Page 83 of Queen Of Dark Money

Soldierleaned forward, holding out a dossier onSinclairhimself.Shetook it from his outstretched hand and began to flip through it, skimming their various notes and records on the man.Thefile was thick, butIhad the feeling it didn’t contain anything she didn’t already know.Sureenough, she snappedit closed and tossed it back to the man on the end, not even dignifying him with a look in his direction.

Thisgirl had learned early on in life to play hardball, and she was pulling out all the stops now.

“NothingthereIdon’t know about, unfortunately,” she muttered, “so what’s your angle?”

“Wewant to know what we’re missing.Weneed to bring this man down before he does more damage, and we think you might be the key to that.”Kingsuddenly got serious, shimmying forward on the couch until he was close enough to reach out and touch her. “Yousee, until you showed up, not a soul on this earth knewSinclairhadtwodaughters, andI’dbet dollars to doughnuts he’s willing to kill to keep it that way.”Hiseyes cut to me and darkened. “Andnot just you, either.”

“Istill fail to see howIbenefit from this arrangement.”

“Well, it’s simple.We’llprovide you with protection from the bastard, and in exchange, you’ll give us intel and help us blow his cover wide open.”

Herfrown deepened at his suggestion. “Ican protect myself.Inever planned on staying here, either.OnceI’maway fromKhulaCity, he won’t have any reason to pursue me.”

“YouandIboth know that’s a lie.He’llfollow you and make sure you’re eliminated.You’rea loose end,MissDiaz, and men likeEddySinclairdon’t like loose ends.”Kingstretched, flexing his power on foreign turf. “Wehave the power and the reach to cut him off from the hitmen in this city.Wewill make it difficult for him, if not impossible, for the bastard to find a criminal within a hundred-mile radius to take on his job.”

“Difficultand impossible are two vastly different things,Mr.Hale.”Sheslipped off the coffee table and began to pace in front of the window wall.Ihad to admire her gumption.Turningmy back onArthurHalewasn’t somethingIever wanted to do.Youcould only trust a snake so much, andIhad no desire to be bitten.

Shedidn’t seem to share my caution.

Thecity below sounded so far away, the echoing noise was barely a whisper up here.Butthe neighboring skyscrapers were a constant reminder of just where we were.Acity, filled with more money than you could shake a stick at, and so many powerful men and women that you could drop a rock off the balcony and hit one on the head at any given hour of the day.

Itwas almost a guarantee.

Herfingers trailed across the glass asIsat there, mesmerized by the slow grace and lofty attitude she’d pulled out for this meeting.Herconfidence had returned in spades.Mademe wonder where she’d been hiding it all this time.

“Youseem to misunderstand,MissDiaz,”Halefinally answered, his brows drawn together in frustration.Hewas not accustomed to people challenging him, andIwould bet this one little female got under his skin in a way only one other one ever had. “Youare still our captive, and as such,Iexpect your cooperation–”

“Ifyou expect me to help you,Mr.Hale, you should probably revisit the idea of calling me a captive.IfIwalked out those doors right now, sure, you could stop me, but what good would that do you?”Herback pressed against the window, the long line of her legs silhouetted in the mid-afternoon sun streaming in through the glass behind her. “Youneed me to cooperate.Andmore than that, you need me alive to prove a point.”

“Deador alive,MissDiaz, you will still prove a point toSinclair.Wewill utilize your presence here either way.”

Shestrode off to the kitchen, returning with a bottle of water.Slowly, achingly so, she popped the top off and sipped from it, her hand wrapped around the long neck like she was trying to strangle it.Shetook her time, waitingHaleout like a battle ofwills was on the table, and she was determined to win.Finally, she pulled the bottle away from her lips and smiled.

“ThewayIsee it, you’ve got two options.Youcould just use me as an unwilling participant and gain some ground onEddyuntil he manages to scramble together a believable explanation.Andthen, he’ll find someone to kill us both off, two birds, one stone.Or, you can give me whatIwant, and in exchange,I’llmake sure you have all the ammunition you need to take that bastard down once and for all.”

King’sgrin mirrored her own now, and it was honestly scary to see the two of them looking like they were ready to devour something right before your eyes.Mademe almost feel sorry forSinclair.Whenthey got their hands on him, all bets would be off, and he’d likely find himself between two devilishly dangerous fuckers who both wanted to see him on his knees.Ordead.

Maybeboth.

“Andwhat exactly do you want,MissDiaz?”

Shestalked over to the coffee table again, bending over in front of me to slap her hands down on the surface to emphasize her point. “Iwant to break him.Iwant to return the favor of thirty-some-odd years of absence, torment, and ignorance by my own hands.Iwant the worry thatImight reveal all his dirty little secrets to the world to keep him up at night.”Sheleaned in, her teeth bared, andIshivered, tempted to reach out and pull her back.Arage like this could poison you, turn you into someone you weren’t. “Iwant that bastard to regret ever walking away from me, want him to regret lying to me and using me as a decoy.Iwant to make his pockets bleed as he scrambles to save the crumbling empire he’s built on the backs of hard-working people.Andwhen he takes his last breath,Iwant to watch the light drain from his eyes.Iwant to send him to the underworld myself.”Sheleaned back, satisfied with her answer, watchingthe various thoughts run rampant throughKing’smind as he processed what she’d just said.

Theleader of the most dangerous crime syndicate on this coast smiled.Actuallyfucking smiled.Andthen, he laughed.

“MissDiaz,Ido believe you have a deal.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

KENZIE

Pairingup with hardened criminal masterminds was fast becoming daily child’s play for me.

I’dfaced off with the leader of theKings, thoughIdidn’t appreciate the gravity of that situation at the time.Nowthat he’d taken his leave, promising opportunities to exact maximum damage in the near future, the weight of the whole thing finally sank in, andIfelt . . . off.

HowhadIstayed so calm?WasitDominick’spresence that grounded me?

Iwas going on day three withDom, and things were complicated, confusing, and downright stressful.Icould tell there was some unresolved sexual tension there, but he wasn’t acting on it, and soIwouldn’t either.LastthingIneeded was for my current benefactor to put me out on the streets because he was tired of me.

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