Page 85 of Elven Prince

The crime lords sized each other up a moment longer, then Big Boss grunted again. “He has himself a deal. Big Boss accepts.”

“A decision you won’t regret, I assure you.”

When Suit stood, Big Boss remained seated, though he didn’t hesitate to wrap Suit’s outstretched hand in his meaty paw for a final handshake. “Don’t be too late.”

Suit leaned forward slightly over their clasped hands. “Don’t be too early.”

Then they released each other before Suit stood, refastened the buttons of his sports jacket, and spun smartly around to take his leave across the bar.

Big boss remained in his seat at the corner table, watching the other magical patrons with a keen eye as he messily slugged down the rest of his drink. “This fucking city… One day, Big Boss will own all of it. Sooner than later, he thinks. Ha!”

24

The video ended on the final frame—Big Boss the orc smirking over the rim of his tankard.

For two seconds, Rebecca stared

at the frozen image burning itself in her memory, then Whit’s computer screen

went black.

The footage was over. Back to

reality.

Rebecca’s blood ran cold as her

awareness sank into the pit of her stomach.

Holy shit.

She’d just watched an actual video of Big Boss—the orc crime lord she’d heard nothing about before his guys attacked her and Rowan at Nexus. Now she had a face to put with the name.

On top of that, she also had the identity—or at least the human illusion—of the asshole responsible for all the insanity that night at the amusement park.

And they wereworkingtogether…

Against Shade.

Now that news of Aldous’s death was finally making its own way through the magical underground of Chicago, all the top dogs Rebecca’s task force existed to keep in line were making their moves. Two of them had already allied together as a result, but not just because they thought Shade incapable of bouncing back from a dead commander.

The guy in the suit had convinced himself some new and still-unknown crime lord was running around the city, unidentified and unannounced, ruining all their plans.

He was right in one way. Therewasa new player, the same homicidal bastards killing off Shade’s civilian contractors and suppliers.

But Suit also thoughtthosepeople were the same as the Shade team who’d staged the rescue of Diego, Titus, and Burke at the amusement park.

Though the conversation caught on Underdark’s footage hadn’t explicitly revealed the connection, Rebecca knew without a doubt that now, all her efforts to stay under the radar, all her secrets and shadows, everything she’d done to keep the true name of the Bloodshadow Heir off the streets of Chicago—or of any other city in this world—were about to come to an immediate and violent end.

Shehadmade waves. Without knowing it, she’d made a name for herself in all the wrong ways, even if a literal name hadn’t been applied yet.

Big Boss and the magical in the suit thought this “new player” in town wasRebecca.

And they’d be spreading the word about it all over the city, to all their other criminal contacts and enterprises, and what happened when the misunderstanding eventually came to light?

Everyone would know who she was.

Who shereallywas…

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