I closed my eyes and the hurt seeped back into me. Everything hurt at once. It was too much, but I opened them again and I saw the relief in his. His hand closed around mine, and he tucked some of my hair behind my ear. I couldn’t handle it, not all of it, and I felt myself numbing again. Then I stepped back. I couldn’t do this if he was touching me. And I knew that I needed to hear it all. “Tell me what’s going on.”
He nodded, a look of surrender coming over him. “You’re not going to like some of it.”
“I have to know.”
“Okay.” He waited until I sat and then he started. “I told you before that I had an inside man with Franco, but I stopped hearing from him right before our first attack. He texted me that Ben sold you out so I doubled your guards after that, but I don’t think you noticed. Then when we were attacked, I knew something had happened to him. He would’ve let me know ahead of time.”
“They killed him?”
He nodded. “His body surfaced yesterday. It was delivered to one of the Mauricio houses.”
I sucked in my breath. There was more. I knew there was more. “What else?”
He hesitated, tense, and then asked, “Are you sure you want to hear all of this?”
“I have to.” I had no other choice. “Mallory’s gone, Carter. I’m really hoping that Ben took his money and split with her, but I need to know for sure. That means that I have to know everything. You have to tell me everything. Please.”
He didn’t wait another second. “Your friend Ben went to Franco and told him that you were the killer. He didn’t know about me or what happened with the body, but they’d been looking for Mallory. They knew Jeremy Dunvan had been seeing a regular girlfriend. He knew it was only a matter of time before they found her, so he gave them your name for some money and her safety guaranteed.” A hard look came over him. His wolf eyes turned into ice. “He was stupid. They’re planning to kill him anyways, if they haven’t already.”
“You know this from your inside guy?”
“And we know that Scott Graham told Franco you were at the club. He didn’t know that I’d be there too or that you’d be going home with me. They can’t get to you when you’re in my buildings. It’s why we’ve been attacked twice on the streets. After the first attack, we were going to take Scott to the warehouse for an interrogation.” He stopped for a second. “That’s what we do before someone’s killed.”
They were going to kill Scott, but they didn’t. “What happened?” I never blinked.
“We needed to know more and I figured my guy was dead so we left Scott where he was. He was being kept around to see if he’d be useful to us. His time ran up tonight. Gene came in to take him to the warehouse, but he got free somehow.”
“Why tonight?” My heart sped up.
“Because everything was going to be done tonight.”
“What?”
He started to pace as his hand raked through his hair. His wet shirt had started to dry, but it was lifted up from the movement. It stuck to his skin and remained there. As I watched him go back and forth, his muscles tightened with tension. Suddenly dread started to fill me. Aside from the attack and stampede that Scott’s gun had started, there were other events going on. Events, I was starting to realize, that had been in the making for awhile.
I stood slowly, dismay filling me more and more until I was standing in front of him. I stopped him, holding onto his arm. “What was supposed to happen tonight?”
“Franco Dunvan was supposed to die tonight.”
“By you?”
He shook his head, his jaw clenching and unclenching. “By his own family.”
“Just tell me. Explain it to me.”
“I’ve been in Chicago since last weekend.” He paused for a beat. “Do you know who lives in Chicago?”
“No.”
“It’s the headquarters for the Bertal Family.”
My heart kept pounding, stronger and stronger. “Okay, so you went there? Why?”
His hand touched my arm. His hold was gentle as he tugged me close. I could feel his heart through his shirt. He murmured, dropping his voice to an intimate whisper, “I went there to barter a truce between the Mauricio Family and the Bertal Family.”
My heart stopped. “You did that for me?”
“I would do anything for you.” His hand cupped the back of my neck. He tilted my head up to meet his eyes. They were hungry and dark. When I saw the demand in them, a flame of desire lit in me. It grew into a fire that blazed hotter and brighter the longer I held his gaze. “Both families have wanted peace between them, and I gave it to them. I didn’t get the final decision until this evening, but I got it. I was called in to see the heads of the Mauricio family this afternoon. That’s where I was before going to Octave, but it’s done. By tomorrow morning, Franco Dunvan will be dead and you’ll be safe.”
“What’d you do? How could you do that? I thought the two families had been feuding for years.”
“No.” He shook his head. “They’ve stopped fighting. The only section that’s continued the fight was Franco’s. When I went to them, I told them my stake and that I wanted your safety. I gave them 2.5% of the wealth that I’ll accumulate over the next five years.”
“And your family was fine with this?”
“I gave them 2.5% as well. Five percent of my earnings will go to the families from businesses that are clean. I bought us out and I bought Franco’s death. This is a small price to pay, but large enough so that both families will get along. That was the deal, that both families take the 2.5%. I’m the truce between them. As long as I make money with clean businesses, it looks good to them and their name. You want legal businesses to mask the illegal businesses, but I’m out with all of those other dealings. I’m out. And you’re out from Franco’s watch.”
“But why did Scott try to kill me?”
