“What? What is that? Why are you side-eyeing me?”

  “You said you were a ferryman. The guy who transports the dead. You were there to pick up that guy Banetti killed.”

  “Very likely.”

  Remy’s eyebrows nearly flung off his forehead. “You’re not sure?”

  “My job isn’t to ask questions. It’s to pick up and drop off.”

  “That’s…that’s horrible.”

  Wait. He’d just saved the guy’s ass and now he was the bad guy? Fucker. Why should he care what Remy thought? He didn’t. “They’re not always dead bodies.” Was he explaining himself? To a guy who wears flannel?

  “Oh, so you kidnap people too?”

  Dev gaped at him. “Are you fucking judging me? Don’t judge me. You don’t know me. I will leave your Moroccan-oil-wearing, chicory-coffee-drinking ass right here on the highway.”

  “What?” Remy shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. He crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw clenched.

  “And no. I don’t kidnap anyone. And I don’t accept contracts with kids.” Why was he justifying himself?

  “Is that supposed to make it better?”

  “I don’t fucking care what you think. If you’re so damned perfect, what the hell are you doing in Old Defiance?”

  The wind seemed to go out of Remy’s sails, and he deflated. “Starting over.”

  “Well, you picked the wrong fucking city for that, my friend.”

  “You curse a lot.”

  “Yes, I fucking do.”

  The car plunged back into silence, but it didn’t last long.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You ask a lot of questions. We’re going somewhere safe to lay low until I figure out what to do with you.”

  Ten minutes out from The Menagerie, Dev pulled off on the side of the road. He popped the trunk. The hotel was only one place they could go where Gabriele couldn’t touch them, but they had to make it inside first.

  “Get in the trunk.”

  Remy gasped and stared at him like he’d sprung devil horns. So freaking dramatic. It took everything Dev had not to laugh at his reaction.

  “I’m not getting in your trunk. Dead people have been in your trunk.”

  Live people had been in his trunk too. “Unless you want to be one of those unalived people, you’ll get in the damned trunk. Banetti’s sending one of the best assassins in the city after you. Gabriele’s smart. He’s going to be waiting for us.”

  “Then let’s not go where you know he’ll be waiting for us.”

  Dev put his steepled his fingers to his lips and closed his eyes. “Santo cielo, dame paciencia.”

  “Hey, you speak Spanish.”

  “Get in the fucking trunk, Remy!”

  “Geez. Okay.” Remy quickly got out of the car and slammed the door.

  “Motherfuck—” Dev took a deep breath. “I’m going to murder him myself.” Getting out, he walked to the back of the car, and as annoyed as he was, he had to press his lips together to keep himself from laughing as Remy reluctantly got into the trunk, his face scrunched up like he was sinking into something foul. He kept inspecting the plastic.

  “Relax, it’s clean,” Dev said, shoving Remy in.

  “Ow! Easy, man.”

  “Not my fault you’re a giant. This trunk is made for people of average height.”

  “First of all, a trunk is not made for people at all. Second of all, I’m—”

  Dev slammed the lid shut, smiling at the muffled yells from inside. He got back in the car and drove. Knowing Remy could hear him, he called out.

  “We’re almost there. The valet’s going to take the car and park it. Be quiet, and I’ll come to get you.”

  Remy said something else Dev couldn’t decipher and didn’t care to. He was pretty sure Remy was cursing him out. Here he was, saving the guy’s ass, and he was being so ungrateful.

  When they arrived at The Menagerie, he gave the valet his keys like always. He could feel eyes on him, and he knew Gabriele was already there, watching, waiting. Fastening his suit jacket button, he strolled into the hotel, but instead of heading to the concierge, he got into the main elevator and went up, getting off on the next floor. He hurried down the hall and into the stairwell. Quickly, he went back down to the ground floor and out through a door he knew led outside near the parking lot of the hotel.

  Spotting his car, he scanned the area before swiftly heading over. He felt around underneath the bumper and pushed a hidden latch. The trunk popped open, and Remy lay there glaring at him.

