Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73302 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73302 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Ivanov was my focus, but did that really mean I had to stay away from G? If he wasn’t connected to Ivanov, then I could continue to let him work with me while I found out who else G was working for and what his endgame was, right? Why couldn’t I play with him too?
He’s dangerous.
All the men I was around were dangerous.
But you usually fuck the easy ones. The ones desperate to do your bidding, men and women who want to suck up to the Theriot name.
Literally. But it wasn’t always fully satisfying. The few times I had fucked somebody truly dangerous, nothing had been better.
I wanted that edge. I wanted to have to fight him.
Stay away.
I would. I had to. This was the new, mature me.
9
ZACH
“Tell me you’ve got something good for me,” Maria said.
“I have a lead.”
“That’s not Rafael?”
I sighed. “Yes, you were right.”
“Well, those are words I always like to hear.”
I rolled my eyes, even though she couldn’t see me.
“Tell me what I was right about?”
Did she really need me to spell it out? “Rafael isn’t connected to Ivanov.”
“Did you find proof of that?”
I wanted to lie and say yes, but Maria was one of the few people I was almost always honest with. “I met him and talked to him, and all my instincts say it’s not him. And since you feel the same way…”
“You’re willing to listen to reason?”
“Yes, but I still think something about the Theriots is the key to us finding Ivanov.”
“That may be the case, but they’re not working with him.”
“I might know who is.” I’d done some digging on all of my fellow players. “One of the other men in the game I joined has a connection to a brothel here in the city. They’ve not been cited for keeping anyone underage, but it’s widely known that it’s a place you can go if you like to be rough with girls or boys.”
Maria hummed. “It is a different line of business, not that I’d mind taking him out if there’s mistreatment going on, but just because the man is involved in the sex industry doesn’t mean—”
“That’s not all. These records are locked down tight, but I was able to find out that he was accused of abusing a nephew. The boy was fifteen at the time. The case was dismissed for improper collection of evidence. It’s clear the boy was paid off.”
“Motherfucker.” Maria rarely cussed, but we both got angry as fuck when the villains walked away with no consequences.
“Were any other charges brought against him?”
“No, but—”
“I don’t disagree. It’s a good lead. Keep an eye on him and keep digging.”
I rose from my kitchen table and began to pace. “I had an idea how to make that easier.”
“Which is?” I could tell from Maria’s tone that she already knew she wouldn’t like my suggestion.
“What if I bring Rafael in on it?”
“No.”
“I don’t have to give him full disclosure or anything. I can tell him I’m—”
“Absolutely not.”
I’d known she’d react like this, but I told myself to try anyway. “You said he wasn’t involved.”
“I don’t believe he is, but we’re not working with him or any of the rest of his family.”
“If he helps me, we could potentially bring this to a conclusion much faster.”
“One, we don’t even know this tip about the casino is solid. There might not be anyone there connected to Ivanov. Two, we don’t know this connection is going to lead us to Ivanov himself, and three, we don’t work with the mafia.”
“We have before. When it was necessary.”
Maria let out a long breath. “Not this time. This is a separate investigation; it doesn’t need to involve the Theriots. I told you that from the beginning.”
“They’re mixed up in it everywhere.”
“I don’t have authorization—”
“Put the blame on me. I went rogue. I brought them in on my own.”
“No, Zach. Not on this one. We need this by the book. We need there to be no chance anything we’ve done could be called into question.”
I stopped moving and stared out the window into the dark. “There’s no reason I can’t work with anyone I want when I’m undercover. I’m not going to compromise any evidence. I’m—”
“I said no, Zachary.”
“Wow, full naming me.” She wasn’t just against my idea; she was pissed I’d suggested it. “This isn’t a joke. This is one of the most serious cases you’ve ever worked on.”
“Don’t you think I fucking know that? I want to end this.”
“Then go do your job.”
Didn’t she understand I was trying to? Couldn’t she trust me?
“For once in your life, fucking listen to me.” She sounded exhausted, and I almost felt sorry for her.
“Fine. I’ll try in your way, but if—”
“I’ve got to go. The director’s office is on the other line.”
“Good luck with that.”
I sighed as she ended the call. Maria was a good woman, a good agent. If I’ve been under a different SAC for the last few years, I would probably have been fired long before now. But she was still fucking stubborn. I needed her to listen to me.