“I’m not,” I gasp, tears filling my eyes. My head drops, and I whisper. “I’m not.”

  At once, he releases me, turning away. His breath comes fast, and his voice is low. “Remember when you said you liked to feel my strength, knowing I could hurt you, but I wouldn’t?”

  “Yes.”

  “Now I would.”

  A hot tear spills over onto my cheek, and I wish I had the key to this handcuff. I wish I had taken myself to the bedroom and crawled beneath the blankets before I locked it.

  My voice is quiet, as I speak. “Even when you hurt me, I’ll still come to you. Remember?”

  “I didn’t hurt you.” His voice is equally quiet. “You hurt me.”

  “And for that I’m so sorry. You’re the best man I’ve ever known.”

  26

  Dirk

  It’s five o’clock, and we’re both in the small room monitoring the camera feeds on Scar’s twenty-seven-inch desktop computer. Rainey is handcuffed to the chair near the filing cabinet, and we’ve said nothing more about what happened this afternoon.

  There’s nothing more to say.

  My job is to keep my eyes on what’s happening in Gibson’s, and I have Louie’s number at the ready on my phone. Hutch said he chatted with his old friend with the Brooklyn Police Department yesterday and this morning. Louie knows what’s going down, and I’m on the line ready to call him at the first sign of a trap.

  Sliding my glasses over my eyes, I lean back in my chair, focusing my gaze on the screen. The quality is grainy and the picture is black and white, but I can make out everyone’s faces.

  Then a call comes through on the computer. I press accept, and we have sound.

  “I see you intercepted my girl retrieving what you stole from us.” Natasha’s voice has matured, but it still smacks of entitlement.

  Hutch’s voice is level. “Simon’s own guy Andre stole this book and sold it to Hugh van Hamilton.”

  “Doesn’t make it yours.”

  Scar cuts in. “Why do you want it back?”

  “Because it belongs to me now. It’s my inheritance, along with this club and everything else that was Simon’s.”

  In the feed we see her face turn to Scar, and my skin prickles. What is she up to?

  “You’re not Simon’s heir.” Scar’s voice is dangerously quiet. “His enterprise died with him, and I’m here to see you don’t try to revive it.”

  “Then it seems we’re wasting time.”

  The screen breaks into confusion. A swarm of men fills the office, and the struggle is short. A nightstick flies, leaving Hutch unconscious on the floor, hands locked in zip ties. Scar is bound to a chair with a gun at his neck. I’m on my feet at once, waking my phone, ready to call Louie.

  “Wait!” Scar shouts, and his eyes cut straight to the camera, to me.

  “Wait?” I yell from 800 miles away. “What the fuck just happened?”

  “She hired reinforcements.” Rainey’s tone is quiet surprise. “She was ready for this.”

  The other feed, which until now has been black springs to life, and I watch as three guys drag my unconscious brother into the smaller room, deposit him on the black leather, and close the door.

  “She could have taken him anywhere, but she brought him to that room,” I muse.

  “She knows you’re watching.” Turning my head, I meet Rainey’s eyes, and she shrugs. “It’s a guess, but I know her pretty well.”

  My eyes narrow, and I study Rainey’s position, leaning forward in her seat before turning back to the screen. Scar is seated across from Natasha, and a big man with a gun stands behind him. On a hunch, I hit the record button to capture everything that comes next for the record.

  “You thought you got away with it, didn’t you?” Natasha leans back in her chair, crossing her arms. “You thought you could welsh out of the deal you made with my uncle, but you forgot one thing. I was there. I witnessed your vow to take Hana’s place and to pay for what you did to Victor for however long Simon said.”

  Scar crosses his arms, mimicking her pose. “So this whole thing was a trap, a ploy to bring me here, with Rainey as a decoy?”

  “Oh, no. I still need that book, but now that you’ve caught her, you can do what you will with that little cunt.”

  “You don’t care about your people?”

