Page 43 of Luke's Revenge (Walker Security - Lucifer's Trilogy 3)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ana

I’m not sure how much time passes, or how long Kurt and I sit there and talk, but it’s not a conversation about the holidays and tender memories. I want to know who, when, where, and why all of this took place. I’m in that drilling mode, when Luke reappears in the doorway, eyeing me for approval before entering.

I motion him forward and he stops on the opposite side of the island where Kurt and I are presently sitting. Kurt eyes Luke and offers him his hand, and the two men—the two most important men in my life—share a strong handshake. And I believe we’re stronger for it, too. We are only as strong as we allow ourselves to be together, at this point. And considering our history, which runs long, wide, high, and deep, it’s a powerful connection.

It’s also a surreal moment, having Luke and Kurt come back together, one I don’t expect to punch me in the chest, and yet it does just that and more. I’m both comforted by their return to my life and terrified of the moment, they could be stripped away again. Terror is not a good place to operate from, and I’ve found knowledge to be the best way to offset that unhealthy emotion. Which, of course, was why I wanted to step back and dig for answers before we attacked. But I also want this over.

“I just spoke to Blake,” Luke informs us.

“And?” Kurt asks as if Luke is reporting to him.

There’s a slight hitch to Luke’s lips as if he’s amused by Kurt’s take-charge attitude rather than irritated. “He’s certain, Mike, Ana’s boss is dead. He says that’s not in question.”

Kurt’s brows knit together. “Was that ever in question?”

“I thought I saw him at a restaurant,” I explain, and then to Luke, “If Blake’s right, then how do I explain what I saw?”

“Mike had a brother,” Kurt replies. “Funny thing, too. He works for the Denver Lions football team which is owned by Newman Phillips’s father, Michael Phillips.” He forms a circle in the air with his finger. “It’s all connected, just how deep? Where, oh where, is our king? I can’t wait to kill that fucker.”

“Mike’s brother looks just like him, too, Ana,” Luke adds, and uses a cellphone he’s clearly acquired to show me the shot.

I stare at the man so like Mike and give a choppy nod. “Yeah, that’s who I saw at the taco joint. So, he works for Phillips, and Phillips invited us to a party.”

Kurt draws that circle in the air again. “Interesting how this all comes back to Michael Phillips.”

“He’s got to be the real buyer,” I inform him, standing up and setting my coffee in the sink before moving to the end of the island to have a better vantage point with both men. “That’s where we’ve been going with this in our heads.”

“Think about this,” Kurt counters. “Mike worked for the big guy. He replaced Maverick. What are the odds that Mike’s brother worked for the buyer of one package versus the big guy himself?”

“Okay,” I say, trying to work this out in my head. “Then maybe Mike’s brother worked for Phillips and he was the one who told Phillips that Mike could help him acquire a treasure.”

“Maybe,” Kurt says, sipping his coffee. “Or maybe there’s more to it than that.”

Luke leans on the island and studies him. “You think Phillips is the king?”

My gaze lands on Kurt’s. “You do?” I don’t give him time to reply. “Then why risk exposing himself to us?”

“Maybe he thinks the safest place to be is in your face, pretending he’s something he’s not, like say, a buyer, who’s on your side.” He taps the counter. “That invitation they shoved under your hotel room door is our chance to kill him.”

“We don’t know he’s the king,” I argue. “We can’t just kill him.”

“I can,” he argues. “I absolutely fucking can, then I’ll disappear into the night again if that’s what it takes to make this end.”

“If you do that again, I’ll find you, Kurt. And I might just have you arrested.”

“Do what you want, baby girl, but if I find out that man is the king, he’s dead. He fucked with my family. You don’t fuck with my family, which is a testament to why I’m here right now.”

I have so many emotions right now, that I stuff down deep, in that place inside me that allows me to do my job in the most gruesome of moments. My eyes meet Luke’s. “How closely has Blake looked at Michael Phillips?”

“Close enough to agree with Kurt. He sent me the data he collected. He thinks Phillips might just be the king.”

“Then we’re walking into the lion’s den, in all kinds of ways.”

“But the lion,” Luke says, “as strong as he may feel, is weak. And he’s weak because he’s money hungry, translation the package, and he still believes we’re the ones who can give it to him.”

Kurt leans his arms on the counter. “You know what inviting you to a big public party says to me?”

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