  “Hey there. You know, the other guy I had in there tonight was far more polite. Then again, he was gagged. He might have pissed himself a little in there too.”

  Cursing under his breath, Remy scrambled out, making Dev laugh. “Kidding. About the piss, not the guy.”

  “Jerk,” Remy muttered.

  Dev closed the trunk and grabbed Remy’s arm. “Move fast and stay close.” He pulled Remy along with him back to the door Dev had exited. He’d left it cracked open so they could get back in.

  “Holy shit. What is this place?”

  “The Menagerie,” Remy replied. “It’s a hotel.”

  “This is laying low? I hate to break it to you, but you could probably see this place from space. Not exactly subtle.”

  Dev removed his phone from his pocket and put in the call.

  “What the hell happened?” Cat demanded. “My phone’s been blowing up. What’s this about you breaching a contract?”

  “I’ll explain everything. I need a room. Now.”

  Silence.

  “Dev, what have you gotten yourself into?”

  FOUR

  “Who the fuck is that?”

  Those were the first words out of the woman’s mouth. She was almost as tall as Remy, though a couple of inches were from her heavy military-grade boots. Her bearing screamed that she’d had military training. She was dressed all in black, from her tank top and tactical pants to her boots, with dark skin, bright pink lipstick, dark eyes, and dark hair in a braided bun at the top of her head.

  “Um.” Remy didn’t know what to say. “Hi.”

  Dev closed the curtains on all the windows in the large suite. When Dev had said “room,” Remy had expected a standard hotel room, not a luxury suite bigger than his apartment.

  “That is why I missed the pick-up,” Dev replied, turning to face his…friend?

  Really? “I’m right here.”

  “Who are you?” The woman demanded. She was beautiful and terrifying.

  “My name is Remy Corbin. I work—um, worked, at Banetti’s Bar. He was my boss. I walked in on him shooting some guy in the head, and then they tried to kill me, so I ran, and Dev was in the alley, so I got in his car.”

  “Oh no. No, no, no.” She shook her head, her eyes huge as she turned to Dev. “Are you telling me you not only breached your contract but drove off with someone Banetti wants dead?”

  “Remy, this is Cat. She’s my—”

  “Boss,” Cat replied.

  Dev arched an eyebrow. “Associate.”

  “I handle the contracts and keep him from getting dead, especially when he does stupid shit like this,” she growled, spinning to glare at Dev. “But this is beyond stupid, Dev. How could you do this to yourself? To us?”

  Remy took a step forward. “Hey, Cat,” he said quietly. She turned to face him, and if looks could kill, Banetti wouldn’t have to worry about sending anyone after him. “I’m sorry. I really am. I never meant to cause any trouble.” He put his hand to his heart. “I understand if you want to kick me out. I just…I don’t have anywhere to go, or…anyone.”

  She looked over, her frown deep. “You’re not from here.”

  Remy shook his head. “No, I just moved here.”

  She eyed him. “Why? What did you do?”

  “Me? Oh, um. Well, my boyfriend, who I thought I’d end up marrying, emotionally cheated on me and then dumped me. I needed to get away from everything that reminded me I wasn’t enough for him. I didn’t know what to do, so I bought one of those paper maps, closed my eyes, and pointed. My finger landed on Old Defiance. Figured it was a big enough city for me to get lost in and start again.”

  Cat blinked at Remy. Then she turned and smacked Dev in the arm. Hard.

  “Ow! Why are you assaulting my person?”

  “Because of all the people in this entire godforsaken city, you had to find the one freaking cinnamon bun?”

  Remy was very confused. “I’m a what now?”

  “Now do you understand?” Dev said, throwing his arms up. With a loud groan, he dropped onto the couch, his fingers in his hair.

  What was happening right now?

  “I need to talk to Gabriele. Try to get him to back off.”

  Cat gasped. “With Gabriele? Are you high? You can’t reason with Gabriele.”

  “I’ve really messed things up, huh?” Remy shook his head. “I should go. It was my mistake that got me into this mess. I should be the one to take care of it. Dev, I’m sorry I screwed things up for you. Cat, it was so nice to meet you. Take care.” He turned and headed for the door when Cat stepped in front of him.

