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Janie pulled on her seat belt and half turned in the driver’s seat. “The thing is, Rocki, you’re with one of the guys, and that makes you one of us. We understand you. We like you. We’re going together or not at all. That’s how we do things. Your choice. We can call tonight off and wait until your case is closed to go out for drinks. It was a bad idea to come here, but we’ve all been here before. Darrell never makes a move inside his own establishments.”

  Dammit. She looked away and blinked hard. She worked with all men, and not one of them was here helping her. Two women she barely knew were willing to have her back. What was she supposed to do?

  Tonight was a perfect opportunity to meet with Darrell and be able to walk away without getting killed. There was no way he could remove her from the casino with the Beaumont Body Shop guys around. Though when Tony found out she’d gone behind his back, there would be hell to pay.

  “I’m the only one packing protection, and I’m trained to defend myself. I’m good, but I can’t be accountable for you two while we’re inside, and this is the perfect opportunity for me to meet with Darrell while he knows I’m not alone.” She unclipped her seat belt. Someone had to be the responsible one of the group and lay down the facts.

  “No problem. I’ve got myself covered.” Janie reached into her purse between the seats. “I have Mace. Sure, it’s not as cool as having a gun, but Kage has something against me carrying a loaded weapon. He can be a dumbass about certain things, and apparently pistols or stealing a weapon with bullets is a trigger point with him.”

  Together, she and Jane looked at Sabrina. They’d have to figure out what to do with the fashionista of the group.

  “Hey!” Sabrina grabbed her big black leather tote. “You two aren’t the only ones who protect yourselves when you go out on the town.”

  Out came a leather bullwhip. At least six feet long, black, and wicked cool looking. Rocki stared in fascinated horror.

  “What the hell is that?” Janie’s mouth opened and she grabbed the end of the whip. “That’s real leather, girl.”

  “Well, duh. I wouldn’t buy faux leather.” Sabrina coiled her weapon into a neat round circle. “I bought it for Garrett last week, and he refused to accept it.” She looked at Janie. “Your brother, in typical testosterone style, thought I was propositioning him. Of course, I was…but the things that man said he was going to do to me had my panties—”

  “No.” Janie covered her ears. “This is my brother you’re talking about. I don’t want to know what goes on between you two.”

  “Okay, enough.” Rocki inhaled deeply. “We’ll walk inside, and I want you two to stay together. Go directly to the guys, and tell them I’m downstairs but don’t let them rush to me. I need five minutes alone with Darrel. You two will remain safe, and I’ll go ahead with my plan.”

  The two girls nodded. Rocki pushed past her doubts and lifted her chin. “All right.”

  Now that Rocki trusted they were all on the same game plan together, and had some way to protect themselves once they reached the inside of the casino. They’d find the boys, and she’d work her way to the bottom floor of the Crystal Palace. Both girls were brave and smart enough to draw attention to them if they found themselves in trouble. The Crystal Palace was a public place, and the bigger the group, the safer. With luck, she could catch the drug lord off guard, get the information she needed, and get out of there without any trouble.

  She’d worry about the retaliation from Darrell later. It couldn’t get any worse. He’d already tried to shoot her.

  She turned back around and faced the front of the car. “Okay, we’ll go inside. Make sure you stay close to me.”

  Three women dressed in the highest fashion, their hair sprayed out to freaking there, and willing to risk life or fingernail, would scare any man. She steeled her shoulders. Hopefully, Darrell and his thugs wouldn’t recognize them the moment they strolled through the doors. She’d led him to believe she was malleable, obedient, and oblivious while she worked with him.

  “Okay. We’re ready.” Rocki buckled her seat belt. “Go ahead and pull into the parking lot.”

  Janie drove, while Rocki filled them in on the rest of the plan. The other girls’ positivity and excitement fueled Rocki. As long as she kept her head and stayed aware of what was going on around her, they’d be okay.

  After stopping in front of the valet, she exited the car, hooked her arms through Janie and Sabrina’s elbows as the valet drove away in the Duster, confident the men inside the casino wouldn’t know what hit them when they went inside.

