Chapter 23

Styx

I wasn't certain if the two men were completely oblivious to the fact I'd followed them into the busy corridor or not. Granted, I remained a far enough distance that I could catch a few words here and there, but it was obvious that almost immediately they'd gotten into a heated conversation. In fact, Gideon was upset at first, the hired guns the prince had brought with him puffing up much like Mr. Martin's soldiers had.

They were certainly having a nasty disagreement.

Axe walked by them, pulling out a cigar. While he wasn't turned in their direction or acting as if he was paying any attention, simply removing a cutter and snipping the end, he was capturing every word being said.

Then out of the blue both their demeanors changed, the two men shaking hands. Gideon pulled sheets of folded paper from his jacket, handing them to the prince, who took a long time looking them over, flipping from page to page.

When it was obvious he was satisfied, in return Prince Aziz pulled out an envelope. Then both men shook hands again. After that, Gideon waited, being bold enough to pull out what appeared to be a paper check, although I would believe it was simply acknowledgement of a wire transfer into one of Gideon's existing offshore accounts.

And lo and behold, Mickey had taken the bait, skulking in and out of the shadows, approaching Mr. Martin a few seconds later. It became quite apparent they were on friendly terms. That answered a lot of questions but not all. If there was one thing I knew about a greedy rat it was that he would alter his colors depending on the end prize.

I'd known for years what Mickey wanted out of his dull life. To be a star. He'd become a turncoat without any further provocation. I'd bet on it.

Gideon slipped the paperwork into his pocket while still chatting with Mickey. That would buy me some time before I had my own private discussion with the man.

I moved to the outdoor smoking area, waiting until Axe joined me seconds later. The man was a nonsmoker, but knew me far too well, handing me the Cuban cigar then lighting it for me. I took several short puffs until the end was fiery red before taking a long pull, holding the sweet smoke in my lungs.

"The meeting was definitely about Miss Martin. It would seem you were right. However, it was surprising that Gideon acted as if he's going to be able to deliver Emily within forty-eight hours."

Now I knew Gideon to be a man who believed himself omnipotent, but something stuck in my brain that would trouble me until I returned to the island.

What if he knew where she was?

"Anything else?"

"Gideon wants more money. To the tune of two million dollars more. But I have a feeling it's more about whatever business they're in together."

"Interesting. Make contact with the other soldiers. Have them follow the prince wherever he goes and if he contacts anyone else. I also want to know where the man is staying while in town. He'll wait for his prize to be delivered, which means we have forty-eight hours to handle the rest of our business."

"What are you going to do first?"

I took another puff of my cigar, having no intention of putting it out prior to walking back into the hotel. It might come in handy as well.

"I'll dole out a little punishment of my own."

Axe grinned, the full moonlight highlighting the gleam in his eyes. "You are one sick bastard. I love that about you, boss."

"I'm glad someone does." We both headed back into the emptier corridor. Mickey was just walking away. What perfect timing.

Gideon took another look at the papers, a smug look crossing his face as if he'd won a round from the prince. Then he turned on his heel, heading down the hall toward the more private bathrooms. It was helpful to know every inch of the conference room areas like the back of my hand.

I took my time following behind him, in no hurry at this point. I simply wanted to give him the opportunity to slide into one of the stalls before I made my move. After a minute or so passed, I headed into the smaller restroom, checking to see if anyone else was in the space. As good fortune would have it, we were all alone.

It would seem luck of the Irish was with me. Even though I didn't have an ounce of Irish blood in my body.

As I'd hoped, Gideon was relieving himself in one of the stalls, chuckling to himself the entire time. I leaned against the wall, planting the sole of one foot on the vertical surface and leaning back, taking a few additional puffs of my cigar. I did adore a Cuban. The taste was almost as powerful as my beautiful sparrow.

I dragged my tongue across my bottom lip the way she did, thinking about the way she'd tasted the last time when I'd spanked her. Like fresh peaches. I did adore my fruit.

When I heard the toilet being flushed, only then did I open my eyes, eager to continue on with the night. It had been eventful so far, but the main event was just coming into play.

Gideon didn't bother looking in my direction, heading toward the row of sinks, actually whistling. I simply waited, taking a couple more puffs. Finally, he realized he wasn't alone, lifting his head and peering into the mirror.

His reflection was exactly as I'd hoped, shock, fear, and awe that I was standing in close proximity to him.

"Hello, Gideon. Surprised to see me?"

He eyed me carefully before turning on the water, pressing the soap dispenser and starting to wash his hands. "What do you want, Styx?"

"Oh, just your honesty." I studied the man carefully as he took his time washing his hands. My father always did say cleanliness was next to godliness. My, the evil thoughts racing through my head were fun as fuck tonight.

"About what? I'm a busy man so get on with your point." He turned off the faucet, shaking water from his fingers.

"About the fact you were prepared to sell your only child to an Arabian prince."

The slight twitch on the right side of his face meant he was suddenly very nervous. Everyone had tics whether they believed it or not.

"I would do no such thing."

"Then where is she?"

Perhaps it was the way I'd asked the question or the fact I chuckled afterwards that drew such an intense reaction. When the idiot dared lunge toward me, wrapping his hand around my throat, I was slightly amused, allowing him to squeeze briefly as his eyes bulged from his head.

"You fucking prick. You killed my men!" he snapped.

"No, you did." I easily broke his hold and his nose, taking a hard swing into the center of his face. There was something spectacular about the cracking sound. Blood spewed, landing on my jacket. After I shook my head, I slammed his into the mirror, the brutal thud creating a series of cracks fissuring from the top down.

