Havoc

Chapter 26

Kenna

“What did he do now?” Minnie folded her arms and leaned against the wall of my suite as I slipped into a neon blue bikini. I was about to meet Yen Hong for a pool party he’d set up to entertain one of his younger clients. The guy was in town until tomorrow, so I couldn’t put him off. My job spanned many areas, and if Yen Hong wanted me to wear a glittery g-string and dance around the pool, I’d do it. The harsh sting of Grim’s words the night before were far from forgotten, but I’d managed to pull in my hurt and try to understand what had happened.

“He’s in pain.” I hated that I was smart enough to see what was really going on with him. Being an adult sucked sometimes. I reassured myself that he’d acted like a hurt child who needed to strike out. In reality, I just wanted to say fuck it and go back to our daily fights. I hadn’t realized I’d missed our regular faceoffs. He was fun to mess with.

She nodded. “So, what did he do this time?”

I held a cover up in front of me in the mirror. “Said some very nasty things.”

“You seem really calm for a woman who’s had nasty things said to them by the reaper himself.”

“Calm isn’t a word I would use for how I’m feeling right now.” I decided against the black coverup for a white one.

“Okay,” she studied me in the mirror, “on a scale from Jim Gates to daddy-dearest, how badly did he hurt you?”

“Oh,” I chuckled darkly, “we’re way past daddy-dearest.”

Minnie moved so she could see my face more clearly in the glass. “Are you okay?”

“Let’s just say I looked over Yen’s offer to work for him in Hong Kong again.”

Her face fell, and she turned me around by my shoulders. “Ken, no. This is where you belong.”

“I know,” I assured her, “and I know he’s hurting and that he lashed at me because I saw him at his most vulnerable, but he did some damage I’m not sure I even want fixed.”

“Fucking Jeezelle.” She snickered, and I followed her out of the closet.

“What does that delusional twit have to do with anything?”

“She showed up last night, tried to get him to take her back to his place. He tossed her to us, but I knew just having her show up would screw with his head. So, between her wide-open legs and Leo, I’m sure he’s a mess.”

“He blames himself for Leo’s murder.”

“How?” She looked confused.

“I guess he almost went to see his brother that night, but then changed his mind and came to me instead.”

“Holy shit. That’s terrible.” Minnie put her hand to her chest.

“Yeah, and then last night, after Grim’s nasty payback, I left his place in nothing but his shirt, and got caught by Jesse in the elevator on my way back to my room.” I closed my eyes, embarrassed Jesse had seen me that way.

“Men,” she huffed. “Maybe Grim and Brick need to spend some time together since he’s in a dick mood right now too.”

“What now?” I felt bad I hadn’t asked about her and Brick lately.

“Same shit.” She curled up on the couch. “He acts like he wants more, then he pulls away. Something’s going on with him and Trigger. Brick seems happy for a bit then disappears on some job and returns in a shit mood.” She covers her eyes. “Like, pick a mood and fucking stick with it.”

“I’m sorry, Min.”

“So am I, for you.”

“See,” I laughed, and it came out like a snort, “this is why turning lesbian looks so damn appealing as we get older.”

“Amen.”

* * *

The lobby wasin full swing with a bus load of tourists all chattering about their day at the Hoover Dam.

I checked the time and saw Yen had written to say his friend was still in the casino and he’d be a little late for our meeting.

“Great. Spend your money.” I chuckled to myself. Suddenly, someone clipped my shoulder hard and sent me into a tailspin. I put my hand on a pillar to steady myself. Once I caught my breath, I looked around and saw her. I couldn’t miss that face full of freckles, and my stomach dropped.

I saw Grim across the lobby; he watched and began to walk my way. He must have caught my encounter.

The woman pushed her stringy hair out of her face, and I was instantly thrust back to that night in the parking garage.

“I see the bruises have healed.” She looked me up and down, and images of my attack flashed before me.

“Don’t think he’s not still watching you.” She laughed like she was high on something.

“What?” I felt the air get sucked from my lungs.

