it coming. All because of Phil.” I cock my head and widen my eyes. “Who doesn’t know shit?
“You bitch. You fucking bitch.”
“Were you the one who overdosed my mom or was it your lackey here?” I ask.
He looks at Phil’s killer. “Take her to my room and tie her to the bed. I’ll take care of her later.”
Phil’s killer grabs my arm and drags me across the room to a closed door. I can hear my men cussing and struggling. He shoves me into the room like I’m nothing more than a ragdoll. I go flying to the floor slamming my shoulder into the bed frame. Fuck that hurts.
Giving my head a shake, my topknot slides sideways, and I grab the stick.Don’t pull it if you can’t use it. You’ll only get one chance.
“Your mom was a stupid cunt. She’d do anything for a fuck or a fix. After she threatened the boss, I gave her what she wanted. A good hard fuck and a fix she was guaranteed not to recover from. Too strung out to move, you should have seen her face when I lit the car on fire and sent it sliding off the side of the road into the tree.
“After the boss is done with you, I’ll get my turn. I’ve got something special planned for you, too.”
The bastard. He killed them both, took both of them from me. “Guess you’re good with sloppy seconds. Can’t get any on your own?”
“Bitch, I get plenty of my own.” He grabs my left shoulder squeezing painfully and drags me to my feet. My brain registers a commotion and voices from the other room, but emotion has already set my path. Bringing the weapon up along my side I replicate the move Roja showed me. Warmth pours over my hand and forearm as I slide and lift the blade.
Everything else fades as he gasps, gurgles and falls back on to the bed clutching his chest. Blood flows from his chest and abdomen. All I can do is stare….
“Babe, it’s okay. Look at me. Look at us,” Rico says.
Warm hands on my upper arms turn me from my focus. I raise my gaze to Rico. Kade is beside him.
“They hurt you. I’m so sorry they hurt you. They hurt both of you. My fault.”
“We’ll be fine.” Kade says. He winces as he shrugs out of his shirt, using it to wipe the blood off my arm and wrap the blade. Looking past him, I see several people in different colored uniforms easing in the door. Diego stands outside looking in. Roja next to him. She meets my gaze and nods.
It’s hours before we finally get home. Cuddled between my men, wrapped in my man cocoon, sleep settles over me. Here I’m safe, warm, wanted. Here I’m loved.
CHAPTER 21
Rico
“Did you hear from the doctor? I think we need to wake her. It’s been a little over twenty-four hours. She’s peed four times, but we’ve only gotten one glass of water down her. She’s so still and has barely moved.
“She might be sick.” I press my hand to her forehead. “Do you think she feels feverish? I think she does.”
“She’s not feverish. Doc said she might sleep a lot,” Kade replies. “After all the shock, the stress from the danger, the hours of debriefing. Her body and mind need down time to regenerate. We’ll give her another hour or so. If she’s not moving, we try to wake her.”
“She’s got to be starving. She needs fuel.”
“Vegetable Pad Thai, extra broccoli. Lots of vegetable samosas and two mango lassi-just for me. Get out of my way so I can shower before it gets here.” Fancy throws back the covers and heads to the bathroom.
Kade looks at me. “You order the food, get everything she wants and more. I’ll call Roja, she said she needed to be here when she woke up. Girl bonding or some such shit.”
