Page 72 of More Tricks

“Why don’t we step out of here first so we don’t get blown up?” Wes suggested. “Maybe you can pick out a nice wine to bring home to Harper.”

“Fuck, you’re so smart. It’s not like he’s going to need it,” Ghost said as he headed out to do just that.

Shaking my head, I moved into the bar area, giving plenty of space between me and the explosion. Jaxson looked at us and grinned. “You might want to cover your ears.”

Doing as he suggested, I watched as he gave a three-finger count down, and the ground shook, almost knocking me off my feet. A bright flash of light came from down the hall, ensuring us that it had indeed gone off. Working with Dax sure was far more exciting than the FBI ever was. God, I was so glad she forgave me enough to keep me around. We still had things to work on but wasn’t that part of relationships, always working to improve?

Musings for another day, now it was time to collect our prey and settle the score that had been a long time coming.

Chapter twenty-six

Dax

The door to the safe room lay on the ground, bent and scorched from the explosives. Inside was a swanky sitting room with everything a person could possibly need to spend time comfortably inside. There was even a toilet and sink available if the need should arise. Finally, my eyes settled on Diego De León sprawled on the floor, having been knocked on his ass from the blast.

“You are a hard man to find,” I commented. “Here I am stopping by for a visit, and I have to demolish an incredibly lovely panic room. Gosh, it makes me think you didn’t want to see me, but that can’t be the case, not after you practically invited me to come.”

“I did no such thing,” he spluttered, his words thick with his Latin accent. “You’re the one who broke into my home, coming after me.”

Coming to a stop right in front of the man, I looked down at him. “No such thing? Oh, Diego, they didn’t tell me you were losing your memory in your old age. How frustrating that must be for you. Here let me jog it for you.” I offered, taking a seat in the other armchair that was still upright. “Should we start with how you’ve been trying to cut me out of the business since the day I got started? Oh, then there is the fact you blamed me for killing a son I knew nothing about just to get my people not to trust me. Hmm, I feel like I’m forgetting something. Ah yes, the assassins were a nice touch, but the real clincher was the fucking with family.”

Diego slowly picked himself up, brushed off his clothes, and righted the chair so he could sit, ignoring the six men with guns trained on him. “You started it all when you cut off access to Mexico along with any ports on the West Coast. It was bad for business having to bring it all the way around into the gulf or New York itself. The customs are so much stricter, and I had to bribe the whole customs office here. Taking you out was the smart thing to do, but like a cockroach, you just won't stay dead.”

“Oh, am I supposed to apologize for that?” I asked, pressing a hand to my heart like I was truly worried about offending him. “Goodness, I seem to have lost my manners. Let me give it a try.”

I sat up straight, cleared my throat, licked my lips, and folded my hands primly in my lap. “I’m so incredibly sorry that you feel so victimized by little old me. My heart is just broken over the fact that you will never be able to beat me. In the end, you’re just a sad, old man, who had been led by the balls because Marco didn’t think you’re man enough to rule your own empire. Seems you needed a good woman to show you how it's done.”

Diego’s face turned purple with rage as he flew out of his seat to attack me. I didn’t bother to sit up. Instead, I grabbed my gun, swung, and hit him in the head with the butt of it. He dropped like the sack of shit he was, falling into my lap. I patted him on the head. “That’s a good boy. You sleep for now. We need you to be well rested for your performance tomorrow night. It’s going to be a real showstopper.”

Shoving him off my lap, I stood and faced the guys who were all trying to stifle their laughter.

“Sorry, did I miss something?” I asked, cocking my head.

“Oh fuck, loba, that apology needed to be recorded and saved for all time. I’ve never heard someone sound so sincere as they verbally obliterated a person with an apology before. It was priceless,” Cognac said, giving it a chief’s kiss of approval.

I bowed low with a flourish. “Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all weekend.”

“Okay, but here’s the real question,” Wes said, looking at the man at my feet. “Who’s carrying his ass back to the car?”

“Ah yes, and we need to swing by the sitting room on the first floor and grab his wife,” Cam interjected.

Jaxson’s jaw dropped open. “Dude, I know you have some weird fucked-up history with Dax, but you shouldn’t be talking about another woman like that. She might love you, but if you step out on her, she’ll kill you, I have no doubt.”

“Do you think I would announce it to her and all of you if I were going to cheat on her?” Cam asked, giving Jaxson a deadpan look. “Besides, the only reason I give one flying fuck about that woman is she’s Marco’s sister.”

Now everyone had matching shocked expressions. “Okay, yeah, that’s a good reason,” Jaxson admitted.

“I’ll take the rotten bastard,” Cognac stated. “It will make me feel better to bash his head into the wall as I walk for all the shit he’s put us through.”

“Yeah, I would have offered, but I have the rocket launcher,” Ghost said, pointing to the duffle bag on his shoulder. “We’re still going to blow up the house, right?”

Magnus grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him along. “After we all get out.”

“I’m excited, not stupid, Mag,” Ghost grumbled.

“Just trying to make sure we all get back to our people in one piece,” Magnus added as we emerged back on the first floor.

Cam grabbed my arm, drawing my attention. “I’ll be right back with her. Meet you by the pool.”