I reached into his jacket, yanking out the contract. When I let him down, he tumbled to the floor in a daze. That allowed me the time to glance over the terms. "Tsk. Tsk. The lovely virtuoso is worth way more than this, especially to me."

"You… can't… have her," he gasped, spitting out blood and bile.

"Oh, not only can I have her, I will enjoy her for many years to come." I pocketed the folded contract before crouching down in front of him. The sight of the rodent plus the stench truly made me want to put a bullet in his brain, but there was one thing my father had taught me that was true enough. A quick and painless death wasn't good enough for scum of the earth.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Well, someone I trust mentioned you were announcing your run for president of the United States tonight. I'm going to give you a piece of advice. Don't make that announcement."

"And why is that?"

"Because you'll need to retract it in the morning and imagine how embarrassed you'll be."

"Fuck you."

He acted as it he was going to try to take a swing at me. I just gave him another look. "Really, Gideon? You think you can best me? Did you forget who my father was or what he taught his sons?"

"Your father was a slime bag."

"That he was. However, selling your daughter to slide into the back door in the oil business? Bad form. Do you have any idea what those types do with their women?" I placed my hand on my heart, acting appalled.

And as I suspected, he threw a punch, which I caught just centimeters prior to connecting with my jaw. I issued another tsking sound before adding incentive to the situation.

I broke his finger. Just one.

He howled then clamped his mouth shut when I shook my head.

"I suggest you remember who you're talking to since you know exactly what I'm capable of. You had your wife killed because her father found out that you were planning on overthrowing his company, killing him in the process. Kendall made the mistake of confronting you about it. Of course you denied the allegations, but were forced to silence her. Her father as well. Now, he died in a tragic accident, but it would seem not without leaving evidence of what he'd learned. It doesn't matter where I found it. What matters is that I have proof that you were responsible for your wife's murder and I plan on using it unless you cease from making that announcement."

"You're threatening me with lies?"

I shook my head again, pretending like I wasn't enjoying watching him squirm. "I guess I'll need to provide even more incentive." I rose to my feet, yanking out a few copies of the photographs and other bits of information I'd pulled together. It was amazing what calling in favors, promising support to my alliances, and generally spreading good will could help provide.

All I'd had to do was make a few phone calls and the trickledown effect had been tremendous. In my dog-eat-dog world where white collar criminals seemed to be a dime a dozen, when you exposed powerful men determined to lay claim to the top positions in the world, their rivals clamored together like flies to honey to hang on the coattails of an ultimate act of revenge.

"Just a little of the evidence I've garnered against you and your buddies working together, making it seem like you're pitting one against the other. You had an excellent plan, but you underestimated me. And my love for your daughter. Now, she belongs to me. By tomorrow, you will have nothing. Unless you do as I say."

I tossed the items over top of his slumped body, backing away and grabbing a couple of paper towels. I even hummed while I wiped his blood from my jacket, noticing out of the corner of my eye he was shaking as he picked up one scrap of information then another. Now it was my turn to dry my hands, tossing the rags into the trash before heading for the door.

"Don't think you can get out of this mess you created, Gideon. You can't. If you attempt to lay your hands on me, you will die. If you send someone after me, information will be sent to the chief of police and the prosecuting attorney. And if you decide to continue running for the office you're seeking, you will be front page news for every major newspaper before you have your morning coffee. I suggest you take my words under advisement."

"You'll find out that all your dirty laundry is being shared in vivid color in the morning. When I heard you were coming to the party, I made certain I provided you with a surprise since I knew it was you who'd been at my house, killing my men and taking my daughter. You have four hours to bring her back."

"You're not in a place where you should be threatening me, Gideon. Especially since Mickey and I go way back." I grinned as I glanced over my shoulder. I could always gather a hint of urine.

Good.

The man was taking me seriously.

What I knew as I walked out of the bathroom and the event was that he would heed my advice. However, he would also wait maybe five minutes before he made a single phone call to his buddy, Liam.

That would set up the rest of the evening quite well.

As I walked out, I had a grin on my face.

"Did you kill him? Do I need a cleanup crew?" Axe asked as he obviously noticed I still had specks of blood on my jacket, but nothing my dry cleaner couldn't handle.

"Did you ever hear the expression you get more flies with honey than with vinegar?" I continued walking while my soldier flanked my side.

"Boss, not to be disrespectful but you're not making a lot of sense."

"Well, let me educate you, my friend. When eliminating your enemies, as Liam attempted to do, if you pit one against the other, often they allow their anger to get in the way, seeing red instead of standing back and looking at the bigger picture."

"I think I get it. You're going to pit someone against the other."

"Not just someone, Prince Aziz. I will assume he doesn't know that Liam and our good friend Mr. Martin were working together or that they were planning on cutting the prince out of his own oil deals."

"Fuck. Is that the truth?"

As we walked into the elevator, I laughed. "I have no clue, but it sounded like an excellent story. Have you found where the prince is staying by chance?"

Axe was now grinning openly. "Yep. A hotel down the street."

"Then I suggest we have a little meeting with the good prince. Perhaps we'll make a deal of our own. And in turn, a full-fledged Arabian knight can have his brigade of soldiers to get dirt under their fingernails."

"And I was told you were a bloodthirsty killer. I like your style, Mr. S. I think that girl is doing something good for you. I hope you don't mind me saying so."

"No, I certainly don't. And you're right."

As I leaned against the elevator wall, I thought about various presents I intended on bringing back to the woman I… adored.

The woman I intended on marrying.

Today was a good day, the beginning of the rest of my life.

And this time, there would be no monsters lurking in the shadows.