Page 65 of All That Glitters

I set my lips in a scowl before I face them. “In case you were wondering,” I start, speaking for their benefit and not for Empire’s just yet, “I just made a deal with Stanic Maxim. Does the name ring a bell to either one of you?”

One of them nods, but the other is blank faced. I turn to fully face the first one.

“I’m now handling the arm of his operation in Hollywood, with Stanic’s full approval.” I gesture down to the body. “Parker was no longer of any use to him and thus had to be disposed of. Clean up the mess and get that out of my sight. We’ll reconvene later.”

Show no weakness. My word is law. It’s the first order of events in any takeover.

The balance of power shifts right into my lap without anything else said, and the two men move in tandem to grab Parker. I’ll have to tug on a few more strings from the past, make sure the cleanup goes the way I need it to go. Riding a goddamn bike indeed.

The old contacts will be good, and I much prefer to use people I’ve already established a relationship with, no matter how dusty.

It’s too easy to fall back into the movement and the mindset until I head around the desk to gather Empire against my chest.

She stays still and stiff, shivering as though I’ve just brought her in from the cold and she’s spent too many hours outside without a coat. She won’t touch me, won’t move outside of breathing, and all my mental resolve falters.

I shove down the disappointment.

“Are you all right?” I ask her, even though I already know the answer.

“No.” Her voice is small, a barely there sound.

“Make sure you leave nothing behind. I’ll be back to inspect the job as soon as possible. And don’t even think of running to Stanic to double check me, because if I find out about it, you’re out.” It’s my last order to the men before I scoop Empire up and get her out of the office.

There’s more blood on her than I thought, dripping down the side of her face, her chest, into her lap. I know the look of shock when I see it. Right now, beyond my deal with the devil, I need to focus on getting Empire back to herself and making sure she’ll be able to keep her fucking mouth shut.

“Everything is going to be all right.” I didn’t realize I’d said it out loud until she starts to shiver, as though my words have given her the okay to start to break down. “I promise you. I’m not going to let anything hurt you.”

“Is that why you killed him?”

“Yes.” I’m not going to lie to her. Not anymore. Not when she’s so small and delicate and I’m the reason she’s an orphan.

Parker is dead, and it’s a lie to say I’m upset. There will be a mess to handle in terms of his active projects. Stanic agreed to let me take the helm of his operation, knowing full well what kind of asset I am, especially if I rejoined his operation willingly. A better asset than Parker, and I’d been banking on the scales shifting in my favor.

The reality of the situation hits me hard, and I stop at the foot of the stairs, my breath catching in my chest. Empire still hasn’t shifted a muscle, laying limp in my embrace.

Get your shit together, Ortega.

I got out once, I remind myself. I’ll be able to do it again, and this time, there is far more at stake than my own miserable life.

“I will tell you everything,” I say out loud once I get myself under control and start walking again. “But you’re going to have to promise me something.”

Empire remains silent.

I take it as my cue to continue. “You have to promise me you’ll never tell anyone what happened here today. As much as you’re going to hate me for it, it’s you and me, and if you tell anyone the truth, it will only reflect poorly on you.” I feel like a bigger piece of shit with every word. “Do you understand me?”

I bite down on my tongue waiting for her to answer. And when none comes, I squeeze her a little tighter. Prepared to be the bad guy yet again until she squeaks out a single word.

“Yes.”

Yes. That’s all I need to hear.

Yes, she’ll keep this secret. Yes, she’ll never get anyone else involved with our lives. And perhaps, down the road, yes—she might even understand why I did what I did.

TWENTY-FIVE

I’m a distant observer in my life, watching it from a distance as Marcus carries me out of the office. He asks me to…maybe not understand why he killed a man in front of me, but to keep it to myself.

Like I’m going to call the cops or get anyone else involved in our mess.

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