Page 25 of Havoc

“I did,” we both began to walk toward the elevators, “but I need to tell you something.”

“It’ll have to wait.” I could tell he didn’t want to take the call. “What’s up, Dad?”

Simon

Ibrushed the steam away from the mirror and stared into it as I scratched my beard. I really missed a cleanshaven face. Squeezing the beard cream into my hand, I rubbed it through the short hairs and hoped the moisturizer would help the itch.

Calli: Will I see you later?

I quickly washed my hands then removed a contact.

Calli: Knox is just about to leave. Let me shower, then I’ll be ready for you.

I stared at my eyes, now one brown and one blue, and shook my head. I should be disgusted by what she implied, but I knew Calli had an expiration date with Knox, and it was soon. Then we’d see where we were.

Calli: I’ll wear the little pink nightie you love so much.

She was fishing for a response, but I found myself thinking about Kenna. Of course, the Gateses would keep her attack quiet. It would be swept under the rug. The reputation of the hotel came first, above all else. Kenna would know that better than anyone and would totally agree in spite of the danger she was in.

I swiped the screen on my phone and studied the photo I’d secretly taken of Kenna at dinner. She certainly was gorgeous. She was a very strong woman and could handle herself; that was incredibly sexy in itself. She certainly caught the attention of men, even the waiter had drooled over her at dinner, but somehow, I didn’t think she took it in, or if she did, she ignored it. I wondered if Grim saw what I did, and that was why he hovered around her. He was her boss, but I wondered if there was some sort of fatal attraction there.

I popped out the other contact and leaned back to apply some moisturizing eyedrops to clear the sting. Vegas in the summer was dry and dusty, so I changed my contacts every twelve hours or so.

My phone buzzed and I huffed, as I knew Calli would hate it if I didn’t respond immediately.

“Hello, dear.”

“Hello, darling,” my buddy Kurt purred into the phone than let out a rough cough. “Meet me at the Mac.” He hung up.

I repeated his words, confused why Kurt was here. He didn’t often show his face, so I knew something was up. I dressed quickly and headed toward Mac. Suddenly, I remembered Calli’s text.

Simon: I just need to meet up with a client first but keep that nightie warm.

I checked in at reception and was given the key that waited for me. The carpet was being updated, and the horrible swirly pattern many of the older Vegas hotels had were being ripped out and hopefully burned.

I inserted the key and stepped inside the darkened room.

“We have a problem,” he grunted from behind his surveillance equipment. “Matt Myers is dead.”

Oh, shit.

“What?” I looked at him like he was crazy, and then the panic started to heat the back of my neck. “What? How? Wait, when?” My head spun. “Does anyone know?” I lowered my voice, unsure if anyone could hear me. This was bad for a few different reasons. Matt Myers was a close friend of Sonny’s. They were in business together, and their families were close. When Sonny discovered Matt was dead, he’d probably lose it. I wasn’t sure we were ready for that kind of wrath with all that was going on.

“Just me, you, and the off-roader who found him in the desert.” He looked into the telescope and continued to watch the rooftop across the way. “No idea what killed him. His body was too mangled, what with the vultures feeding off his flesh.”

Ew.

“And you’re sure it was him?”

“Yeah, looks as though he’d been out there a while. The vultures did a good job of destroying the evidence. I’m sure they weren’t the only animals that had a taste of him either. He had the tattoo, and there was just enough to trace it back to Matt.”

“Shit.” I sank into the chair and thought about what that would mean for our case. “Cameron’s going to lose it.”

“No kidding, and wait until Sonny hears the news. He’ll tear the city apart until he finds who’s responsible for Matt’s death.” He turned and faced me with tight lips, and I knew there was more. “Just to add insult to injury, Morey Ines is getting cold feet again.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve had my guys on him, and he mentioned to a colleague that he felt he’d gotten himself in a bad situation and wasn’t sure if he could go through with it. Apparently, one of his clients knew of the Devil’s Reach and warned him of the repercussions of going up against them.”

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