Page 30 of Consort of the Crime Queen

My interest is most definitely piqued. I abandon my food immediately, despite Aurora's protests. I can get something at the diner, instead. "Duty calls," I tell her, and I kiss her goodbye quickly.

Johnny has been a valuable ally these past few days, helping me where he could, and he's been able to gather a few contacts for me that haven't already been corrupted by my father. Johnny the Gentleman might be a New Yorker at heart, but his Chicago background still holds him in good stead.

So sixty minutes later I arrive at the greasy spoon Johnny favors for these little tête-à-têtes. I spot him tucked away in a corner booth this time, nursing a cup of mud-black coffee. Sliding in across from him, I catch a whiff of his cologne, something expensive and European that never fails to make my nose itch.

"Johnny," I say in greeting.

He nods, dark eyes flicking up to meet mine. "Hadria. Your girl. She's safe?"

"Back where she belongs," I say evenly.

"Good." He takes a sip of coffee.

Gratitude doesn't come naturally, but I owe this man a great deal. "I haven't forgotten your part in this. You'll be compensated, of course—" I take out the check I had my accountants prepare, but Johnny holds up a hand.

"Put your money away," he says, the corner of his mouth turning down in distaste. "This isn't about personal profit."

I raise an eyebrow. In my world, everything is about profit. "Then what, exactly, do I owe you for your favors?"

He leans in, dropping his voice. "In my line of work, loyalty is worth more than money. I'm not here for your cash, Hades, but your friendship."

"You told me you weren't in town on business at all," I counter.

He grins. "Nor was I. Until a business opportunity presented itself to me, right here in this diner.

I give a wry smile. I suppose I did crash into his life in a rather spectacular manner, walking in here and demanding to know why he was in town.

A glint enters his eyes. "And speaking of friendship: as it happens, Juno Bianchi will be in Chicago in a few days, attending a charity event here that my daughter is hosting. And I know Ms. Bianchi is…amenable to discussing certain opportunities with you. Assuming you're still interested, of course."

A smile tugs at my lips before I can stop it. Interested in speaking to Juno Bianchi, the head of New York's preeminent crime Family? Her backing could cement my power in this city once and for all.

"I am very interested," I say.

Johnny nods approvingly. "In that case, I have something else for you. A gift, you could say, as a show of Ms. Bianchi's good faith." He slides out of the booth and jerks his head toward a staff door. "This way," he says cheerfully.

Senses slightly heightened—Johnny the Gentleman has a reputation, after all—I follow him through the dingy kitchen into a storage area. And there, waiting for me, is a bloody, battered figure tied to a chair. Surprise flickers through me—I know this man. He used to lead a cartel that the Syndicate had a disagreement with over payment for services rendered.

He's also the man who tortured and maimed Ricky for information about the Syndicate—information he never got, not before Lyssa and I freed Ricky, then tracked down the cartel members and killed them all…

All except this one, the ringleader.

"This," Johnny tells me, "is the bastard your father hired to snatch your girl. He's admitted it—proudly, I might add."

I go very still. This vicious animal is the one who dared lay hands on my Aurora?

"He's all yours," Johnny says.

CHAPTER 16

Aurora

The scent of flowers surrounds me, sweet and familiar, as I tend the midnight blooms in Elysium's night garden, and I find myself humming as I enjoy the simple pleasure of coaxing beauty from the earth. The events of today still bring a glow to my skin—Lyssa's praise of my roundhouse kick, the camaraderie during training, Hadria's lingering caresses when we woke together…

Sighing happily at that particular memory, I miss the whisper of footsteps over the grass behind me, until I hear my name. I turn with a wide smile to see Hadria silhouetted in the moonlight, her ice-blue eyes still bright despite the dim light.

"Come with me," she says, face unreadable in the shadows.

That doesn't sound good. I rise up, dust off my knees from the dirt, and follow wordlessly as she turns back toward the mansion. She's tense, more than usual, and I dare not ask what's wrong.

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