  Natasha stands from her chair, and the smile on her lips is visible even with the poor quality. “Rainey’s not my people. She’s been waiting to betray me. The only thing Rainey wants is the man who killed her father. Boo-hoo, poor little rich girl, can’t live without knowing the truth about her past.” She lifts her chin and shouts into the air. “Simon killed your dad, Rainey! Get the fuck over it!”

  A shifting noise behind me pulls my attention from the screen. Rainey’s eyes are red-rimmed and burning with fury, and her hands are clenched into fists.

  “Why did Simon kill Rainey’s father?” Scar asks slowly. “Did he owe him money?”

  “Hardly,” she huffs with a laugh. “Zander Petrovich had all the money. He was the only thing standing in Simon’s way, much like his children are the only things standing in mine. Victor and Simon worked hard to get what they wanted. They sacrificed their brother, and I’m not letting their efforts go to waste.”

  Rainey’s voice is low and sinister. “Because you’re a vicious, soulless piece of shit.”

  A shift in my chest forces me to my feet, and I turn to face her. “Simon killed your father?”

  Her jaw is tight. “Apparently so.”

  Scar’s question interrupts us. “You want us to dispose of Rainey?”

  “Please,” Natasha laughs. “Spare me the trouble. I don’t want to keep Zander’s heirs alive.”

  “Heirs… as in more than one?”

  “Rainey has a brother, but the last time I checked she was still trying to find him, and he has no idea who he is.” Her eyes level on my partner. “But I know.”

  Rainey gasps, standing to her feet, her hand still cuffed to the chair.

  Scar’s tone is measured. “You think it’s me.”

  “I don’t have to think. I own Gibson’s now. I have all of Simon’s records in the safe.”

  “Which means you want to kill us both.”

  “I don’t have to kill you, Oskar Lourde.” Natasha walks around the desk again, taking a seat. “I know exactly how to control you.”

  “The last man who threatened my family is dead.” His tone is lethal, even at 800 miles away.

  “Actually, the last man was Rick, if I’m not mistaken, and he’s very much alive and working for me.” She leans back in her seat, condescension in her tone. “Do you have any idea the vast quantity of wealth we’re talking about? Not to mention the property, the political power, oh, and the super yacht.”

  “You’re doing it for the money?” Scar seems to be fishing, and his order for me to wait makes sense to me now. I’m capturing everything she says on video.

  “It’s always about money, but also the power. Rainey has no use for power, and you’ve consistently wanted no part of it. I’m essentially doing you a favor by taking it off your hands. You should be thanking me.”

  Scar continues speaking. “You killed Greg Peters. Did you also kill Debbie Desayda-Rice?”

  It’s like the last act in one of those Agatha Christie plays. She’s spilling the whole story, and he’s drawing the story out of her for the record.

  “To be fair, I tried to get Greg and Debbie to kill each other. They simply wouldn’t cooperate.” She laughs, sounding unhinged.

  “You’re crazy,” Scar mutters.

  “No, I’m justice.” In a flash she’s back to evil. “I’m doing what’s right and fair. Simon tried to bring Greg in over my head. Me, his own niece who faithfully served him my whole life.”

  “Simon knew the truth.” Scar’s voice rises. “The Russian mafia would never let a little girl take over a powerful family like his.”

  “There is no Russian mafia!” Natasha shouts furiously. “RDIF-Kazan is an investment group! It’s completely legal!”

  “It’s a shell company, and Gibson’s is a money laundering operation, and who knows how many other businesses are on record in that book committing white collar crimes. It’s horse doping and blackmail, it’s murder for hire and every unsolved mystery in the world of vice, and that book is the key to all of it.”

  Natasha stands, placing her hands on the desk, a wicked hiss in her voice. “And you're the only thing standing in my way.”

  “That’s right, because I’ll do everything in my power to make sure none of it ever comes back again.”

  “You’re making me tired.” She flicks her wrist at the big guy behind my partner. “Take him to the back room and lock him in with the other one. I’ll be finished cleaning out this dump by morning, then it’s going up in flames.”

  The guy jerks Scar up, gun still at his neck, but it’s Natasha’s final words that send me into action. “The fire won’t let you escape twice.”

