15. Brie

CHAPTER 15

Brie

But Sophie Johnson has apparently gone home for the night, when I finally get hold of someone in accounting.

“When did she leave?”

“Over an hour ago, ma’am,” says the apologetic voice on the other end. “Do you need her personal cell?”

“Yes, please.”

But once again, I’m stymied. Sophie isn’t answering, and I just leave a quick voice message for her to call me when she can. Then I sigh, adjusting the collar of my silk shirt, and catching Nik’s heated gaze as I do.

“Not there?” she asks, but her eyes have already returned to mine, darting down as I cross my legs under the table.

“Not there,” I confirm. The gold leather pants weren’t exactly a subtle choice, but the way Nik’s eyes darkened earlier today when I put them on made them worth wearing. In Vegas, subtle gets you nowhere.

“So what next? Ask Holden to find that footage of Frank?”

I don’t really want to see Holden right now. I feel bad every time I say something that he misunderstands, that accidentally hurt him again. That’s not what he needs right now. What he needs are answers . If I can tell him who did this to the man he loved, maybe justice can help start to heal his heart.

“We can head down there in a while,” I say. “But right now I think I’d like to talk to Vince Sabatelli. See exactly what he has to say for himself about everything that’s gone down since he showed up with Larry and Frank to drag me back here to Vegas.”

Vince knows he owes me, but I’m wondering how loyal he’ll be to those promises he made me when I got him pulled out of interrogation with Larry. He didn’t exactly throw me under the bus during the confrontation…

But he didn’t stand up for me, either.

Nik shifts closer. “You’re sure that’s smart?” Even in the relative safety of the restaurant, she maintains her protective attitude. I’ve seen those sharp blue eyes constantly scanning our surroundings. The contrast between her alertness and the tender way her fingers brush against my inside wrist makes my pulse quicken.

“Oh, yes. I’m sure. Time to remind Vince who he’s dealing with.” Trying to ignore how Nik’s proximity sends electricity dancing across my skin, I catch the eye of one of the waitstaff. “Please get a message to Vince Sabatelli from me. Tell him I need to see him. Now.” The authority in my voice no longer feels like an act—it’s becoming as natural as breathing.

And Nik’s subtle nod of approval warms me more than she knows. Her hand rests casually on the back of the booth, but I can see the tension in her frame, ready to move at a moment’s notice. There’s something intoxicating about having this lethal woman at my side. The way she looks at me—like I’m something precious and dangerous all at once—makes me feel invincible.

When Vince appears ten minutes later, his cocky grin is firmly in place. “Evening, ladies.”

“Sit.” I keep my voice arctic. And I don’t give him any time to get comfy, launching straight into it. “We had a deal, Vince.” His eyes dart to Nik. “Don’t worry about her,” I tell him, letting a hint of threat color my words. “Worry about me. I’m disappointed in how quickly you turned on me.”

Vince leans forward, lowering his voice to that conspiratorial tone he uses when he thinks he’s being clever. “Look, I’m a man of my word. If you’d just calm down a second?—”

“Mrs. Colombo is perfectly calm,” Nik’s breaks in. “But I won’t be, if you don’t change your tone right the hell now.”

Something in Nik’s expression—that dark look that precedes violence—makes Vince lean back, a flicker of genuine unease crossing his face.

Good.

“Just…give me a chance to explain.” He glances around, then continues in a lower voice. “I know Larry, know how he operates. I’ve been pretending to be on his side to see what he’s planning.”

“He’s planning to kill me, I assume, if I won’t go away and stop bothering him.”

“Well—yeah.”

“Vince,” I sigh, “I don’t need a double agent to know that. Larry Caruso wears his motivations on his sleeve. And I don’t care what he thinks. I care what you think.”

He spreads his hands. “I think the old ways are dying. Look at Chicago—Hadria Imperioli’s running the show there, and the Styx Syndicate’s getting stronger and stronger. New York’s got Juno Bianchi. Times are changing.”

“So you say.” I take a sip of my water, letting him sweat. “Yet the moment Larry showed his hand, you were right there backing him up.”

“Strategy.” Vince leans forward again, his voice urgent. “Larry’s got pull with the old guard. The guys who’ve been with the Family since Terry’s dad was running the show. But the younger ones? The associates Terry brought in? They’re different. More…progressive.”

“Progressive mobsters.” My laugh is sharp. “There’s a concept.”

“I’m serious, Breezy.” He catches himself at Nik’s glare. “Mrs. Colombo. I can work with them. Quietly. Remind them how Terry was modernizing things, bringing in fresh blood, new ideas. How profits were going up across the board.”

I arch an eyebrow. “And what do you suggest I do in the meantime?”

“Play it cool for now. Let me work the angles, build support. Larry’s all muscle, no finesse. Given enough rope, he’ll hang himself.”

“Tell me about your allies in the Family. Names. Numbers. Who can we count on, and how many?”

He glances uncertainly at Nik again, as though the information is any kind of secret, but continues when I give him a sharp look. He names a score of associates, along with his own crews made up of full Family men. I already had a rough idea, but I’d like to know exactly who Vince thinks he has an influence over—in case I need to counter any information. “And I’ve got at least three lieutenants who’ll back you if it comes to a vote,” he finishes.

