Chapter 11

Lee passed me a cup of coffee, then took a seat across the table from me. His own steaming cup looked like a child's toy cradled between his large palms. "You doing alright?"

I nodded, then took a sip. "I will be. I'm just worried about her. I didn't…" My voice broke.

It felt stupid of me to admit I'd never considered the dangers in what we did. There were fears, certainly, but they never extended further than worrying about a man being obtrusive, pushing for things I didn't want to give. King's confession sat heavy on my mind from the moment he'd told me the gruesome tale, and I hated that I'd triggered his very real fears because I'd been so naive.

Lee's grimace didn't make me feel any better. He glanced across the room to where Vinny was still hard at work on the computer. "That was the hardest part about moving on, Carina," he said, peeking back at me. "Knowing you didn't take your safety seriously. That you'd go back to the way things were before we dated."

I looked away. Before we dated, I'd been doing exactly what I was doing before I got together with King—using my body to help seduce men for financial gain. In fact, I'd met Lee after Vinny enlisted me to help him investigate a potential business partner. Lee knew who I was going into our relationship, and I always thought it unfair when he asked me to stop.

"Was worried about you," Lee continued, as if I wasn't lost in my head, "especially after everything with Kelly."

A long breath left me. Everything with Kelly was too much. He'd asked me for help finding her earlier in the year, and while I was glad to do so, seeing just how much he loved her had hurt something deep inside of me. It had killed the embers I'd kept burning for him even when he'd long since stopped answering my calls.

"I'm trying to be better," I told him, both because it was true and I didn't know what else to say, short of admitting my own stupidity.

"Can I ask a personal question?"

Lifting my brow, I gestured to him with my coffee. "Go right ahead."

"You and King. You're together now?"

My stomach fluttered and I licked my lips. "We are."

"He treat you well?"

Blood crept to my cheeks. "Very well," I said before taking another sip.

"I'm glad." Lee took a drink, then sat back in his chair. "King's a good guy."

"You say that like you don't believe it."

His lips twitched and he looked away. "He's got a head for the business. It takes a certain kind of person to do what he does, but he does it well. And he certainly cares about it." He looked back at me. "About all of you."

I tucked my hair behind my ear. "He does. I swear he works more than anyone I've ever met. Well, present company excluded."

Lee's deep laughter rang through the room, drawing Vinny's attention our way.

"This whole thing with King," I said when Vinny went back to work. "It's recent, but it just… feels right."

He smiled, staring down at his hands. "That's how it was with Kelly."

"How is she now?"

"Good. She has some bad days, but most days are good. She's healing. Getting better all the time. Like's spending time over at Jen and Vinny's, playing house with Baby Rosie." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, then swiped his screen a few times before he handed it over to me. On it was his Kelly, her wild mess of red curls surrounding her as she and Jen Leonetti held a tiny baby girl.

"She's beautiful," I told him, glancing up to find him staring at the screen.

"Yeah, she really is." I wasn't sure if he was talking about the baby or his girl.

Before he could pocket his phone, the big screen behind him came to life, a Bridgewater Security logo flashing before the screen went white. Vinny popped out of his chair, walking over to the two of us with a remote in his hand.

"Carina, do you recognize this man?" He pointed the remote at the screen, and a photograph replaced the white.

"I do. That's Mr. Sparacello. He's one of our customers, and he's at the club all the time."

"Does Nevaeh know him?" he asked, flicking through to another photo of the man.

"I'm sure she does. She—" I tucked a loose hair behind my ear. "Actually, she might know him quite well. She's, well…"

"It's okay, Carina," Lee told me, placing a hand over mine. "Nothing you say will leave this room. We're just trying to find her."

With a nod, I swallowed and said, "Mr. Sparacello is one of the men she's been seen with recently."

"Are there others?" Vinny asked, his tone lacking the gentleness Lee's held.

I pursed my lips, trying to think back over the weeks. "I would assume so. It's not exactly the kind of thing we discussed. Why? What's he done?"

