Page 33 of Our Tricks

“Ma’am, we are going to need to take the gun you used to shoot the man to confirm ballistics,” Agent Park informed me.

Pulling the gun from my holster, I dropped out the magazine, checked the chamber, then handed it over. “Not a problem. Will I ever see it again, or should I just say my farewells now?”

“Once the investigation is complete, we’ll make sure any and all legal belongings are returned. You might need to pick it up from the LA office because laws are strict about the shipping of guns,” Agent Park explained.

“Don’t I know it,” I muttered as Cognac passed over my weapon. “Do you need fingerprints from us to rule them out?”

“I’m sure we have them in the database,” Park said offhandedly, then froze, looking at us.

My brows rose at his comment, and I waited to see how he would handle it. The bastard just cleared his throat, slipped the gun into an evidence bag, and handed it over to one of the techs. “Agent Black, did you say you were to be transferred?”

“Yes, I believe they told me it would be completed by Tuesday,” Cam answered.

“If we have any other questions, where should we reach out to in the future?” Agent Park asked.

It struck me as odd he was even bothering to ask. Cam had clearly been answering in a way that left that particular information out. There was no reason he’d need to know.

“There are eight of us altogether,” I commented. “If you can’t get a hold of him, you can always reach out to one of us, and we’ll let him know to get back to you. Otherwise, if it’s official business, then you can go through our lawyer instead if that will make it easier.”

“Of course, I’m sorry. You’re right, as his wife you would know how to contact him,” Park muttered.

“You said you’re an SSA, so doesn’t that mean supervisory special agent?” I asked.

“That’s correct.”

“Hmm, interesting,” I drawled, not really having a purpose to the question. I just wanted to make him uncomfortable. “Do you think it would be possible for you to speak to the hotel and explain we almost got murdered so they don’t put this incident as a black mark on my record? I’d like the option to come back here one day.”

This seemed to throw him for a curve ball. “I’ll see what I can do. We’ve already had to notify the management to clear the floor below and above this one because of the bomb.”

“The fuck?” Picasso blurted out. “Why didn’t anyone say shit to us? We’re the ones hanging out in the same space with the damn thing. You came right up to the door, knocking like you knew we would still be in here.”

Park’s brows furrowed. “It was your choice to remain in the room. As I said before, we assumed that Agent Black was here acting as your handler. If he felt it was better to keep you here in this room, then who am I to question? We instructed the hotel to get all the guests out on those floors. The room across the way isn’t being used so that leaves you guys being the only ones on this floor.”

“Do you know who I really am?” I asked, standing up. “Recently, I worked with the Las Vegas FBI office, and they seemed to treat me a lot like you are now. Did word trickle through the grapevine about me? How evil, blood-thirsty, and crazy I am?”

Park met my gaze, and I could see the disgust in his eyes. “I know who you are, but I didn’t need Vegas to tell me what I already know.”

Tilting my head to the side, I contemplated that bit of information. “Who did I kill and not bury deep enough? Lover? Parent? Sibling? Or was it just the fact that I’ve killed before?”

“Four years ago, you took out a gang called the Savage Kings, my brother was a member. You didn’t leave a single person alive, hunting them down like they were nothing,” Agent Park spat, the rage now clear on his face.

It seems this man had no idea what his brother was guilty of.

Chapter 13

Dax

I remembered the Savage Kings well.

They were a particular blight on my city, and I wasn’t having it.

They’d been warned to back off, change business strategy, or get the fuck out of LA. They ignored all such warnings and threw it back in my face by raiding one of the neighborhoods I protected to find what they were looking for.

“You’re right, I did do that,” I answered matter of factly. “I won’t apologize for it either because I’d do it again in a heartbeat. That group had been warned time and time again to back the fuck up off my turf, but they didn’t take me seriously. When I spanked them good and hard to make a point, they retaliated by raiding an apartment building and kidnapping all the women of any age. Do you know what business the Kings were in?”

Park scoffed. “Of course I do, I work in the FBI. You don’t think I looked up that case and researched it?”

“See now… there is your problem. The FBI didn’t give a shit about the case because I did them a favor taking them out. They were human traffickers, and your brother stole women off the street and sold them off to be raped for the rest of their lives. Now look me in the eye and tell me I’m the monster,” I challenged, crossing my arms, waiting for a response.