  “Let’s do this, girls,” she said. “You’ll go straight to the boys and make them aware of the situation. I need five minutes after I reach the elevators.”

  With Janie’s advice that the boys would never get caught playing slots, they headed through the machines to the back lounge. Rocki scoped the area, spotted the security man who watched over the back hallway, and pulled the girls over to the side of the room.

  “Do me a favor.” She turned her back to the hallway. “I need you both to cause a scene and draw out the man in the black suit with the long sideburns.” She pulled Sabrina back in front of her. “Don’t look. As soon as I’m out of sight, go to Tony. Got it?”

  They both nodded, and Janie said, “Be careful. I hate Darrell and even though I don’t think he’ll do anything tonight, he’ll come after you another time.”

  “I’ll be fine.” She pushed them away. “Hurry.”

  Rocki wandered off in the opposite direction, found a spot near the hallway, but kept her attention off the man. A wild shriek followed by a feminine argument had her looking over her shoulder.

  Janie stood in her heels, toe to toe with Sabrina, and called her a bitch. Sabrina shoved Janie, throwing in her own insults. Rocki clamped her teeth together to keep from smiling. If she didn’t know better, it appeared as if a major girl fight was going down.

  The security man walked toward the arguing girls. Rocki pivoted and slipped into the hallway. Not wasting any time, she jogged toward the elevator. Three seconds later, she was inside and heading down. She removed the pistol from her purse.

  There would be guards the moment the doors opened. She flipped off the safety on the pistol and raised her gun hand. The elevator dinged and came to a lurching stop. Rocki’s stomach somersaulted as the doors opened. Her stomach dropped.

  Frick.

  Darrell, backed by his four thugs, stood in the hallway with pistols raised. She slipped her gun back into her purse, lifted a shoulder in an attempt to act as if she’d mistakenly taken the wrong elevator, and did what was starting to become a habit and said, “Hey.”

  Darrell’s dark eyes grew even darker and his mouth hardened. “Follow me, please.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  One minute, Rocki, Janie, and Sabrina were standing in the hallway with the security guard, and the next Tony had lost Rocki and two more men appeared, blocking his view of the hallway. Tony threw an uppercut to the thug taking a swing at Kage. The burn on his knuckles never came, because the one person he focused on had disappeared into the elevators.

  A blond man rebounded and lashed out, tearing Tony’s shirt at the shoulder. Tony glanced down. Son of a bitch.

  He fisted his hand and popped the guy square in the nose. The man hit the floor with a solid thunk. Tony swung his attention to Kage and found him toying with the man who’d put his hands on Janie to tear her away from Sabrina.

  “Put him down,” he said. “Take the girls and wait in the lounge. I’m going downstairs.”

  Kage shrugged, brought back his arm, and threw an uppercut that sucked the air right out of the man, and he landed beside his buddy.

  Two down. What a joke. It wasn’t even a fair fight.

  Garrett stood against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, appearing as if he was watching a Friday night fight at the gym. “Doors open and room’s empty.”

  Tony cussed under his breath. Damn Rocki. She forced him to take care of cleaning
up her business, and he’d wasted valuable time.

  “Let’s drag these assholes in the room, and then get out of here.” He picked up both feet of his victim and dragged him into the empty conference room off the hallway.

  The whole fight took less than three minutes. The pretty boys postured and preened, but obviously had no street smarts when dealing with men who worked with their hands every day.

  Once they were done hiding the unconscious bodies, buying them time until they snapped out and either hightailed it out of the casino or sought out Darrell, Tony jogged to the elevator leaving Kage and Garrett to watch Janie and Sabrina. Tony had gone below the casino a few times during investigations, but Darrell always received word ahead of time and stayed out of sight. At least he knew the layout of the floor, and it would make finding Rocki that much easier.

  The elevator doors opened. Tony stuck his head out, checked the area, moved directly to the far wall, and looked in both directions. One woman in a sealed-off area, and the place appeared deserted. Not a good sign.

