Page 19 of Antonio Miles

I walked to the helicopter, feeling the ground vibrate under my feet as the rotors picked up speed. “And Rourke?”

Kass didn’t smile, but I saw the edge of it. “He’s in the city. My men picked him up on his morning run, no fuss.”

“He talkative?”

“He hasn’t shut up since we put him in the car.” Kass shrugged. “He wants to deal. Says he’ll give up Denton and Iron and half the city’s dirty secrets if we guarantee his safety.”

I got into the back of the helicopter and settled into my seat. Kass followed, taking the one across from me. I opened the envelope, scanning the summary. The alias of Pine matched with a series of burner phones, all routed through a data center in Montreal. The same network carried anonymous threats to judges, lawyers, and cops. I flipped to the next sheet. The courier was still in play, but his last drop matched the payout window on Quinn’s job. No face, but a habit of wearing blue nitrile gloves and never speaking above a whisper. The drop point was always the same. The Food Barn west service entrance, never more than five minutes. More than once the van left with no cargo, so five minutes appeared to be a hard limit.

The last note was about Rourke. Knight had done his usual deep dive. The man drank at three regular bars, had five ex-wives, and a gambling debt that would make a hedge fund manager sweat. Knight flagged Rourke’s biggest weakness as “fears Denton most.”

The helicopter banked south, and I watched the city come up through the break in the trees. The sun was just rising, but the city never really slept. I liked seeing it from above. It made the city feel manageable.

We landed on the roof of an empty office building on the edge of the West End. Kass and two men walked me through a steel door and down to the secure suite where Rourke waited.

He was handcuffed to the chair but otherwise looked unmarked. His wrists were red, his clothes rumpled, and he stank of sweat and whatever cheap cologne he’d drowned himself in that morning. He looked up when I entered, eyes bright with calculation.

“You’re not Iron,” Rourke said. “I asked for Iron.”

“You get me,” I said, keeping my expression a practiced combination of angry and annoyed. “Talk, or you never see the sun again.”

He flashed a practiced smile. “I’m an open book. Ask me anything.”

Kass took a position behind him, arms crossed. I stayed standing. I wanted Rourke to look up, to sweat.

“You know why you’re here?” I asked.

He nodded. “Your father wants Denton. He wants Iron, too, but he wants Denton more. I can help with that.”

“Denton would feed you to the wolves if it bought him five minutes of freedom,” I said. “The only thing keeping you alive is what you give me.”

Rourke nodded, lips pressed together. He tried to hide the tremor in his hands but failed. “You want his records. Where he keeps them. Who he pays off. I can tell you that. But I want a deal.”

I laughed, and I let him see I meant it. “Your last deal was with Denton. Now you’re here. Doesn’t say much for your negotiating skills.”

He swallowed. “I can get you in the building. He trusts me. I handled all the party logistics. Every room, every security sweep, every detail for the rich boys’ club.” He tried to give me a cocky grin, but I saw the sweat trickle down his temple.

“Enclave Éclipse?”

His eyes widened, obviously surprised I knew that part of the secret. “Yeah. That place is his fortress. You’ll need me to get in.”

“Start with the last event,” I said. “Everything. And don’t waste my time with drama or you’ll die hard.”

Rourke swallowed, sweating harder, apparently realizing I might know more than he originally thought and that I couldn’t be bluffed. “Last time, Denton brought in a crew from out of state. We set up three rooms for a buyer out of Miami, but there was only one actual target. A girl from a place called Haven. I don’t usually get the details, but the buyer was particular. Didn’t want damaged goods. That’s Denton’s phrase, not mine.

“He brought in Pine as the closer. He uses a handler, never meeting face-to-face. Pays in cash, always through the same courier.”

“And?” I asked.

Rourke licked his lips. “The next run is scheduled for two days from now. Same location. But this time, the buyer’s coming in person. Not a handler. The real deal. Denton wants to impress, so he’s upped the security. I saw the list. They’re bringing in weapons, chemical restraints, and two snatch vans. One of them is ex-military. Guy’s a freak. They call him Rainman, but I think he’s your Pine alias. I’ve never seen him, only heard the voice once, and it was --” He shuddered. “Cold. Like a fucking robot.” He gave a weak laugh. “No offense.”

When I didn’t speak, Rourke cleared his throat. “Denton’s got everything locked up at his downtown condo. The safe is in his guest bedroom, the combination is his daughter’s birthday.”

“What do you want?” I asked.

He hesitated. “Witness protection, or whatever. A new ID. Some cash to get out of the state. Denton’s guys will kill me if they think I talked.”

I nodded at Kass.