Page 123 of Morally Corrupt

"Yes, I am. If I'm not going with you, then I'll go alone."

"Alone?" Her eyes widen at the possibility, and I realize I know exactly how to get her.

"Yes. You know, it's probably going to put a strain on my arm and my ribs… but I'm sure I can do it alone too."

"No! You're coming with me. I'll take care of you."

"Fine," I reply, trying to seem indifferent but inside, I'm smirking.

I think I'm getting the hang of how this Bianca operates. And it's kind of fun to push her buttons.

"Good one, Hastings!" Both Marcel and Vlad nod at me while Bianca looks a little confused. She doesn't even know what she's just given me.

"Now… who are we paying a visit to?"

"You're welcome to choose from here." He gives us an updated list of their professions before looking at his phone and adding, "My IT guy just confirmed that the rest have outgoing payments to the same offshore account too. Once we got the pattern, it was fairly easy for him to check for the same thing."

"Let's see. We want someone willing to talk," B says as she scans the new list and settles on a name. "Former Senator Wolfe. I remember him. He used to come to our house all the time when I was younger."

"Yeah, I know him as well…" I add drily. He was an old man who had to include Jesus in every single conversation. We'd had a few disputes under the guise of debates over the years. He retired some eight or nine years ago, last I remember.

"Have your IT guy get all information on Wolfe, and then we'll act." Bianca nods towards Vlad.

It seems that our visit to Atlantic City will have to be delayed… again.

44

BIANCA

According to the information Vlad's IT guy provided, Wolfe is seventy-four years old, married for forty of those, and the proud father of three children. He currently resides in Tampa, Florida. I'm working on memorizing his personal details while Adrian is getting changed. We decide to come back to the penthouse before heading for our four a.m. flight to Tampa.

I haven't been back here since our fight, and on the drive back, he'd felt compelled to add, "Don't think any of this means I forgive you." I hadn't said anything because I never expected him to… at least not this soon. I just have to work harder to prove to him that we belong together.

So far, our teamwork has been exemplary if one looks past Martin's death and the vault's explosion.

"Are you done?" I look up to see him button up a white shirt and fold his sleeves.

"Yes." He nods and drops a backpack next to me. "I packed some essentials."

"Good. Me too." I show him the small case luggage I'd prepared. "I'm checking this one in. It has everything we will need for the more unsavory parts of the journey." Unsavory being the code word for blood and gore. I'd packed some of my guns, ammo, and a couple knives. He frowns when he gets my meaning.

"How will it pass airport security?"

"They have my name flagged, so they never check it," I explain how it's like a subscription you pay for if you know the right people. For someone who needs to travel with weapons nine times out of ten, it's necessary.

He grunts in acknowledgment, but he doesn't seem too thrilled about my reservation. It's probably the lawman in him. Even though he's seen some sides of the underground world, Adrian is still innocent of many of the dealings that happen around us.

We leave the apartment and drive to the airport. We'd already decided we wouldn't stay there longer than a couple of days. Adrian had been quite vocal about that because he's anxious to go to Atlantic City and find Jimenez. I hadn't argued, mainly because where he goes, I go.

Once we get to the airport, we park the car, pay in advance for a few days, and head towards the check-in area.

"Are you sure it's going to work?" Adrian keeps eyeing my luggage.

"Trust me, it will work," I assure him for the thousandth time.

"I don't think I do…" he mutters under his breath but drops the issue.

Going through security is a piece of cake, and we soon take our seats in the flight.

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