  “Easy there, McDreamy. How about you stay in this room and don’t get dead, huh? Does that sound good to you? Because that sounds good to me.”

  Remy couldn’t help his smile at the familiar nickname. “Thanks, Cat. But I should go.”

  “Nope.” Dev stood and walked over. “Listen, while you’re in this building, you’re safe. No one can hurt you. It’s against the rules.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This place works as an asylum,” Cat said, grabbing her jacket from the back of the couch. “No violence, no heated exchanges allowed on the premises, and the rules are strictly enforced.”

  “That’s all well and good,” Remy said worriedly, “But at some point, we’ll have to leave.”

  “Which is why I’m going to ask for a meet with Gabriele.”

  Cat opened her mouth, and Dev held a hand up.

  “It’s going to be fine, Cat. You know he’s not going to kill me.”

  “How do you know?” Remy asked.

  “Dev is too valuable,” Cat replied with a sigh.

  “That’s good, right?” Why did it look like they disagreed? “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “In this business, in this life,” Cat said, dropping onto the couch. “There are worse things than death.”

  Remy swallowed hard. He couldn’t let Dev go out there alone to face an assassin. This was all because of him. No matter who Dev was or what kind of man he was, from what Remy had gathered, he was risking a hell of a lot by helping Remy, a guy he didn’t even know. He stepped in front of Dev and put a hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met.

  “You don’t need to do this,” Remy said quietly.

  Dev’s gaze didn’t falter. He covered Remy’s hand with his, holding it for a heartbeat before pushing it off his shoulder. “Yeah, I do. Stay here.”

  Knowing there was nothing he could say or do to stop Dev, he moved to one side. Cat quickly got up and followed Dev.

  “What are you doing?” Dev hissed at her. “Stay here.”

  “Like hell. I’ve always been your backup. Not going to stop now.”

  “I need you to keep him safe.”

  “He is safe. As long as he doesn’t leave the hotel, he’s safe. You know that.”

  Muttering something unintelligible under his breath, Dev left the room, Cat on his heels. They promised to be back soon, but Remy had serious doubts. He made sure the door was double-locked before heading to the couch. This was a nightmare. He sat and stared down at his hands. They were shaking. Flexing the fingers of both hands, he sat back with a sigh. All he could do now was hurry up and wait.

  What the hell had his life become? How had picking somewhere randomly led him to a place that sounded like something out of a movie? Except he wasn’t the action hero. Hell, he hated guns and had no idea how to shoot one. The closest he’d come to firing a weapon was in the video games he’d played as a teenager. He’d never even been in a fight.

  Remy lost track of how long it had been since they’d left. Amazing how fast time went by when you were pacing a hole in the expensive carpet and worrying yourself sick. It had been hours, and he hadn’t heard from anyone. Was that a good thing, or did that mean Dev was…?

  Shaking himself out of it, he decided to take a shower. He made it a quick one, just in case they returned. Once he’d dressed, he returned to the living room when a loud thump against the door scared the hell out of him. He hurried over, skidding to a halt in front of it. What should he do? Another thump. He carefully looked through the peephole.

  “Holy shit!” Unlocking the door, he threw it open. Dev was slumped against the wall opposite the door. Remy ran over and dropped to his knees. There was so much blood. “Dev?”

  Remy checked both ends of the hall. He couldn’t leave Dev here, but was it safe to move him? Cursing under his breath, he quickly slid Dev to one side, hooked his hands under Dev’s armpits, and carefully dragged him into the suite. The trail of blood left behind was not a good sign.

  As soon as he was back inside the room, he carefully laid Dev down on the carpeted floor and closed the door, fastening the locks again. The hotel phone rang, and he hurried over. Just as he’d hoped, it was Cat.

  “Have you heard from Dev?”

  “Cat, help! There’s so much blood, and I don’t even know where it’s coming from. What do I do? What if he’s bleeding out?”

  “What? Slow down. Where’s the blood? Where’s Dev?”

