Page 8 of Built for Mercy


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Fucking hell.

Of course, this was always a risk in this business, but my guys were always so careful.

I huffed a sigh. “Not a good enough excuse, P. Even being two men down, we should have nearly tripled that amount this week.”

Paulie made a duck face, pursing his lips as he contemplated. “I don’t know what to tell you, man. Thames and Chavez are worth big bucks to us. They’ve always raked in the most money through the club. You know that.”

I grunted. “What about Pillar?” My casino in Vegas was where we laundered a majority of our money. And byour, I meant my stake in the family business.

“Exceptional, as always. Two hundred and fifty large.”

“Fine. The heat’s on our guys right now, so have them scale back activity here by thirty percent and reroute to Diego’s runners in Jersey. We’ll shift our efforts to the casino until things have died down.”

“You got it, Mav.”

I lifted my drink to my lips, turning my attention to scan the crowd again, the dancing and flashing lights. Chavez was skating on thin ice with me, and he was going to get me in trouble—either with the cops, or with a certain dark-haired beauty.

As if summoning her, a flash of all black at the bar snagged my attention, the color sucking me in like gravity. I’d recognize her curves and the slope of her neck, soft and slender and tan, from just about anywhere. Staring at her pictures for an insane amount of time made me this way.

And now I was like a moth to a flame, unable to take my eyes off her back. She turned, and the new angle provided me with a view of her profile as she spoke to the same brunette friend she’d been with at the bar the other day, a man between the two of them. I narrowed my eyes.

“Paulie,” I snapped. “There’s a girl down at the bar. Black satin dress, dark hair in a bun. Get her and her friends and seat them in the VIP section. Tell them the owner would like to speak with them.”

He joined me by the window, following my gaze. “Tell me you’re fucking joking, Mav. Sophie fucking Reyes?”

Duane swiveled on his desk chair to watch the two of us.

I turned a surprised look on Paulie, ignoring Duane’s prying stare. “How the hell do you know her?”

He chuckled. “She and I practically grew up in each other’s backyards.” Fuck.Of course.How could I have forgotten his family were once loyal servants to the Reyes empire? “Do you not recognize who she’s with?”

“Why would I?”

“Those two,” he tipped a bottle of water towards her friends, “were plastered all over the news. Both cops, put into witness protection together, fell in love or some sappy shit like that. Location got leaked, and that psycho serial killer who broke peoples’ necks found them. They survived, clearly, but it was a whole thing that made national news. I’m surprised you didn’t see it.”

“Huh,” was all I said. “Names?”

“Can’t remember.” He scratched his scruff. “So, why do you want to speak to Sophie? Isn’t that, I don’t know, dangerous for you?”

I shrugged, not wanting to tell him that I had a wall of pictures of her in my room and was aching to speak to her again. “Caught her sneaking around Queens a few weeks back. I’ve been keeping tabs on her since, and I want to know what she’s doing here.”

Paulie arched a brow. “Probably enjoying a night out with her friends.”

“Don’t be such a fucking smart-ass,” I quipped, which just made him whoop with laughter as he headed downstairs, a pulsing rhythm pouring when he opened the door.

“What, didn’t want to tell him about your recent obsession with her?” Duane asked the moment the security door shut behind Paulie, blocking out the loud music.

“Shut up,” I grumbled. “It’s not an obsession. It’s a precautionary measure.”

Duane chuckled. “Sure, you keep being delusional, and I’ll pretend I don’t know you were on the phone with her a few days ago.”

I shook my head, watching as Paulie emerged from the crowd as he made his way to Sophie and her friends. It wasn’t hard for him; we were nearly the same height, but he was stockier than me and had a hardened look to his face. People naturally parted for him.

When Paulie approached the bar, Sophie’s eyes brightened in recognition. She smiled at him, and it nearly took my breath away. I’d never seen her smile like that, not even in all the photos I had of her. She seemed to carry a certain sadness that was hauntingly captivating.

But that smile? It was fucking beautiful.

Sophie put a hand on Paulie’s bicep—which made my blood boil—and introduced him to her friends. A few moments later, Sophie frowned at something Paulie said before following him to the VIP area. The small group made their way to the far side of the club and through the velvet curtains that separated the VIP lounge.