Page 88 of Blind Luck

Did I like the thought of being Choir-adjacent? Earlier in the year, I’d seen them rescue a bunch of trafficked women, and now they were working to help a victim of domestic abuse. I couldn’t hate the idea. Regular channels hadn’t helped, had they? The police had seen Lucy McCall lying on the floor in the parking garage, made vaguely sympathetic noises, and gotten absolutely nowhere.

“If you’re looking for a place to dump T-Rex, try leaving him outside the Steel Horse Saloon.”

Dusk leaned over and clinked her glass of OJ against mine.

“Welcome to the dark side. We have wine and cookies.”

CHAPTER 29

ERIN

Ari beckoned me into the bedroom and closed the door. Boy, it had been a hell of a week, and it was only Wednesday.

This job had changed beyond all recognition. What had started as two distinct tasks—track down the freak launching thugs at Cole and his staff and find out whether Kelsey was having an affair—had turned into one big, messy case.

But our team was still invested, Rusty included. How could we not be? We’d seen the faint shadows of bruising around Selene’s eye, and after what Jace had done to Kelsey… I sure hoped he wasn’t sleeping tonight.

I’d watched from the other side of the street as Kina and her friend laid into him in the lobby of his ritzy apartment building, and they’d even gotten a positive pregnancy test from somewhere—you know, one of those pee-on-a-stick things. Jace had gone slack-jawed when the girl waved it in his face. Then I’d gotten distracted as a guy walked past me and carried on into the building.Jimmy.That hadn’t been a coincidence, right? Kina said he’d taken the elevator to the fourth floor, so we figured he was a neighbour ofJace’s. All those annoying little loose ends were getting tied up.

“Alexa wants to speak with us,” Ari said.

“Is it news from the dark web?”

“I don’t know, but I sure hope so. It’s about time Ace placed another ad.”

Today, Alexa was on the beach, and she was also a Siamese cat with vivid blue eyes and a haughty expression.

“That’s a neat filter,” Ari said, and the cat beamed at her.

“Thanks. I designed it myself.”

“Tell me you have news.”

“I have news.”

“Did AceInTheHole place another ad?”

“You can try to guess the entire conversation if you want, but it might be quicker if I just told you.”

“Well, hurry up then.”

The cat vanished, and a screenshot appeared in its place. I leaned closer and squinted at the tiny writing.

Wanted in Vegas.

Deliver an impactful message to a guy who owes me money.

$5k, video proof of completion required.

Oh, he was getting smart. Last time, he’d only asked for photos.

“Can you mock up a video?” Ari asked.

“I could, but even the best AI can’t replicate the human experience. In any other week, I’d call Jez, and she could bring Cole back from San Gallicano so we could bash him up a bit for a photo shoot, but she’s so happy on the boat. Like, she’s smiling, and I haven’t seen her smile that way since— Well, for a long time.”

“Hold on, you don’t mean you’d actually punch him?”

Alexa liked to take things to extremes, but surely evenshe wouldn’t risk causing bodily harm to her friend’s significant other?

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