  “He’s here. He’s been shot or stabbed or something. I don’t know. There’s so much blood, and he’s breathing fast, and I think he’s choking.”

  “Is he on his back?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Turn him onto his side before he chokes on his own blood.”

  “Shit.” Remy took the wireless handset with him as he hurried back to Dev, rolling him onto his side as Cat instructed, cringing when Dev cried out from the pain. “What do I do? How can I—”

  “I’ll take care of it. When the doorbell rings three times, answer it.”

  “What?” The line went silent.

  What the hell?

  Remy kneeled on the floor and did the only thing he could think of, he carefully lifted Dev’s head, cradling it on his lap. It looked like all his injuries were on his torso, though his lips and nose were bloodied, and he had a bruise around one eye. Those bastards. They might not have killed Dev, but they beat the shit out of him.

  “I’m so sorry,” Remy said, tears in his eyes. Dev’s expensive blue suit was covered in dark bloodstains, and his white shirt was splattered with blood and mud. Remy gently ran a hand over Dev’s dark hair. It was mussed and falling down onto his face instead of neat and combed back as it had been before.

  Remy had just gotten dumped by a guy he’d been with for years because he hadn’t been enough, and Dev, whom Remy had just met, had risked his life for him. Why? Why would Dev do this for him?

  What’s more, why was Remy so drawn to him? Dev was a criminal. He was the opposite of everything Marcus had been. Was that why he was drawn to Dev, or was it something else? Remy should have run as fast and as far as he could from this place, from this city of death and destruction. Dev seemed to have no fear. How had he ended up here, doing what he did?

  The doorbell rang three times, and Remy stood, carefully placing Dev’s head back onto the carpet. He ran to the door, opening it to find a small team of people outside. They shoved past him and hurried over to Dev, lifting him up and carrying him into the main bedroom. Remy swiftly followed, walking in as they placed Dev on the bed. He assumed one of the men was some kind of doctor because he was handed a medical bag and quickly got to work.

  Remy had never felt so helpless. All he could do was watch as they cut through Dev’s shirt. His tanned chest was smeared with blood and covered in scars. Someone removed his jacket and the cut-up shirt, revealing a tattoo on the inside of his forearm. It looked like an old-school lantern.

  “Is he going to be okay?” Remy asked.

  “He’s lost a lot of blood. We need to do a transfusion or we’ll lose him,” the doctor said.

  Before Remy could ask if he should call an ambulance, they started opening cases and setting up equipment. One guy opened something that looked like a cooler and removed a bag of blood and an IV bag full of clear liquid. Next thing he knew, the bedroom had been turned into a makeshift hospital room.

  Everything went by in a flash, and they were gone in the blink of an eye, leaving him alone with beeping monitors, a handful of pills, and a burner phone with the doctor’s phone number. Making sure the door was locked, Remy returned to the bedroom and climbed onto the bed. He lay down next to Dev, who’d been propped up against several pillows and was still out.

  Remy didn’t know why he took Dev’s hand and laced their fingers together, but he did. Sooner or later, this would all be over, and if Remy made it out of this alive, he’d never see Dev again. He should feel relieved.

  Whatever he felt, it wasn’t relief, and it scared the hell out of Remy.

  FIVE

  Darkness.

  He wasn’t afraid of the darkness. Hell, he spent most of his time there. But this was different. His body was heavy, his brain in a fog. Was he floating? What the hell was going on?

  An image flashed in his mind, a smiling face and sad eyes. Dev reached out, and it disappeared. Nothing but black surrounded him, then it faded, revealing trees and shadowed greenery. The park. Why was he in the park?

  “You think you can protect him?”

  Dev turned as a large, bearded man in a black suit emerged from behind one of the trees. Dark eyes met his.

  Gabriele Romero.

  Gabriele was one of the best hitmen in town. He was expensive as fuck because he always got the job done without leaving a trace. Everyone knew of him and feared him. He didn’t just take care of the problem, he made it disappear as if it had never existed in the first place.

  “Whatever Banetti is paying you, I can pay you a lot more.” Dev knew what the answer would be, but he had to try.