“He saw you at the bar with your new boyfriend. He better watch himself or he’ll be next.”

“Holy shit!” He really was still watching me.

“Trust me, bitch, there’s nothing holy about this guy.”

Grim appeared then and waved at someone. Seconds later, security made their move. One grabbed her arms, and the others blocked the view so the tourists wouldn’t see.

“Get her in the back,” Grim ordered and looked back at me. “What the hell was that all about? Are you okay?”

“Not even close.”

“Come with me,” Grim ordered, and I stopped short and looked at him. “I’ll need you there when we question her.” His voice was a lot more civil.

“All right,” I agreed.

A short while later, we gathered in Grim’s office. The woman managed to keep up her cocky attitude.

“You know I recognize you from Dirty Demons.” She snapped her pink gum like she was twelve and thought she was cool.

I cut her off. “Tell me about the man you’re working with.” The last thing I needed was Grim finding out I danced at Minnie’s club.

“Don’t know.” She kicked her hooker heels up on the table, but Grim knocked them down, nearly making her fall out of her chair.

“Talk or choke on my fist,” he threatened, and she rolled her eyes. Clearly, she’d dealt with aggressive men before. Men like Grim wouldn’t necessarily scare her much. I needed another tactic.

“I’ll give you a hundred if you tell me who he is.” I pulled a bill out, and Grim scowled at me, but the chick grabbed it and held it up to the light to check if it was fake then pushed it into her skimpy cleavage.

“Like I said, I don’t know. I only danced at Minnie’s for a few months when I started to see this guy hanging around the place.” I texted Minnie and filled her in and asked her to come to the hotel. She might be able to help.

“What did he look like?” I cut my eyes at Grim to let me continue without any interruptions.

“Tall, slim, kinda has a Brad Pitt thing going on, but looks like Liam Neeson in some lights.” I closed my eyes and envisioned all the ways I could make her talk. Christ, now I was getting dark. “He always wanted a lap dance but not much more. He seemed to just want to talk more than anything.”

“About?” Grim cut in.

“Her.” She pointed at me. I looked at her then at Grim, and I saw the vein in his jaw tick. I shrugged to show I had no idea. Who the hell was that man?

“If the money wasn’t so good, I’d be jealous, but a girl’s gotta eat.”

“What did he want to know about me?” I felt sick at the idea of someone watching me for such a long time.

“I don’t know, this and that. He smelled like horses.”

Maybe a kick to the throat would do this chick some good.

I was relieved when I heard a knock at the door. One of the guys opened it and Minnie burst in. She looked fit to kill.

“Tracy! You fuckin’ little bitch.” Minnie grabbed her by the hair. “You tell these people what you know, or I’ll?—”

“Minnie, let’s talk a minute.” Grim pointed with his chin at me, and the three of us stepped out.

“She’d better be a fine-ass dancer, Min, because there are no lights on upstairs.” I pointed to my head.

“She’s got a dragon tat that wraps around from her muff to her ass biscuit.” She shrugged. “Men seem to love it.” Then she seemed to remember our conversation and cut her eyes from Grim and back to me. She raised her brow, and I shook my head. I didn’t want her to say anything, especially with the situation at hand. Now wasn’t the time for her to take on Grim’s attitude. “Right, well, give me ten minutes with the bitch and I’ll get her talking.” Minnie stroked my arm then went inside. That left Grim and me alone in the hallway.

“Kenna,” he started.

“No.” I held up a hand. “It’s too early to go another round with you, Grim. Especially when you leave me to find my own release at the end of it all.” I knew that would give him something to think about.

My phone rang, and he glared at Benny’s name on the screen. I smirked at the idea of Grim’s mind going crazy as he thought I went to see Benny last night and not to my own room with my showerhead.

“Hey, Benny,” I turned my back to Grim, “I’m really sorry, but I’m with a client right now. Can I call you back in a little bit?”

“Sure.” He didn’t sound sure. “Hey, look, I’m really sorry for leaving you like that last night, but I got the feeling if I hadn’t, I’d have been escorted out by Grim’s men.”

