Page 33 of Dark King (Advantage Play 2)

No freaking way.

“No.” D’s laughter echoes throughout the room. “We’re just hinting at it.”

Wait. What?

“But why? And how the hell would you get them to believe you over Burlone?” I inquire, my attention switching from Kingston to D, then back to Kingston, begging either of them to fill me in.

“Because Burlone’s been acting batshit crazy lately,” D remarks matter-of-factly.

Kingston laughs dryly then gives me the details I’m craving. “The Feds have been sniffing around Burlone for the past couple of years, but Burlone was pretty good at dodging them until about six months ago. Burlone was getting desperate and decided to set up the Romano family in an attempt to throw the Feds off his scent.”

The tournament at Sin flashes through my mind along with memories of the first time I met King at the Charlette, piecing together my part and how I gave Kingston the date of Burlone’s plotting.

Kingston continues, “The only problem was that we found out about it and screwed up his plan. Instead of letting him frame us for all of the trafficking going on in the area, we picked up the guy he’d paid to drop off the girls on our property before the Feds could flag the operation. The buyer was ready and waiting at the pick-up site, but Burlone’s guy never came. However, the Feds were there to pick up the buyer anyway, which ended up making Burlone look shitty for not giving the buyer a heads-up. Since then, everyone’s been hesitant to work with him. All we’ve been doing is whispering the possibility that Burlone has been working with the Feds and set up the buyer. Unfortunately, we need to find something that will tip them over the edge and convince his colleagues that the rumors are true. If we can give them some kind of solid evidence that Burlone’s a snitch and has been turning in people to the Feds, then Burlone will lose his backing at the tournament.”

My forehead wrinkles in confusion as I process the information before stumbling on his last sentence. “What do you mean, his backing at the tournament?”

D answers my question while leaning against the doorframe of Kingston’s office looking like a stone-cold killer. “He’s planning on raping you and Regina in front of everyone before putting a bullet in Kingston’s skull at the end of the night. Burlone thinks the men coming to the tournament are all on his side since he’s worked with them in the past while the Romanos have always stayed far away from trafficking. He thinks they won’t care if he doesn’t honor the protection rules that are set in place for these very circumstances. If we can cast doubt on their relationship and prove Burlone’s a snitch, then they’ll back us instead.”

“And if they do back the Romano family?” My voice is shaky, and I’m sure my eyes are the size of saucers, but I swallow down the fact he just mentioned the possibility of me getting raped in front of a bunch of men before killing Kingston. Nope. We’re going to pretend that little tidbit doesn’t affect me at all.

Kingston’s chest rumbles with his response. “Then we pull the rug out from under the Allegretti family and put Burlone in the ground.”

If it were anyone else, I might flinch at the prospect of burying someone, but with a man as wicked as him, I feel almost giddy at the promise in King’s voice.

“Is that possible?”

“Don’t look too excited, Ace,” Kingston teases with a smile. It’s clear he’s pleased with my response to the glimpse of darkness he just gave me. “Yeah. It’s possible. If it looks like he’s working with the Feds. The rumors aren’t enough to wipe out an entire family, though, and if we take down Burlone, then we need to take down the entire Allegretti family. It helps that his right-hand man can vouch for the lie, saying he’s overheard conversations and shit, but we don’t think it’s quite enough. We need something concrete, which isn’t possible because he’s not a rat.”

“Rock, meet hard place,” D pipes up sarcastically.

Digging my teeth into my lower lip, I turn to King as a thought reveals itself to me.

No, it’s a terrible idea. But maybe…

A burst of adrenaline rushes through me, but I force my mouth to stay closed. Voicing a possible solution to our problem might end with a bullet in my own skull if the wrong person were to find out. But I also know I can’t risk that bullet winding up in Kingston’s skull, either, and if I don’t tell him my idea, then one might. Sensing my unease, he tilts his head and assesses me.

“What’s going on?”

I continue to chew on my lower lip.

“Ace?” he presses.

On shaky legs, I stand up and shuffle a foot away from Kingston to give us both some space.

“Do you trust me, King?”

“Of course, Wild Card. But that look is freaking me out.” He laughs, though there isn’t any humor in it, and I have a feeling he can feel the same foreboding as I can. Swallowing thickly, I reach into the back pocket of my jeans and pull out a business card. Jack’s business card.

“I have an idea.”

His brows furrow in curiosity before taking a closer look. “And?”

“Do you remember—”

“What the fuck is that?” King explodes, eyeing the small piece of cardstock in my hand as if it were a ticking time bomb. I jump from his outburst as D looks over his shoulder toward the empty hallway then rushes to close the office door. His chiseled jaw hardens, and I know exactly what he’s thinking. He thinks I lied to him. That I lied to both of them.

Under their scrutinization, my tongue fumbles over the words, “It’s not what it looks like.”

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