Fallen Empire (Dirty Empire)

Great. News of Ivan and JJ is already circulating, which means Dad will know soon enough. The bastard will have the nerve to be outraged by something a halfwit could have seen coming from a thousand miles away.

“Well, whoever they are, if you could help move this investigation along so we can get our club up and running, it would be much appreciated. We can’t afford to take this financial hit.”

“Anything for you fine, upstanding businessmen.” Lewis offers a wide smile but it falls off quickly. Turning to me, she asks, “Have you heard from Mercy Wheeler yet? I still haven’t been able to reach her.”

“Yeah, actually. She said she was out of town visiting a friend. Near Sedona, I think. Terrible reception. She called her boss to take next week off. The woman’s been working so hard up until now, she deserves it. Should be back in a few days.”

Lewis’s lips twist with open disdain.

I could have told the truth, for my sake, but it’s better I don’t—for the sake of Mercy’s father. If I have Lewis pegged right, she’ll be calling Mercy’s boss tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. sharp and asking to listen to the voicemail. If she checks the cell towers, she’ll know Mercy’s in Phoenix. But that’s tomorrow and a lot can change between now and then.

Which reminds me, I need to call Donny again and bust his balls about getting Chops moved.

Huxley returns. “You have a hardwired hidden camera in your office that’s not part of your overall security system.”

It was only a matter of time before they found that. “No, it’s not. It’s a private camera.”

“Where does it feed to?” His eyebrows arch in question.

“A hard drive. Caleb or I turn it on when we need it, and we weren’t here last night to turn it on.”

“Of course not. That would be too convenient,” Huxley mutters, shaking his head. “We’ll still need to take a look at that hard drive.”

“Knock yourself out, though there won’t be anything on it.” The last time I turned that camera on was when Merrick and Vince made contact for the first time to hatch our dual escape plan. It got wiped clean after that.

“Umm… actually, there might be something on there.” Caleb scratches his chin in mock-thought. “Make sure you have a clear view, Agent Lewis. I think you’ll find it highly educational.”

I don’t have to ask what they’re going to find on there. Caleb loves to record himself fucking. Normally I’d be struggling not to laugh but my mood is dour. “If there’s nothing else?”

“For now.” Huxley waves us away.

“I’ll be seeing you soon,” Agent Lewis hollers after us.

“Hopefully after you watch that footage,” Caleb throws back with a wink.

16

Mercy

I close my eyes and inhale the delicious scent of coconut lingering on my skin. The afternoon sun is scalding, and yet I can’t bring myself to hide inside, and so I remain out here on our private terrace, cooling off in the lap pool, slathering myself with sunscreen, and trying to ignore Farley’s men watching me.

At least I’m not the only one who’s occupying their attention. Down below on the main terrace, Puff’s mother hides beneath the shade of an umbrella, crocheting baby booties. Puff’s girlfriend and son haven’t left the pool in hours, the little boy has shifted between maniacal giggling to hysterical temper tantrums several times over. He’s currently working through the latter.

“Someone’s not happy.”

I jump at the sound of Gabriel’s voice, my heart instantly racing. I’m fine, I’m safe, I remind myself, pressing a palm against my chest. “He just needs a nap.”

“He’s not the only one.”

Gabriel does look exhausted, the bags under his eyes darker than they were this morning.

He closes the distance, his steps slow, his posture sunken as if carrying a heavy weight. The second I’m within reach, he doesn’t hesitate to slip his arms around my waist and pull me to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I sigh at the feel of Gabriel’s lips against my neck. “It’s okay. I just seem to startle more easily now.” A door slam, a shout, a knock… everything puts me on edge. I tell myself that it won’t always be this way, that I was able to shed what happened to me after Fleet, but is that even true? A lot of the women who come into Mary’s have been carrying the darkness of a traumatic experience for years, sometimes buried so deep they don’t realize it’s a driving force for everything that’s amiss in their lives.

“You taste like sunscreen,” Gabriel whispers in my ear. “And you’re tense. Try and relax. Please.”

I take a deep breath and sink back against his chest. And remind myself that Gabriel is safe. He will do anything to keep me protected—even if it means doing things that will turn his own stomach.