  In practiced, controlled actions he moved down the hallway silently. He counted the cameras. One, two, three. At the end of the floor, he stepped to the side, took a second to make sure no one was coming, and kicked in the door.

  Tony held his pistol in front of him and scanned the room.

  Rocki paced in front of the window, her gun hand lax at her side. Darrell stood at his desk, five paces away from her. He aimed the pistol at Darrell, walking within three feet of the drug lord, the bead of his shot solid on Darrell’s forehead.

  “Rocki?” he said, not taking his eyes off Darrell.

  Rocki scoffed. “Put your pistol down, Weston.”

  What the fuck? He shifted to the left, moving closer to Rocki without losing Darrell in his vision or putting down his weapon. “Explain.”

  She pointed to Darrell. “Let him tell you.”

  “She knows what’s on the table.” Darrell hitched his hip against the desk, and left one foot on the floor.

  Rocki stepped beside him and crossed her arms. “You started it. You can finish it by telling Weston yourself.”

  Darrell smirked. “That’s debatable. You barged into the casino.”

  “Because I knew you were here and I’m not going to sit around waiting for you to catch me by surprise,” Rocki said.

  “Were you not listening?” Darrell’s brow twitched.

  Rocki huffed. “I heard, but did you hear?”

  This was not happening.

  “Both of you shut up.” He stepped closer to Darrell. “You first.”

  Darrell titled his chin and beyond Tony to the open doorway. “I see my nephew left you alone.”

  “Since you’ve had cameras on us the whole time, you know exactly what Kage is doing. You also know we took out three of your men, so I have to ask myself why you’d stay below if you knew trouble was headed in your direction.” Tony stood blocking Darrell’s view of Rocki. “But first, I want to know what the fuck you’re doing in the same room as my girl.”

  “Put the weapon away, and I’ll talk to you.” Darrell held up his hands. “I’m alone. Your woman is safe. There’s no reason we can’t get along.”

  Tony grabbed Rocki’s hand when she stepped around him, pulled her behind him, and put away his gun. “If you hurt her, you’re a dead man.”

  Darrell smiled in satisfaction and remained silent. Rocki tried to step around Tony again, and he pulled her to his side, his hand at her hip, keeping her away from Darrell.

  “He wants to bargain,” she whispered.

  “She’s cute. You do know that, right?” Darrell said, crossing his arms.

  Cute. Maddening. Stubborn. And in so much trouble, he couldn’t even look at her right now.

  “Talk,” Tony said.

  “Like I told Camilla—excuse me, Rocki—I have information that could blow a hole in the police department and bring instant fame to your woman.” Darrell held his hand up, stopping Tony from telling him to shut the hell up. “The only thing she has to do is drop her pursuit of me, and bury the evidence she’s gathered in the last four months. It’s quite simple. I get what I want and you get the girl. She makes a career move that would never happen to the fairer sex without someone handing her a deal like this one, and I stay clean. She makes herself a hero, earning the much-coveted lead detective position. Her mother remains safe and proud of her only daughter for the work she does protecting innocent citizens.”

  Rocki jolted. He tightened his grip on her to keep her beside him. That offer was not what he’d expected Darrell to put on the table.

  “You pig,” Rocki whispered. “I can’t believe he went there.”

  “When you realize what I can do for you, I believe you’ll think differently of me,” Darrell said, sighing loudly. “Life can get complicated. Deals are made every day to…smooth the way.”

  “Jesus,” Tony muttered. “What’s the information?”

  “Information comes after Rocki agrees to the deal.” Darrell put his foot down, walked across the room to the bar, and poured himself two fingers’ worth of whiskey. “If we strike no deal, you do realize I will have no other option than to make sure the information she holds never makes it to the bureau.”

  “And what happens if Rocki doesn’t have enough information or the right kind of information on you to make the deal?” Tony said. “Are you going to kill us?”

  Darrell bobbed his head side to side. “Of course she has the information. The question is, has she shared her newfound knowledge she gained working undercover for me with her lover or my nephew Kage?”

