Lure (A Hitman's Bait 1)

“I have to take him out of the picture.”

“You mean kill him?” I asked. “You can say the word, you know. I won’t freak out or anything. Plus, he tried to kill you, so I have zero empathy. In fact, if I can help, let me know.”

Sully kissed my cheek. “I don’t want to get you involved. This is a job I’ll take credit for.”

A ship sank right inside my stomach. “Is that wise? What if they retaliate?”

“I expect them to, and whoever does will meet the same fate.”

“I don’t know, Sully.” I didn’t want to lose him, and this guy he was going up against seemed dangerous.

“He has to do this.” Liam came to stand on my other side. “If this goes unchallenged, word will spread, and then everyone with a grudge will think they have a shot at Sully. If he cuts off the head of the snake, eventually, the body dies. Some people will be pissed at Grimaldo’s death, but more will be glad so they can fight over who should be in control of the family’s business.”

Sully brushed his hand across my cheek. “You don’t need to worry about this. We’ll take care of Grimaldo.”

“We just need to get close enough to him,” Liam said. “We’re still trying to figure that out.” He tapped away at his iPad. “We know he frequents an illegal gambling house in Newport, but we’re stumped at how to get in. There’s no way they’ll allow Sully or me to enter. We’re not members, and the group is too small for us to fake a membership.”

“Wait a minute.” I downed the entire glass of milk and wiped my milk mustache away with the back of my hand. “Is this gambling house at the corner of Highloborn Street?”

“Yeah, you know it?”

“Can I see a picture of this guy?”

Liam turned the tablet toward me. A slender man of medium height, bronze skin, and jet-black hair appeared on the screen. Excitement zinged through me.

“That’s the guy you’re after?”

“Yes, why?” Sully asked.

“I know him. I know how you can get to him. Use me.”

“Explain.” Sully pulled out a chair and sat.

I took a deep breath. “Gambling isn’t his only vice. He’s in the closet, and he has a certain fondness for me.”

Sully scowled.

“Okay, fondness may be a strong word, but once a week, Nolan sends prostitutes to the gambling house. This guy never sleeps with the girls, but he always makes some excuse about why he needs to leave after telling me where to meet him that night.”

“This is perfect!” Liam grinned at me. “If Kit shows up at the gambling house, he can still pretend to work for Nolan.”

“I don’t know about this. What if someone there knows Kit’s no longer working for Nolan? The other prostitutes who work with Nolan will definitely know.”

“But Nolan usually takes us there on Thursdays. If we go on a different day, I can pretend there was a mixup. I’m sure they’ll still let me in.”

“What happens at these gambling events?” Sully asked.

“It’s like a sports bar. Enormous screens where they watch games and horse racing. The men mostly gamble, drink, and use the rooms around the back.”

“And there are only men there?”

“Yes. Except for the call girls.”

“I don’t know about you, Sully, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

I raised my eyebrows at Liam. “Are you calling me a horse?”

“Seems fitting. A feisty little filly.” He took up his iPad and locked it. “I’ll leave you two to talk about this, and when we’ve decided, we can work out the nitty-gritty details of how to keep Kit safe while doing this.”