  “Then I’ll see you in hell.”

  The phone falls, and we lose sound.

  Rainey’s head drops, and I take the handcuff keys from my pocket. Standing, I unlock the bracelet from her wrist and let it fall, and she lifts her eyes to mine. I take off my glasses, and she’s in my arms.

  I press my lips to the side of her head, holding her close as her body tenses and trembles. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  “She’s always hated me, and now she’s going to win.”

  With one last squeeze, I release her, meeting her eyes. “She’s not going to win, because I’m going to stop her.”

  “There’s no time!”

  “Just leave it to me.” Grabbing my phone, I call Louie as I watch my partner stagger through the door to where my brother is still unconscious in the small, black room.

  Scar’s hands are still bound, but he quickly pulls the zip tie tighter then breaks it apart, freeing himself. Next, he lifts Hutch to sitting against the wall.

  “Louie?” Louie Jackson is a sergeant on the Brooklyn PD, and he’s one of my brother’s friends from before he started the private investigation firm, from when he’d just left the Marines.

  “Dirk, what’s happening?” His voice is urgent.

  “I need you to go to Gibson’s. Natasha has Hutch and Scar captive, and she just said she’s planning to burn the place to the ground.”

  “She said that to you?” Louie’s voice goes loud.

  “No, I have it on video. Give me two seconds, and I’ll send it to you now.”

  Silence fills the line while I type on the keyboard, sending the recording, and Rainey paces the small room, arms crossed over her waist.

  “I’ve located a private jet. It’ll take me a few hours, so you’ve got to get over there now and get them out. Gibson’s is underground. Firefighters won’t know it’s burning until the smoke reaches the ground level, and by then the whole place will be an inferno. It’s a tinder box as it is.”

  “I’ll need to obtain a search warrant. Believe it or not, police can’t simply storm into a private club without a reason.”

  Anger tightens my forehead. “I just sent you the reason. It’s an immediate threat.”

  “That you obtained by listening on an unauthorized device.”

  “Jesus Christ…” I’m one breath from shouting. “We don’t have time, Louie!”

  “Trust me, I’m moving this as fast as I can. I’m putting the fire department on alert so they’ll be there. I’ve got to follow the rules if we’re going to make this stick, but I’ll call in some favors.”

  “I’m on my way.” Disconnecting, I shove my phone in my pocket and reach behind the books on the bookcase to take a gun out of Scar’s lockbox.

  Rainey’s phone is inside as well, and I hand it to her. She powers it on, and it immediately begins vibrating with text alerts, all of which she dismisses.

  “Take me with you.” She catches my arm. “I know where everything is. I know the back entrances. I can help you.”

  Placing my hands on her shoulders, I look into her blue eyes. I remember her words about us working together to bring justice, and warmth unfurls in my chest as I realize I want that too. I want her on my team, and I want to be on hers.

  “You can help me by staying here. I don’t know what Natasha has up her sleeve, and I need someone to be with Hana, just in case.”

  “You think she might try to hurt her?” Rainey’s eyes widen.

  “I don’t know, but I do know Hana’s as mixed up in all this as Scar. I also know he’d murder me if I saved him and left her unprotected. I don’t know who we can trust in all this.”

  “You can trust me.” Her tone is fierce, and her eyes hold mine. “I’ll never lie to you again.”

  Reaching out, I cup her face in my hand, then without hesitation, I lean down to seal her lips with mine.

  27

  Dirk

  “I’ve brought someone to stay with you.” I push through the kitchen door at Hugh’s to find Hana standing at the bar with her sister and Norris.

  Rainey is behind me, still wearing the linen pants and long-sleeved tee with my Carhartt jacket over it.

  “Rainey Sidorova?” Hana’s brow furrows, and she waddles around the bar to where we stand, glancing from her to me. “What are you doing in Hamiltown? With Dirk?”

  “I don’t have time to explain everything. She can fill in the gaps while I’m gone, but she’s here to help us.”

