Page 36 of George’s Big Day

Dante groaned.

“You stomped all over them, disrupted their production—I’d be pissed too,” Chris told him. “No wonder they’re here to exact revenge.”

Dante shook his head. “I didn’t think they had the resources to leave their country and come all the way to Maine to hunt me down.”

Lots of people shaking their heads at him.

“This is why I don’t do this anymore.”

“No one is faulting you for saving the boys or messing with a cartel,” Colter assured him. “But you missed a step.”

“Namely covering your tracks,” Chris told him, then looked at Jing. “Sorry, not ignoring you. We’re just dealing with the fallout here.”

“I know,” she deadpanned with a shake of her head. I was struck, as I always was, by how beautiful she was. She looked like a model or an actress, utterly stunning with her alabaster skin, long jet-black hair, and dark eyes.

“You mentioned we have trouble?” Colter asked her.

“Had trouble. Past tense,” she clarified, then stepped into the room, followed by Sam Kage.

“Is this a secret clubhouse, or can anyone come in?”

All eyes on him, and I noted that Jing hadn’t moved farther in, content, it seemed, to be there beside him as he assessed the room and everyone there.

Just like the rest of the men, Sam Kage radiated power, especially in his Burberry suit. But whereas the others felt lethal, dangerous, even scary, it amalgamated differently with the chief deputy. He seemed more solid somehow, which didn’t make much sense—Jared Colter was a retired colonel, after all, and Darius Hawthrone ran an enormous worldwide shadow organization. And yet Sam Kage seemed like the one to trust and follow, the one not doing anything in the darkness, all out in the sunshine for anyone to see. He was transparent in all his dealings and had always seemed to me the one who would give you shelter in the storm.

Perhaps it was because I knew him best, had been in his home and seen his life up close. Maybe if you could see what had been built, it was easier to believe in. Also, it felt like all the others worked outside the law, but Sam Kage worked with it, hand in hand.

“I’m sure you all know this, but there are rules when you have a law enforcement officer on site,” Kage made known, directing his comments to Hawthorne, obviously aware he was the most connected person in the room. “For instance, that man sitting on the floor, I need to take him into custody and keep him with the others until we’re relieved by the marshals from the District of Maine.”

The moment he finished speaking, he walked over to the bound man. Carefully, Kage helped him to stand before removing the gag. Dante passed him a knife, and Kage cut off the PlastiCuffs around the man’s ankles but left the ones on his wrists. He then walked his prisoner to the door and handed him off to someone.

“Wait, are all the other men already in custody?” Hawthorne asked Jing. “Is that how you knew Dante was the target and not Chris?”

“Yes,” she said, then to Kage, “Thank you for explaining everything. I really appreciate not having to do anything at all strenuous. I’m wearing Atelier Versace, after all.”

“Understood.”

“I noticed your daughter is as well. I’d love to go have a word with her.”

“Please do,” Kage told her.

She smiled at everyone, told Colter she would corral Isaak, gave a quick wave, and ducked out.

“Oh, she likes you,” Colter told Kage.

“She seems terribly capable.”

“You would be correct,” Colter agreed. “May I ask how you took—how many men are there?”

“Ten.”

“How did you take them all into custody?” Hawthorne asked, finishing Colter’s question.

“Well, I have my deputy director here, Ian Doyle, as well as his husband, Miro Jones, who is my director of custodial WITSEC. Also, my friend—and yours too, I understand—Police Commander Duncan Stiel, who was just at the door, taking the prisoner into custody.”

Hawthorne exhaled sharply. “You have everything under control.”

“Yes, sir,” Kage affirmed, then glanced at Dante. “Your husband was very helpful and allowed us to make use of your karaoke room next to the bar as a place to hold everyone. Only one entrance and exit, which is perfect, and he also helped locate some rope.”