Page 20 of Antonio Miles

“Is he worth it?” Kass said, eyes never leaving Rourke.

“We’ll see,” I said. “You get us into the safe. You help us take down Pine, Denton, and Iron. If you do that, you get your wish.” Rourke slumped in relief, like a kid told the punishment would be less than expected. “Where is Denton now?”

Rourke looked at the floor. “He sleeps in his condo, but during the day he’s always at Éclipse. He doesn’t trust anyone else to run the place. If you go there during business hours, he’ll be in the manager’s office, watching cameras.”

I tapped the armrest. “You’ll take us to the condo. You’ll walk us in, get us to the safe, and open it. You do this right, and maybe you walk out with your life.” I walked to the door. “We go in an hour. Don’t make me regret this.”

Rourke sagged in his chair, sweat dripping down his face. Kass gave me a quick, tight nod as we left the room.

Outside, I took a breath and let the morning air cut through the stink of the interrogation room. I could see the city below, streets already in motion. For the first time in weeks, I saw the outline of an answer to at least one of my problems. I’d been running the same circuit for years, keeping the city under control, keeping the damage off my father’s doorstep. Now it felt different. Every move I made was for Tessa. I didn’t care if I had to burn the whole city down to keep her safe and avenge her trauma. The part that scared me most was how right protecting Tessa felt.

We drove the thirty miles to Denton’s condo. We parked three blocks from the building. Rourke sat in the back seat between Kass and a man named Finch. Rourke’s hands shook so badly he couldn’t light his cigarette. I watched the flame gutter and die twice before Kass took the lighter and flicked it for him.

“For fuck’s sake,” Kass muttered.

Rourke sucked down half the cigarette in two pulls, then coughed several times. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing sweat and ash down his chin. “He’s got security on the front and the rear. The lobby’s got cameras all over, but the stairwell is just out of line-of-sight. If we go in the back, we can get in unnoticed.”

Kass checked his watch. “Timing?”

Rourke thought a moment. “If we go in now, nobody’ll be at the desk. The security guy always does his rounds at the top of the hour and takes a smoke break.”

Normally, I didn’t like going in without extensive planning, but we had Rourke with us and he wouldn’t sacrifice himself. If there was danger and Rourke knew, we’d know.

We made our way from the car on foot. The street was empty except for a dog walker and a pair of kids on bikes, not paying attention to anything but each other. Rourke led us in through the side entrance. The lock buzzed and we were inside.

I watched Rourke the entire way up the stairs while Kass led the way with Finch covering our back.

When we reached Denton’s floor, Rourke hesitated at the door, then opened it with a second keycard. Again, Kass took point inside the apartment, checking the place carefully before giving us the all clear. Finch stayed behind Rourke, gripping his upper arm like a vise.

The condo was expensive but impersonal. No family photos or anything to say I live here. The master bedroom in the back overlooked the river. Just as Rourke promised, we found the safe behind a fake panel in the closet.

Rourke knelt and spun the dial several times, fingers steady now that he was doing something mechanical. When he yanked the handle, the safe opened with a soft click. Inside, we found bundles of cash, two pistols, and a stack of passports with different names and faces, all Denton’s. More interesting was a steel lockbox, small and heavy. Rourke pulled it out and set it on the bed.

“Open it,” I said.

“I don’t know the code.” Rourke picked the box up and studied the keypad.

“Guess.”

He shot me an annoyed look. “I can try, but I’m not a lock pick.” Still, he studied the keypad. “Though…” He squinted before finally punching in a code. The lock opened and Rourke snorted out a derisive laugh. “Should have known. Fucker uses the same code for everything. Has as long as I’ve known him.”

We bagged everything, then I scanned the area one more time. “Is this everything?” I asked.

Rourke nodded, eager. “Every time Denton made a deal, it went in there. That’s his whole business. And before you make the observation, yes. He’s stupid enough to use the same passcode or pin number for literally everything. Even something this important.”

I turned to Kass. “If we’re attacked before we get out of here, Rourke dies first, no matter how big or small the attack. If any of this isn’t accurate, and I even suspect he misled us on purpose, he dies then, too.”

“Understood.” Kass gave Rourke a hard look.

We left the condo and walked back to the car. I called Knight.

“You got something for me?” Knight’s voice was neutral, but I heard the fatigue in it. He’d given his all in this, helping more than his fair share. Knight was an invaluable part of my team and Kiss of Death.

“That’s what I want you to determine. I hope I have what is a comprehensive record of Denton’s trades.”

There was a brief silence. “Say that again?”

“You heard me, Knight. I’ll send a couple of my men to you with this.”