Vinny tugged at one sleeve, then pulled up a chair. "He's got quite the reputation. Very wealthy. Ruthless businessman. Doesn't like the word no. He's made his way through the Chicago underground and has ties to certain… unsavory characters out East."

My brow dipped down, and I pushed my coffee aside. "Go on."

"The problem is, he recently took a cross country trip, and his fellow passenger was one Nevaeh Vega. And look at this." Vinny pushed the remote one more time, and the new picture on the screen stilled my heart. I could barely process the image, my vision blurring as tears prickled my eyes.

"Oh, Nevaeh, what have you done?" I muttered under my breath, giving my head a shake. It caused a tear to trickle down my cheek, and I brushed it away with the heel of my hand.

"Why don't I take you back to the club," Lee offered, picking up my empty coffee cup and stacking it in his. "We can talk to King together, let him know what we've found."

I rose, determined not to stumble on my weak legs. For a moment, I wanted to wrap my arms around both Lee and Vinny, but I'd lost that right when they'd found love and moved on. "Thank you," I said, raising a trembling hand to my lips. "I don't know what I'd have done without you."

"Don't mention it." Vinny squeezed my arm, then turned back to the computer, hitting the button that made the screen go dark.

Lee walked me out to his SUV at the rear of the building, then drove me back to the club. It felt odd to be seen with him. He was my ex-lover, a man I'd imagined, if only for a minute, trying to make a life with. But it was King on my mind now, King I never stopped thinking about, even if I only wanted to throttle him for his asshole-ish behavior.

Lee had never been on my mind this much.

Back at Starlight, I led him through the rear entrance and straight to King's office. When there was no answer to my knock, I let myself in. Lee was tense beside me as he looked over the room. Everything was in place, exactly as it always was. With the lone exception of a single bullet resting against his favorite pen.

"Lee." My hand shook as I pointed at it, my fingers tingled as if they could feel something was wrong.

"I see it." He looked around the desktop, but there was nothing else there. No notes, no indication that he'd been here, that he was going somewhere else.

Damn King and his constant need for cleanliness.

"Let's go check the floor," Lee said, stepping toward the door, his brows drawn together and his lips pursed. "Could be out there working. The bullet might be a non-concern."

It might have been, but until I saw King again, I was nothing but a big bag of concern. I rushed out the door, leading Lee down the long hallway and through the staff door. The casino floor was noisy. I looked it over the way I always did, checking for the kinds of activity we'd been trained to gravitate toward. Sienna and Ruby were seated at the poker tables. Evie was talking to someone playing blackjack. And Lucy and Leni were at the head of one of the loudest roulette tables, each of them doing exactly what they were supposed to do.

King wasn't there, and my racing heart stuttered and tripped. I felt like I was being choked.

"There." Lee pointed across the room, pressed a hand to the small of my back, and my gaze darted in that direction as my body readied to rush straight to King's arms. But it wasn't King he was pointing to, it was the head bouncer, Cole.

When I didn't move, Lee stepped around me, and I rushed after him rather than be left behind. The crowd parted for the big man, and we were at Cole's side in seconds.

"Looking for King," Lee said after shaking Cole's hand. "He around?"

Cole shook his head. "He stepped out. Said he had an errand to run." He narrowed his eyes. "Why? Something going on?"

"He say where he was going?" Lee asked, and panic gripped me when Cole shook his head again.

"Lee." My voice squeezed through my tight throat, and I grabbed his arm to try to keep steady. King's confession rattled through my brain. I had no doubt he'd kill again if it meant keeping me and the girls safe. But Mr. Sparacello wasn't the kind of man you messed with. He had to know that, didn't he? He had to know Sparacello wasn't the laid-back gambler he presented himself as when he was here. "We have to find him. I'm afraid he's going to do something terrible."

Lee gave a nod, then put his hand on my back again. "Let's go to his office. Got a call I need to make."

We rushed through the casino, down the hall and through King's door. As Lee pulled out his phone, my eyes landed on the bullet on the desk.

"God dammit, Kingston," I muttered under my breath. "What the hell did you do?"