  “Keep Kage out of this.” Tony stared him down. “Or is this your way of saying that whatever we decide, you’ll take the punishment out on your nephew?”

  Darrell shrugged. “That depends on you…and Rocki, of course.”

  Rocki and Tony turned away from Darrell. She squeezed Tony’s arm. “I know you have history with Darrell, but let me handle this.”

  “What information does Darrell have?” he asked.

  Rocki glanced at Darrell and lowered her voice. “I don’t know all of it, but if it has to do with the police department, maybe Gino’s involved. I think I should take the deal. It’ll at least buy us some time.”

  “You believe you’ll be safe?” He lowered his head and whispered in her ear. “Put aside the idea of a promotion. Think with every bit of training you have. This is Darrell Archer we’re dealing with. He’s in a tight spot and will do and say anything to get his way. I don’t trust him not to shoot us in the back as we walk out of the room. You can’t put your confidence in him keeping his word.”

  She nodded. “I know, but I have a feeling what he’ll give me will have some sort of truth to it. It’ll at least give me an idea where to start searching for the facts. I can put him away for at least five to ten years right now with the information I have on him. He knows that.”

  Stuck between wanting to end the danger toward Rocki and avoiding any agreement with Darrel, he studied the man who held the power in the room. Even looking at Darrell pissed him off. His sense of entitlement came off cocky, and Tony wanted nothing more than to walk away from the offer to show Darrell justice through the proper channels.

  Tony motioned Rocki to follow him to the other side of the room. “Listen, you know how to proceed with Darrell, but I have one request. Do not involve Kage no matter what Darrell says. He only wants Kage under his thumb, back in the drug business, and I will not have Kage involved with Darrell.”

  “I don’t know what Darrell will pull.” Rocki moistened her lips. “But I won’t involve you or Kage.”

  He nodded. “Okay. I trust you.”

  Her eyes widened and she tilted her head. He hooked her neck, bringing her closer. “Don’t take chances, though, and if I see things heading south, I will step in.”

  “Yeah.” She blinked up at him. “Thank you.”

  “Right.” He studied Rocki. Owing Darrell sat wrong.

  Taking Darrell
down to keep Rocki safe would require a miracle. It wasn’t only Kage’s uncle, but his men he’d have to worry about coming after her. Darrell had a long reach in the underground, even if sent to prison.

  “Let’s do it,” Rocki whispered, and turned around to face Darrell. “Let’s talk.”

  “Fine.” Darrell walked over and opened the door. “First let me guarantee that your friends will enjoy their evening without someone standing at their backs, that way we won’t be interrupted.”

  One of his thugs stood on the other side in the hallway. They shared words, and then Darrell closed the door. Tony stood to the right of Rocki, making sure she was out of range should he have to go for his pistol.

  Darrell stepped over and picked up the shot glass, but Tony caught on that he never actually drank from the cup. “To be up-front, I’ll hold a marker on each of you after I divulge the information I have. You should be aware that at any time I could pull that marker. Seeing as how you’re not from my world, I’ll let you know a marker can either save your life or end it.”

  Tony ground his teeth together and nodded. He’d figure out how to deal with being at Darrell’s beck and call after he heard what he had to say. The consequences would be dealt with later.

  Darrell waited for Rocki to acknowledge the deal, and then continued. “Gino Marcelli has worked the areas of Cannon and Mansita for the last five years. Prior to that, I can vouch he’s worked the streets for the last twenty years in Bay City. He brings in the dealers and offers them protection under the use of his badge. He cuts them a job, guaranteeing they’ll never see jail time, and resells the deliveries.” Darrell paused. “I’m talking pure.”

  Tony cocked his head. “Explain.”

  “This doesn’t go outside of the room,” Darrell said.

  “Agreed,” he said quickly. If he suspected Marcelli was responsible for the concentrated heroin making its way through bordering cities and could pin him in the recent deaths he’d heard about, this was big. Closing down the ring responsible for the pure heroin and taking the drug out of the hands of drug shooters would save more lives.