It creaks slightly as it starts to rise. When I get the left corner loosened, I move on to the right one. It takes me a good five minutes to get the lid off, and when I do, I see that the wood crate is full of AK-47s.
I take a photo of the guns and quickly replace the crate’s lid, using the end of the crowbar to hammer the nails back in and then wiping my prints from the crowbar and returning it to its spot.
I’d like to look inside more crates, but I don’t want to risk it. There could be a guard coming back to the front of the hallway, and I have to get out of here without anyone seeing me leave the room.
I’ll get my ass chewed on just for walking down this hallway, but as long as no one knows I was in one of the rooms, I’ll be okay.
I walk over to the door, take a deep breath, and slowly twist the handle. When I ease it open, planning to peek into the hallway before I slide out, my heart doesn’t just pound—it practically stops.
Grayson is standing there, his eyes narrowed and a vein in his thick neck throbbing.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he demands.
His voice isn’t angry or threatening. Instead, it’s eerily calm, and that scares me more than his usual pissed-off demeanor does.
I’m fucked. I have no plausible reason for being in here. As I offer my sweetest smile to Grayson, I know there’s no way I’m talking my way out of this.
He glares at me. “I’m gonna ask you one more time, and then your night’s gonna get a whole lot fucking worse really goddamned fast. What are you doing in here?”
I open my mouth to respond, but before I get a single word out, he grabs me by the hair and pulls me back into the room and steps inside, closing the door behind him.
I’ve been nervous on assignments before, and even jittery at first. But for the first time ever, I’m absolutely terrified.
12
Phoenix
“I need a cleaning ASAP,”Alibi says before I’m fully seated. I haven’t even had a chance to recover from being ripped away from Kennedy at the most inopportune time. The hard-on still aching in my pants doesn’t want to be here, but rather between Kennedy’s legs again.
“It’ll take a few days,” I tell him as I adjust myself under the table without drawing attention to it.
“Just do it as quickly as possible.” His eyes shift around the room, and he wipes away a bead of sweat that’s trickling down his cheek.
I’ve worked with Alibi before. He’s usually cool as a cucumber, but tonight he looks like a mess. He even got the nickname because no matter what type of situation he finds himself in, he always has an alibi. The man has been bulletproof for years. “What’s wrong? You in trouble?”
“I pissed someone off I shouldn’t.” His fingers drum against the table while his eyes continue to survey our surroundings. “It’s time for me to leave town and disappear for a while.”
“Rush jobs are twenty percent extra.”
He finally stills, bringing his dark eyes to mine. “Doesn’t matter. Just do it. Take what you need to make it happen as quickly as possible.”
I slide out of the booth, preferring to get back to Kennedy as quickly as possible and pick up where we left off. “I’ll be in touch,” I tell him, waiting for a nod.
Once I have it, I stalk off toward the bar, looking for Kennedy. My stomach sinks when she isn’t there. She wouldn’t leave me like this. Hassan isn’t here, and she looked as needy as I felt when I left her. I take the steps two-by-two, going back to the room where I left her.
When I open the door, she’s not there either. I glance around the hallway but see no one. She said she may not be here, but she was joking. I know that deep in my bones. My heart starts to pick up, pounding against my insides like a snare drum at a rock concert. Frantically, I search for her, opening doors without knocking and not giving a fuck who or what’s behind them.
As I pass by the vault, I hear angry screaming. I know the voices well—Grayson and Kennedy are arguing. Kicking open the door without a second thought, I find a tearful Kennedy on the floor with her wig tossed across the room, and he’s hovering over her with his fists balled and ready to strike.
Motherfucker has a death wish. My eyes lock on Kennedy’s, and I can see her terror. “You lay one hand on her, and I’ll end you, Grayson.” I move my body between Kennedy and Grayson, shielding her from any assault and ready to beat his ass.
Fuck his club. I don’t need it to conduct business. I could kill him tonight, and no one would miss him.
Grayson’s eyes narrow as he squeezes his fist tighter, causing his knuckles to turn white. “She’s snooping around where she doesn’t belong. There’s no mercy for liars, Nix.” He tries to sidestep me, but I move with him. “You know that. She’s to be dealt with like every other person who’s done the same shit.”
There’s no way I’m letting that shit happen. I’d rather end him right here than let that fucking happen. “I told her to meet me here. You’re the one who called me away, and I left her unattended. If anyone is to blame, it’s me, Grayson. So if you’re going to lay your hands on anyone, it’s me. You ready for that?” I return the glare he’s giving me.
Grayson is an asshole, but he’s not a dumb one. He stares into my eyes, waiting for me to flinch, but I don’t waver. “You’re going to a lot of trouble for a piece of ass. I hope you know what you’re doing. If anything happens, I’m coming for you. You’ll pay the price she should tonight.”
