Page 26 of Vail

Before he could respond, the sound of a body hitting the floor drew our attention to the bottom of the stairs. There was blood on Caius’s face but that wasn’t what had me pausing while Reghan kept his gun on Derek. No, it was the body of Cameron who now sat beaten on the floor. He tried to sit up, but Caius put his boot to Cameron’s back to keep him on the ground. Cameron was also naked.

“He crawled out of the fucking window,” Caius growled.

“Watch Derek,” I said to Reghan as I descended the stairs. At the bottom, I used my gun to lift Cameron’s chin. His eyes held genuine fear in them. He knew what was coming. “Where are my guns?”

“I was robbed,” he said, his voice trembling.

“Try again.”

“I was. Derek took them.”

“Mmhhmm, and what did you do? Climb onto his cock on the drive here so you could revel in the free shipment he got out of me?”

“N-no, sir.”

Fuck this. I tilted my gun up and shot him. Blood and brain matter hit me, Caius, the fucking stairs, everywhere. I guess I really needed that shower when I got home.

With him dealt with, I ascended the stairs again to find Derek shaking so badly he could hardly sit up. He didn’t get a chance to plead for his life before I shot him in the head.

“Call someone to clean this up,” I told Reghan. “Albert!”

He peeked his head in the front door a moment later. “Yes, sir?”

“Scour the property and find my fucking guns. Take Sheldon with you.”

“Of course, sir.”

Albert was very thorough. If those guns were here, he’d find them. If they’d been sold, well, I wouldn’t punish the person who bought them. Derek likely used them for his own ventures though. He must have been planning a big job. Too bad it wasn’t happening now. His men would scatter, not wanting to take me on. He was too small for them to come for me.

I descended the stairs and went out the door. The stench of blood was getting to me. I shouldn’t have to kill on Vail’s birthday, but I also couldn’t leave this any longer. Now I knew what happened. Cameron wasn’t robbed, kidnapped, or any other such story.

With my clean hand, I pulled my phone out of my pocket to call Barry.

“Sir?”

“Bring Vinny back. Cameron was fucking Derek. They took both shipments and only paid for one.”

“Fuck,” he bit out. “Did Reghan already call in the crew?” Barry didn’t need to ask what I’d done to rectify the situation.

“Yes. I know this isn’t in your job description, but please speak with Irene and make sure everything is in place for breakfast when I return. I’d also like to guarantee the party will go off without a hitch. There’s already been enough bullshit today. I don’t need more.”

“Of course. And I’ll have supplies ready in the clean room.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

We didn’t linger at Derek’s. The house was far enough away where no one would have heard us. And if they did, it could be played off as hunters or some other bullshit. Sheldon and Albert would stay to ward off anyone who visited, since they were without blood on them. They could return once things were handled here. Reghan, Caius and I changed before climbing into the Maserati. There were always enough spare clothes in the trunk for multiple sizes. We also wiped down the best we could. The rest would have to be taken care of at home.

My fucking guns were found in the garage. Albert had already called for transport. I’d be damned if I was leaving my merchandise behind. Fuck Derek and Cameron. They got what they deserved.

12

VAIL

The phone ringing while I was trying to sleep was a common occurrence. Jordan got calls at all hours of the night. As I went to nudge him to answer the phone, I realized he wasn’t in bed. That happened too, so it wasn’t alarming for him not to be there. The ringing phone was mine or Hartley’s, and Hartley wasn’t waking to answer it.

I didn’t bother looking at the screen before answering, “Yeah?”

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