Page 15 of City of Salvation

A flash of black peeking up from just below the tabletop caught my attention. In the next moment I had a gun in my hand and trained on Val. Her laugh echoed off the cinderblock. She didn’t look the least bit concerned that she was staring down a barrel as she set down her firearm. Her hands raised in mock surrender.

I may not have been as comfortable as Ryan with a weapon, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The last time I’d shot had been in the hallway at Lotería. One shot, dead center to the head. Surprised the fuck out of Ryan with that.

The hard grip felt familiar. The weight of the piece in my palm was like an old friend, and my trigger finger rested right above. Ready to move if needed.

Please don’t make me shoot you. I don’t know shit about cleaning up those types of bodily fluids.

Val’s voice cut through my inner musings. “You might survive this still,mija. Now put the fucking gun away.”

“I think I’ll keep it out if it’s all the same to you,” I responded, tracking her hands.

Thank fuck for all the hours I’d spent holding my arms out in position while Katya came around and checked to seeif we were shaking, because aiming a gun at someone for an extended period of time was surprisingly heavy.

She did nothing but stare at me for a few agonizing minutes. “You need to see a man named Jardani. He’s the one who was asking around, but I doubt he’s the actual backer—just the mouthpiece. Pretty sure he’sRussian,” she said, her smile looking anything but friendly.

Cunning old bitch somehow knew I had ties to the Russians. The gleam in her chocolate eyes as she said the words was all the confirmation I needed. “Last I heard, he’d been spotted at the Pretty Pink Pussy Cat. That Reaper strip club sure does attractquitethe crowd.”

Fucking, Jardani. That ass-kisser probably loved that he was sent to drag me back home.

I’d only met him once, and that was more than enough. I remembered the way he’d whispered in my ear that he was going to ask Yuri for atasteof me as his promotion prize. Sick bastard would probably have allowed it.

A chill seeped into my bones. What would Yuri allow if he captured me?

“You’re a gem, Val. Sorry for the whole pulling a gun on you. I’m trying to think like the final girl, you know?”

She looked at me as if I were an idiot. “Actually, no. I have no fucking clue what you mean. Young people, I swear.”

We all needed therapy—who had casual conversations while weapons were drawn? “Like the final girl in a horror movie…”

Her face didn’t change, so I decided to cut my losses with the explanation. “Those a gift? Or do they come with a price?” I asked, nodding toward the items on the desk with my chin, still keeping the Sig aimed at her, despite the playful banter.

She let out a boisterous laugh, her graying bun swaying as she threw her head back. “Nikki, I don’t know where the fuck you came from, but you know more about this way of life than you let on, huh?” A crooked finger was pointed in my direction. “Oh, the secrets you must keep. Bet not even a young cartel kingpin knows them. That’s why you needed the burner from me.” She nudged the photo and phone forward. “Take them. A gift. That and the information, but I’m keeping my gun. Clearly, you don’t need it.”

I tucked the phone and paper in the pocket of my baggy jeans. The cold metal door handle met my fingertips as I reached behind me.

“Nice seeing you again, Val,” I said in a cheery voice, turning the knob and stepping out of the office.

She called out after me. “Oh, Nikki, if you ever pull a gun on me again, you’d better pull the fucking trigger too, because I’ll be pulling mine.”

Then, like the deranged person I was, I smiled and blew a kiss in response.

CHAPTER 7

NIKKI

NOW I’D NEED TO GARGLE BLEACH.

Thankfully,pulling a gun on Val only made her like me more. I wasn’t sure if she’d answer me when I texted later to ask if she could find out if Jardani would be at the Reaper’s club tonight, but she was more than happy to share—for a price. Threw in a new office chair with the stack of hundreds I had to send her way.

The information was worth the money. Ryan was out of town, and the last thing I’d have wanted to do was to ask her, anyway.

Or be forced to use my last resort.

Flicking the mirror open, I inspected the wig, ensuring no blonde was sticking out from the inky black waves. A pair of plain brown eyes stared back at me from beneath blunted bangs. It was a risk showing up at the Reaper’s strip club tonight. I wasn’t totally sure the disguise would prevent Jardani from recognizing me. Truthfully, it was really fucking reckless, but I didn’t have a ton of options at this point.

My body jolted, colliding with the car door. It was like the driver was aiming for potholes.

“Sorry about that.”

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