“I think it was a last attempt. My guess is that the hits started today and Franco figured it out. He wanted to hurt me the only way he really could. You.” A primal look entered his wolf eyes. “It’s what I would’ve done if I’d been cornered like that. I’d strike where I’d do the most damage, but it didn’t work. You’re safe.”
He nodded, a look of surrender coming over him. “You’re not going to like some of it.”
“I have to know.”
“Okay.” He waited until I sat and then he started. “I told you before that I had an inside man with Franco, but I stopped hearing from him right before our first attack. He texted me that Ben sold you out so I doubled your guards after that, but I don’t think you noticed. Then when we were attacked, I knew something had happened to him. He would’ve let me know ahead of time.”
“They killed him?”
He nodded. “His body surfaced yesterday. It was delivered to one of the Mauricio houses.”
I sucked in my breath. There was more. I knew there was more. “What else?”
He hesitated, tense, and then asked, “Are you sure you want to hear all of this?”
“I have to.” I had no other choice. “Mallory’s gone, Carter. I’m really hoping that Ben took his money and split with her, but I need to know for sure. That means that I have to know everything. You have to tell me everything. Please.”
He didn’t wait another second. “Your friend Ben went to Franco and told him that you were the killer. He didn’t know about me or what happened with the body, but they’d been looking for Mallory. They knew Jeremy Dunvan had been seeing a regular girlfriend. He knew it was only a matter of time before they found her, so he gave them your name for some money and her safety guaranteed.” A hard look came over him. His wolf eyes turned into ice. “He was stupid. They’re planning to kill him anyways, if they haven’t already.”
“You know this from your inside guy?”
“And we know that Scott Graham told Franco you were at the club. He didn’t know that I’d be there too or that you’d be going home with me. They can’t get to you when you’re in my buildings. It’s why we’ve been attacked twice on the streets. After the first attack, we were going to take Scott to the warehouse for an interrogation.” He stopped for a second. “That’s what we do before someone’s killed.”
They were going to kill Scott, but they didn’t. “What happened?” I never blinked.
“We needed to know more and I figured my guy was dead so we left Scott where he was. He was being kept around to see if he’d be useful to us. His time ran up tonight. Gene came in to take him to the warehouse, but he got free somehow.”
“Why tonight?” My heart sped up.
“Because everything was going to be done tonight.”
“What?”
He started to pace as his hand raked through his hair. His wet shirt had started to dry, but it was lifted up from the movement. It stuck to his skin and remained there. As I watched him go back and forth, his muscles tightened with tension. Suddenly dread started to fill me. Aside from the attack and stampede that Scott’s gun had started, there were other events going on. Events, I was starting to realize, that had been in the making for awhile.
I stood slowly, dismay filling me more and more until I was standing in front of him. I stopped him, holding onto his arm. “What was supposed to happen tonight?”
“Franco Dunvan was supposed to die tonight.”
“By you?”
He shook his head, his jaw clenching and unclenching. “By his own family.”
“Just tell me. Explain it to me.”
“I’ve been in Chicago since last weekend.” He paused for a beat. “Do you know who lives in Chicago?”
“No.”
“It’s the headquarters for the Bertal Family.”
My heart kept pounding, stronger and stronger. “Okay, so you went there? Why?”
His hand touched my arm. His hold was gentle as he tugged me close. I could feel his heart through his shirt. He murmured, dropping his voice to an intimate whisper, “I went there to barter a truce between the Mauricio Family and the Bertal Family.”
My heart stopped. “You did that for me?”
“I would do anything for you.” His hand cupped the back of my neck. He tilted my head up to meet his eyes. They were hungry and dark. When I saw the demand in them, a flame of desire lit in me. It grew into a fire that blazed hotter and brighter the longer I held his gaze. “Both families have wanted peace between them, and I gave it to them. I didn’t get the final decision until this evening, but I got it. I was called in to see the heads of the Mauricio family this afternoon. That’s where I was before going to Octave, but it’s done. By tomorrow morning, Franco Dunvan will be dead and you’ll be safe.”
“What’d you do? How could you do that? I thought the two families had been feuding for years.”
“No.” He shook his head. “They’ve stopped fighting. The only section that’s continued the fight was Franco’s. When I went to them, I told them my stake and that I wanted your safety. I gave them 2.5% of the wealth that I’ll accumulate over the next five years.”
“And your family was fine with this?”
“I gave them 2.5% as well. Five percent of my earnings will go to the families from businesses that are clean. I bought us out and I bought Franco’s death. This is a small price to pay, but large enough so that both families will get along. That was the deal, that both families take the 2.5%. I’m the truce between them. As long as I make money with clean businesses, it looks good to them and their name. You want legal businesses to mask the illegal businesses, but I’m out with all of those other dealings. I’m out. And you’re out from Franco’s watch.”
“But why did Scott try to kill me?”
“I think it was a last attempt. My guess is that the hits started today and Franco figured it out. He wanted to hurt me the only way he really could. You.” A primal look entered his wolf eyes. “It’s what I would’ve done if I’d been cornered like that. I’d strike where I’d do the most damage, but it didn’t work. You’re safe.”