  Blake snaps to attention, coming to where I stand and grasping my arm. “What’s wrong? Where is Hutch?”

  Using all my control, I keep my expression neutral. “Hutch and Scar need backup. I’ve been watching, and I know where they are. It’s all going to be okay, but I’ve got to get to them tonight.”

  Blake studies me, her gray eyes moving around my face and then to Rainey at my side. She’s smart as a whip and fiercely protective of her family.

  She turns a glare on Rainey. “Last time I saw you, you were Natasha’s loyal minion. Now I’m supposed to believe you’re here to help us?”

  Rainey’s eyes drop, and she nods. “It’s true. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, but a lot has changed in four years.”

  “I’ll say,” Hana interjects. “Your hair isn’t blonde, and I had no idea your eyes were such a pretty blue. Why would you hide that?”

  “I hid a lot of things in those days.” Rainey’s voice is quiet.

  “I can’t stay.” I take Blake’s hand off my sleeve. “You can trust her, and I’ll be back with the guys. Don’t worry if we lose contact for a few hours. Louie is helping me.”

  “Dirk…” Panic lines Blake’s face, and I catch her hand.

  “I won’t let anything happen to my brother. You have my word.”

  “Don’t let anything happen to you.” Rainey steps forward, and I hesitate.

  The roller coaster of obsession, to hate, to needing her has my insides in knots. I want to pull her to me and hold her until I understand my feelings, but we don’t have time.

  “Or Scar!” Hana calls from behind her. “Although, after everything we’ve been through, I’m pretty sure he’s immortal.”

  “Nobody’s immortal.” Rainey’s tone is a warning, and I nod, giving her hand a squeeze.

  “I’ll bring all of us back. You be here when I return.”

  The flight to New York is excruciatingly long. Neither Scar nor Hutch have their phones, but I’m communicating with Louie the entire way. He’s working on the search warrant, the fire department is on alert, and police officers are in the area around the building, waiting for the signal to act.

  When we finally touch down at LaGuardia, I’ve got a taxi lined up, and I’m ready to get to the bar in the Financial District. I shoot Louie a text letting him know I’m on the street, and he tells me other than the usual crowd, everything is quiet.

  My head aches from trying to cover the miles faster, and when we finally arrive at the block, I shove a handful of cash at the driver and hop out at the first stoplight. I’m walking fast, doing my best not to break into a run.

  It’s after midnight, and Natasha’s words are on repeat in my head. I can’t stop seeing my brother and Scar locked in that room as the entire club goes up in flames. The one thing giving me hope is the clientele. Louie said the club was open for business, and they wouldn’t torch it while it was filled with people.

  At least I hope they wouldn’t.

  When I finally reach the block where it’s located, I cut down the alley to the side entrance I’ve watched for years. It’s the first time I’ve seen this place in person, but I know it inside and out from all my surveillance.

  Leaning against the wall, I hit the call button. Louie answers on the first ring. “Where are you?”

  “I’m in the alley behind the bar. I’ll drop a pin, so you can send backup. I don’t think it’s safe to go in there alone. They might be waiting for me.” Rainey’s guess that Natasha knew I was watching is also on my mind.

  It takes two seconds to send him my location.

  “Got it,” he verifies. “I’ll get a plainclothes officer out there. The two of you can enter together in case anything goes down.”

  “Hurry.”

  We disconnect, and I shoot a quick text to Rainey, filling her in on where I am and my next moves.

  Her reply is equally quick. Be on guard. Natasha has hired muscle since I was there.

  I let her know I’m waiting on a plainclothes officer and ask her to let Hana and Blake know. The moment I hit send, the noise of footsteps in the alley snaps me to attention. Falling back, I turn so it appears I’m taking a leak behind a dumpster.

  The benefit of it being my first time here is none of the regulars would recognize me. The man approaching now is short and round with dark hair and heavy features. He reminds me of one of the cast members from that old TV show The Sopranos.

  “Ay,” he snaps at me. “This ain’t no toilet.”

  “Ah, no. That’s not what’s happening.” I look down, slurring my words and not making eye contact.