“Please don’t be.” I chose my words carefully. “Last night was really fun, and I’m looking forward to seeing you later.”

“As friends, though, right?” I found it humorous that he was clearing the air. “Because I don’t want to get into the middle of something. I like my head where it is.” I laughed, and he did too.

“Right.” I loved Benny, but as a longtime friend, and it had been fun to catch up.

“So, see you tonight?”

“Yes, I’ll see you later. I’m looking forward to it.” I hung up and turned to find Grim’s hands curled into fists and his jaw locked in place. Two could play the asshole card.

“This is what I know.” Jesse rushed toward us down the hallway and broke the silence. “I tracked her on the cameras. She was approached by a blacked-out Toyota Camry. She had a conversation with someone, but I couldn”t see their face. She got in the back seat of the car and was driven straight here to the hotel. She was dropped off at the curb, then the car disappeared into traffic. The plates were fake.”

“According to her pimp, he hadn”t seen her in months. She owes him money, so we could use that.”

“All right.” Grim pulled him aside and spoke quietly as I leaned against the wall and wondered how dirty Minnie would go to get information.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

Salazar: Heading back into the city for an unexpected week. Bringing some friends. I wanted to give you a heads up that they might want to sign on as clients to Secrets. I’ll be in touch.

Finally, some good news.

Kenna: Great, thanks for that. I’ll be ready.

“One phone call to her pimp and the bitch sang like a canary.” Minnie came out, and Grim hurried back over.

“Well?” He jumped right in.

“She’s running from her pimp and was laying low, given that she showed her face when that guy attacked you, Kenna.”

“Okay.” I wanted her to keep going.

“Since she’s not turning tricks or working for me, she needed money. I guess delivering information on you was more appealing than standing on the corner. I guess this guy wasn’t a regular.” She paused. “I already texted Tess to look at the tapes. I’m pretty sure he used a fake ID and cash, but that’s not unusual. He asked questions about you, Kenna. That’s how she knew about who Hanna was. He was the one who knew her, she didn’t. He just gave her a script to use.”

“What?” My head fought to catch up.

“Could Hanna be a part of this?” Grim snapped at me.

I cut him a look. “Don’t even.”

“Grim,” Minnie stepped in, “my guess is he found the information and made her use it to convince Kenna.” She sighed when her phone rang and threw me a look. She was afraid to leave us alone. I waved at her to pick up, and she shrugged. “What did you find, Tess?”

“You should call Hanna,” Grim started once Minnie answered her call. “Find out whatever information you can.”

“She’s not behind this.”

“She was jealous about your past with Sasha,” he reminded me, “and was wrapped up with some crazy shit including that video with…” He paused, and I suddenly tuned in to the fact that maybe he’d swiped that phone from the hotel room.

“Finish your sentence.” I took a step toward him. “Did you take the phone from the hotel room and see who Sasha was speaking to?”

“I didn’t take the phone.” He towered over me as I pressed my chest into his. I was sure he could feel my anger vibrate off me.

“Kenna,” Minnie’s voice broke our moment, “he watched you.”

“Huh?” I turned toward Minnie’s pale face.

“He had a key.” She was being deliberately vague, and it took me a second to follow her words. Then it hit me like a bucket of cold water poured down my back.

“A key to where?” Grim cut in, but it was as if the two of us were in our own little world.

I dropped my head and wondered which time the sick son of a bitch had watched me dance when I thought I was alone.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

It was such an invasion of privacy it made me feel ill, but as much as it made me feel sick, we could use this. I wasn’t about to let that bastard win. Minnie put a hand on my arm.

“No,” I shook my head, “we use this.”

Minnie looked at Grim, who radiated anger at being out of the loop. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“It is if Brick and Morgan are filled in.” I dangled the bait.

“And Grim too,” he grunted beside us.

“You know what scares me the most,” Minnie slid her hand to her stomach as we both continued to ignore Grim, “is that if I don’t go along with this, I know you’ll do it by yourself.”