“A vote? This isn’t a democracy, Vince.”

“No, but it is about power. Real power—not just guns and muscle, but money, influence, loyalty. You’ve got more of that than you realize.” He hesitates. “Terry knew it. Why do you think he was grooming you?”

That catches me off guard, but I don’t let it show. “Tell me about Phoenix again. About being there with Larry. You can’t have been with him all day and night.”

“Much as I’d love to tell you Larry bailed and came back to Vegas to do the deed himself, he didn’t.” Vince spreads his hands. “But fact is, Larry’s got plenty of loyalists in the Family. Could’ve asked one of them to handle it. That’s why we need to be smart about this. Strategic.”

“And what’s your strategy?”

“Let me keep playing Larry. Let him think he’s got me convinced. Meanwhile, I shore up support among the younger guys, the ones who see which way the wind’s blowing. When the time comes—when you find that will—you’ll have the numbers to back your claim.”

I let the silence stretch until Vince starts to fidget. But the truth is, Vince will be trying to lean on as many men as he can—not for my sake, of course. But if he thinks he can shore up support for himself, that weakens Larry’s position, too. So it suits me just fine.

“That all?” he asks finally.

I dismiss him with a slight nod, watching as he practically scurries away from our table. The moment he’s gone, exhaustion crashes over me. I let out a shaky breath, and Nik responds instantly, her hand finding mine under the table, and the simple touch grounds me.

“Let’s head back to the dressing room,” she says, her voice low and intimate. “You need rest, and we can worry about Holden and Frank’s alibi after you’ve slept.”

I lean into her slightly, drawing strength from her solid presence. “I want to pack some things from my suite first. Fresh clothes.”

“That sounds good,” she admits. “I left some of my clothes up there in your guest room, too.”

But as we approach the private elevator, my steps falter. The memory hits me harder than I realized it would—the crack of gunfire, the spray of blood, the realization that someone was still looking to kill me. I pause, keycard in hand, as a frozen feeling creeps over me.

Nik notices my hesitation immediately. Of course she does; she notices everything about me. “Hey,” she says, putting a cautious hand on my arm. “I’ve got you.”

I try to smile, but my hands are trembling. “I’m being ridiculous.”

“Not ridiculous.” Her voice is firm but gentle. “Never ridiculous. Want to take the stairs instead?” She gestures at the door to the stairwell.

But I look down at my shoes, pointedly. “Thirty-six stories in these? I think I’d rather die.” It’s a black joke, but Nik still grins.

“I could carry you?” she offers. “Over my shoulder. Super sexy.”

“Hot as that sounds, I think…I think I need to desensitize myself. I’ll be okay. You’re with me, after all.”

“You got that right.” She positions herself between me and the elevator doors as they open to my swiping of the card, and checks the interior before gesturing me inside.

I step in, and my breath catches as the doors slide shut with a soft whoosh. The mirrored walls seem to close in, reflecting my pale face back at me from every angle. I press my back against the cool surface and focus on Nik.

She moves in front of me, one hand braced beside my head, using her body to shield me from the memories as much as the potential threats. “Focus on me,” she murmurs. “Just me.”

I reach for her instinctively, my fingers curling into the fabric of her jacket. She’s solid and warm and real, her presence pushing back the shadows of that terrible day. The elevator starts to move, and I tense, but Nik’s free hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining.

“Please…don’t let me go.” The words come out shakier than I intended.

Nik presses closer, pinning me against the mirrored wall. The weight of her body against mine is anchoring, protective, and I couldn’t care less right now if anyone in security is watching us. Let their damn eyes bug out.

“I’ll never let go of you,” she promises, and I believe her. “You were amazing today, by the way,” she murmurs, her lips barely brushing my ear, distracting me from the elevator’s movement. “The way you handled everything…”

My breathing steadies as I lose myself in her gaze. The elevator could be plummeting and I wouldn’t care, not with Nik looking at me like this. When the elevator begins to slow, Nik smoothly steps away, resuming her professional demeanor. But her hand stays linked with mine until the last possible moment, and the lingering heat in her gaze promises more later. She positions herself slightly ahead of me as the doors open, movements cautious as she scans the corridor.

The transition from passionate to protective happens in an instant, and somehow that only makes her more attractive. The way she can shift from tender to lethal in a heartbeat, the perfect balance of soft and sharp…

It makes my knees weak.

But the moment we come closer to my suite, something feels wrong. The door looks closed, but as we get closer, I realize that it’s slightly ajar. My heart rate kicks up, and I feel Nik tense beside me, her body shifting subtly to shield mine.

She pushes open the door, and we both stay there in the hallway as we look inside. My mouth falls open.

“Stay here,” Nik says, pulling me just inside the door, but not letting me go any further. She moves swiftly through the suite, and then calls me into the bedroom.

It’s the same picture there as everywhere else. The whole suite has been ransacked. Drawers pulled open, furniture overturned and even destroyed, my clothes ripped off hangers and dumped on the floor of the walkthrough wardrobe.

Someone was looking for something—and they weren’t subtle about it.