Fallen Empire (Dirty Empire)

That, or he’s being a spiteful prick and wants to piss us off. If that’s the case, he has succeeded in the latter. Caleb’s liable to choke the last few years out of him on the spot when he hears about this.

But how pissed is Dad going to be when he finds out his grand plan of an alliance with the Perris to ward off the cartel will never happen, now that three out of five Perris are dead and the other two are as eager to carry on their family’s illicit business as we are?

“And what could I possibly want with apartment buildings? I assume in Phoenix, no less,” Cohen asks, shifting his cards around in his hand.

Yeah, he’s definitely done some homework on us.

Cohen smooths a palm over his shiny forehead as he studies his cards with a puckered frown. He has a terrible poker face. With just the hands I’ve watched, I can tell he has a flush of some sort and he’s going to pretend he doesn’t. No wonder the guy is up to his eyeballs in debt that he’s forged at this table.

“It’s not the buildings per say, but the property. They’re Scottsdale prime real estate. Developers are knocking on our door every week.” Caleb folds his hand in a tidy bundle, thumbs crossed. To anyone else, it means nothing. To me, it means he can’t lose. Royal flush, probably. “You of all people understand the value of prime real estate, given you’re a majority owner of this fine establishment and all. How do you feel about your investment here, by the way?”

Cohen bursts out in laughter. It’s a reedy, sniffling sound. “You’ve got brass, I’ll give you that. And you don’t give up easily. Do you know how many conversations I’ve have just like this one?”

“Gabe.” Farley’s deep, grumbling voice fills my ear, pulling my attention away from the game. The bodyguard’s face is grim. Then again, it’s always grim.

“What is it?”

His square jaw tenses. “We had a visitor this morning.”

My stomach tenses. “Our tails are finally wagging?” We’ve had federal agents on us since we left Phoenix, the morning after our plane went boom. Either they’re amateurs, or they’re not trying to hide the fact that they’re monitoring us. Normally we wouldn’t bat an eye at having shadows because we’re not dumb enough to get caught, but after last night’s unplanned massacre and emergency cleanup in our penthouse suite, the last thing we need are any of them sniffing around.

Our contacts within the department have confirmed that they’ve discovered the staged scene out in the desert, but there’s no way they’ve identified the bodies yet. There isn’t any proof that those men were in our penthouse suite last night—nothing that could produce a search warrant this quickly, anyway. The Perris came in through the service elevator and the security camera footage was wiped. Plus, Merrick’s cleaner was top notch.

Farley shakes his head. “It’s got nothing to do with them.” The flash of apprehension in his eyes—almost like the giant wall of muscle is afraid to tell me—makes my insides twist. “It’s Mercy.”

2

Mercy

The cargo van hits another deep pothole. I grit my teeth against the harsh jolt that rattles my bones, but I don’t dare release a sound.

I don’t want my abductor to know I’m awake.

Our route has grown increasingly bumpy since I regained consciousness, maybe twenty minutes ago. I can’t guess how long it’s been since I opened the bathroom door in the hotel room and the man with the hideous scar across his face jabbed me in the neck with a needle. I blacked out and woke up lying on my side, still in my robe, with my arms bound behind my back, a sharp binding cutting into my wrists to keep them together.

Through the grimy back windows, the sun shines, hinting at daytime, but it was morning when he took me. We could be many hours from Vegas by now. Sweat clings to my skin, the stifling heat suffocating. I assume we’re still in the desert, but the desert is a vast place.

And I’m in deep trouble.

Who is this guy, besides someone dangerous? And how did he get into a penthouse guarded by Gabriel’s men? No one goes up that elevator unless they’ve been permitted, and I doubt Farley would give this creep a hall pass.

The service entrance. I’ll bet that’s how he made his way in. They smuggled three dead bodies out of there last night using the same route. This guy either knows the hotel well or pulled information from one of the staff. I cringe at the thought of how.

Does Gabriel know I’ve been kidnapped yet? Or will he be so tied up with trying to buy the Mage all day that he doesn’t realize I’m gone until much later? Will he think I left? Woke up to a change of heart about him and this sordid life after last night’s bloodbath?