“That’s right, I will.”

“Fine,” she nodded as she thought, “if you really want to do this, we need to find something that will appeal to her more than what this guy is offering her. Grim,” she turned to him.

“Oh, I am in the room.” He snickered.

“Open your wallet because we need cash.”

* * *

My life waslike a whack-a-mole game in paradise. One moment I’m fighting the enemies that want to hurt me, and the next I’m sipping a pina colada in a pool surrounded by three fine-ass Australian men and Yen Hong, who I just adored.

“Can I ask you something?” Yen pulled away from the others when the girls arrived to entertain.

“Mm?” I leaned my head back and let the sun beat down on my face.

“I heard about Grim’s brother, Leo. I’m so sorry.”

“It was,” I kept my eyes closed, “devastating.”

Yen swam to sit next to me on the submerged bench by the bar. “Was that why you were so upset the other day?”

“Yeah.” I really didn’t want to talk about that. I just wanted to be out of my head for a bit and enjoy the pool and my yummy drink.

“You seem to carry a lot on your shoulders sometimes.”

“Sometimes.”

“Forgive me for overstepping, but just so it’s said, my offer for you to work for me in Hong Kong doesn’t expire.”

“You’re too kind, Yen.” I used my straw to play with the slice of lime between the ice. “I have a lot going on here, that’s true, but right now, I can’t even imagine walking away from it, but I’ll remember that.”

“I’ll do you one better.” He waved someone over who handed me an envelope. “Open it.”

I set my drink down and dried my fingers on a napkin. I tore the envelope open, and inside was a piece of paper with a phone number to his private pilot, a passcode to one of his penthouses in Hong Kong, and the name of a man who would be my private escort whenever I arrived.

“Of course, all the details have been emailed to you, but this was much more dramatic.” He smiled shamelessly. “The next time you’re having a bad day, or you just need to get away, you’ve somewhere to go for a change of scenery.” He tightened the tie on his teal, barely-there swimsuit. “And who knows, maybe you’ll love it enough to stay and work for me.”

“You sure know how to be persistent.” I gave him a hug. “Thanks, Yen, for showing you want me this badly.”

“This is nothing. Just wait until you come and visit. That’s when I’ll really win you over.”

“You know what? I believe you when you say that.” I grinned happily.

Yen shifted in his seat. “Grab your phone and snap a picture of this moment.” He waited as I tucked the information in my purse and opened my phone. “We’ll hang this up the day you sign.” He smiled wide and leaned in for the shot.

“It’ll be a wonderful memory.” I snapped our selfie.

“But first, let me see the picture, because if any wrinkles are showing we’re retaking history.” I laughed and swiped to show him the picture. At his indrawn breath, I glanced at the phone and realized I’d swiped back too far. He looked at the closeup of the drawing I’d snapped that had been left on Leo’s body. My face flushed at how wrong it felt that he saw it.

“Stop at nothing, outlast your enemies, be the fear.”

“Yen, what does that mean?”

“It’s the saying from the Potens.” He pointed to the photo, and I nearly dropped my glass into the pool.

“Potens?” I leaned my arm along the pool’s edge. “What’s that?”

“Not that, they,” he corrected. “Back in the late forties, early fifties, the mafia was raging here in the US. In the sixties you had the classics come up from New York. John Gotti, Al Capone, and my personal favorite Salvatore Maranzano. He led the Five Families.” He waved his hand as if to say and on and on. “Of course, there were others in Chicago, Philadelphia, LA, but in ninety-seven, the FBI put something in place called the RICO Act that brought in harsher punishments, and that helped pull back the crime.”

“Okay.” I drew out the word.

“Sorry, I’m a history buff on crime.” He adjusted his sunglasses. “Good to know what kind of company you’re dealing with.” He gave me a sly smile, and I chuckled. We both knew great wealth came with a whole different playing field. “All right, while the FBI were trying to stomp out that crime wave, a new organization started to fester in LA. Started by a man named Jimmy Turner. Jimmy had family all over the US and had powerful pull in Mexico, El Salvador, China, places like that. When he saw what was happening here, he took the opportunity to move in and start the Potens.”

