“You’re killing police officers now?” He drops into his brown leather chair, letting out a huff. “And you expect me to cover it up? I think you forgot why I’m here.”
“Did I? I thought we had a deal.” I place my hands into my pockets, feigning nonchalance that’s nowhere to be found.
Another huff. “Our deal sure hasn’t included murdering cops. I gave you free rein to do your business, but I’m here to serve the public!”
My nostrils flare as my contempt for this man grows. I’ve always known he was scum. From the sheer way he used to look at my father, like he was better than him — while also making sure he got a cut out of the deal — he wasn’t a man I respected. But after seeing the photos of a crime that he helped cover up, the work of a man he made a deputy fucking chief, he’ll be lucky to walk out of here alive. “Funny. Because you sure as hell don’t mind those same cops attempting murder on innocent women.”
His brows scrunch. “What?”
“Check your email, Mr. Mayor. I think you’ll find all the necessary info attached.” I notice the widening of his pupils and the paleness of his skin as he stares at his screen, reading the evidence of what he’s done. “You and I are both aware this would do irreparable damage to your career. Naming a domestic abuser a deputy chief? Sealing the files so that no one finds out?” I place my palms on his desk to drive my point home. “What you don’t know is that I have a personal stake in this, one that makes me want to kill you myself.”
He swallows his spit, angling himself away from me. As if that would help. “Wh-what do you want from me? I can help keep it under wraps.”
“That’s one thing you’ll do. You’ll also give me the deputy.”
“I don’t understand.”
My head motions to the phone lying on top of his desk. “Call him. Tell him you need him immediately.”
“And what will you do?”
“What Iwon’tdo is send that—” I nod to his computer screen — “to every news outlet in the state. That’s the only thing you should concern yourself with.”
He nods profusely, drops of sweat appearing in the creases of his forehead.
I check the watch on my wrist. “I’ll give you half an hour for him to show up. Better hurry.”
Tapping the glass screen of the watch, I lift from his desk and walk out of the office. The guard at the entrance to his home returns my gun, and I slip it into my pants, making the short walk to my car.
The minutes drag on like hours, making me regret the fact that I quit smoking years ago. My knee taps with impatience; my palm splayed over the gun. I just want to go back home. To Alex. I know she doesn’t want to see me, and I’m still pissed off about her lying to me, but my body craves to be near her. My stomach is in knots, unease from her being in danger still gnawing at me. I need to make sure she’s safe. But I have work to do first.
Finally, a car pulls to a stop in front of the mayor’s house. It’s a dark gray SUV, perfectly in sync with the fancy neighborhood we’re in. The mayor better get rid of it after this.
Wasting no time, I wrap my fingers around my weapon and open the door of my car. He takes a second to realize I’m behind, and it’s just enough time for me to reach him.
“What are you…” he says, but the butt of my gun connects to the back of his skull. It knocks him out just as I expected. When violence isn’t something you prefer, you quickly find shortcuts to get your way. Still, this is just to transport him. I wish for no shortcuts with him. No, I want both of us to feel every second of what I’ll do to him.
An hour passes before I walk into my apartment. Dom sits at the end of the sofa that faces the door, seeing the exact moment I enter. Good.
There’s no sign of Alex here.
“Where is she?” I ask, walking toward the kitchen sink to wash the blood off my hands. There’s not a lot of it. Not yet.
“In one of the guest bedrooms. Pretty sure she locked herself in there.”
I hum. “Her gun?”
“In a locked drawer of your office desk.”
“And the dog?” I ask, though I know exactly where she is.
“With her.” My head bows. Though I’m slightly jilted my dog replaced me so fast, knowing Persephone is on the watch is more than comforting. “You got him?”
I nod, drying my hands on a fancy dish rag. “He’s downstairs.” I know Alex is safe here because I own the entire building. There are twelve apartments in total. The ones next to me and below me are empty. Dom lives two floors below me, as well as a few of my staff members. My chef and housekeeper occupy another and the ones on the lower floors, they resemble holding cells more than apartments.
Dom’s eyebrows raise. “Secured?”
“Yup. But check for yourself.”
