Page 113 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

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?”

Twelve

KINGSTON

Brigid never had anyone to look out for her. While I was a punk-ass college kid who didn’t have time for anything but the next party with all my friends, she was living in hell with my abusive father. While I was worried about the scratch on my bumper, she was being strangled to death.

Nevaeh wasn’t Brigid, but I refused to fail her the same way. And something Vinny said before I left gave me an idea I’d be stupid not to follow up on. While Carina could talk to him about Nevaeh’s behavior, I could get proof of who’d been with the girl. The security system Lee’s company had installed was going to tell me exactly who she’d been messing around with.

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