“Does it stand for anything?”

“Yes, Potens is a Latin word for powerful. From the word potentate, which for them referred to the Metriorhynchidae Potens.”

“You’ve lost me again.”

“May I?” He chuckled and pointed to my phone, and I handed it to him. “See this here,” he drew his finger to outline the rather sloppy drawing of a crocodile, “is actually this.” He went to a webpage and pulled up a photo of their logo.

My mind went to the tattoo Sasha and the man who had attacked me at Secrets had. “All members had one on the inside of their arm. Half was the Potens logo, and the other is their own design. It’s how you can tell who they are without having to say it. They were very paranoid and extremely secretive. They rose to the top of the crime syndicate here in US because they were patient, still, and played the long game like a lion in the grass.”

“What were they after?”

“Control, mostly.” He finished off his drink. “They wanted everything. Money, of course, control of the drugs coming in and out of the borders, politicians, businesses, they had a hand in it all.”

“Did something happen?”

“Jimmy got greedy, then became sloppy, thought he was untouchable and killed another family that was trying to mess with his business. It was all the FBI needed to take him down, and when they did, it was like the organization just closed its door and fizzled out.”

“Why?”

He shrugged like he was frustrated he didn’t have the true answer. “I don’t know. It’s a fascinating story with no real end. I’ve read more than one article on them. Some say he told them to fade away until he got out. Others speculate that the leaders of each state were rounded up and killed. Either way, Jimmy got life, and the Potens never resurfaced.”

“So, they’re not around today?”

He poured some suntan lotion on his shoulders and rubbed as he thought. “I’ve heard rumors, but nothing concrete. I keep my head up because I’d be a target to the Potens these days. I spread my money all over the world and move product through Vegas now, thanks to the Gates’ connections.” I knew product meant cartel drugs.

“Okay, this drawing,” I had to dig further for Leo, “why would someone draw it?”

“It’s their signature.” He smiled and waved at one of his clients who held up his drink as he enjoyed a lap dance in the water.

“So, a member of the Potens would draw this if they did something bad, like kill someone, and you could tell by their drawing who did it?”

“No,” he laughed, now preoccupied with the woman”s dance moves, “they’d hire a hitman. You know, they’d tell someone to get the word out, and it would go out to hundreds of hires, and whoever picked up the hit first would draw the Potens symbol, then mail a photo back to get paid.”

“And if they were active in today’s world, they’d most likely send a text back and forth?”

“I would. Who mails things anymore?”

“Is there any way you could link the photo to the hitman?”

“Not normally. It’s more about the Potens getting credit for the murder without getting their hands dirty. They were smart because they stayed under the radar. Patience and brains, that’s a missing art nowadays.”

I leaned back and let all the information sink in. If I hadn’t seen the tattoos myself, I would think the drawing was there to send us on some wild goose chase.

“Why do you have a picture of it, anyway? Are you interested in crime symbols and history yourself?”

“Not really. I just found it in an old book and wondered what it was.” I shrugged it off.

“Well, I hope I didn’t bore you with too much detail.”

“Why not enjoy a little dance yourself?” I noticed he still watched the lap dance. “Do you mind if a slip away a little early?”

“Not in the least.” He waved me off as the bartender gave him a refill. I jumped out of the pool and spotted Calli and Knox. She laughed as she replaced the empty drink in his hand with a full one. I hated that she was with him; he deserved someone better.

“Hey,” Simon was suddenly in front of me, “have you seen your father since he came back?”

I thought back to what I found in my dad’s desk and wondered if Jesse had found out who they belonged to.

“No,” I lied. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he pushed up his glasses with one finger, “I just figured, given what happened to Leo, you two would have touched base by now.”

“I will,” I felt a flicker of pain flash through me, “but I have to find Jim right now.”

“Well, don’t let me keep you.” He smiled kindly. “Have a good day.”

“You too.”