Heartless Sinner (Empire of Sinners #5)

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Micah

Scarlett James.

I take the wooden stairs down to the basement floor of my family’s safe house, my mystery woman’s name bouncing off the walls of my mind like a relentless echo.

This place has come in handy for my very impromptu visit to find her. On the outside, it blends in perfectly with the other manor-style homes in Cherry Creek. Inside, the upstairs section continues the illusion that regular people live here, but downstairs—where I’m heading—is no different to a bomb shelter with separate rooms we use for interrogation and other unsavory things.

I brought Scarlett and her father here to interrogate them.

It feels strange to know Scarlett’s name after spending so many hours wondering who she was.

That business card from the Ever After Agency helped me find her, along with my facial rec system. I had her name, address, and work details by the time I boarded my jet to Denver.

I still don’t have full details about the link to the hacker yet, but I will get answers.

My investigation so far has found that the setup in New York originated with Scarlett’s father and brother, Johnny. That’s all I know right now.

The plan was to get here then wait for the right moment to strike. That was two hours ago when her house was under attack.

Now we’re here.

Brahm took Scarlett down to the interrogation room while I had her father placed in the sick bay so the on-site medic could patch him up. He was in so much pain from the beating, there was no way I would have gotten anything useful from him.

I’m going to talk to him first. I’m sure he must be lucid enough by now to speak to me.

I can’t see Scarlett yet.

The mere contact and brief exchange we had back at her house did a number on my mind and I realized I can’t focus around her. That’s a dangerous thing for me given our newfound situation of shit.

At the moment, I don’t know what kind of relationship she and her family have with the hackers. But I’m sure they weren’t pleased when she brought them back the dud chip.

I want to believe that she’s an innocent in this mess, but everything about this situation is fucked. I can't afford to let sentiment cloud my judgment any more than it already has.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I look around.

It’s been a while since any of my family have used this house because we’re always in New York or traveling around Europe.

My grandfather made it his duty to have a couple of safe houses in the US, so we’d always have somewhere remote to go to if we needed it. This is one of them, and like the others, it’s maintained by staff who live here on a regular basis.

I make my way to the sick bay, where I find Brody James—Scarlett’s father— sitting on a chair with his arms held in place by metal cuffs. It looks like something you’d find on the set of The Green Mile .

Brody’s face pales as I walk into the room.

Dr. Jackson, who’s standing in the corner packing his bag, acknowledges me with a nod. “I patched him up as best as I could, but he’s going to need a hospital visit. He has a few broken ribs, and that leg needs some attention. When you’re done with him, I’d like to give him some more painkillers.”

“Noted.” I’ll make no promises. That hospital visit and those extra painkillers will all depend on what Brody has to tell me. If he doesn’t tell me shit, he’ll die here.

Dr. Jackson dips his head and leaves, closing the door behind him.

I don’t miss the way Brody’s eyes dart to the closed door. I don’t know him, but I assume from the worry I witness in his eyes that he’s terrified for his daughter.

I pull up a chair in front of him, switching his attention back to me.

“Brody James.” I say his name in a businesslike manner as if we’re sitting down for a job interview.

"Please," he whispers, his voice breaking. "Scarlett had nothing to do with this."

Hearing her name hits me like a physical blow. That’s the first time anyone has spoken it to me. "I have footage of her stealing my chip, so it’s kind of hard for me to believe that." My voice is cold and detached.

"She did it for me." His voice echoes through the room, and desperation floods his haggard face. "She was doing me a favor, that's all. Please, you have to believe me."

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees, and level him a hard stare. “I don’t have to believe anything, Mr. James. You chose to steal from me. You chose to involve your daughter. Now we all have to live with the consequences."

A sob escapes him and he looks like he’s lost the will to live. "Punish me if you want to, but please, let Scarlett go. She's innocent in all this."

The pain in his voice strikes a chord in my chest I'd rather ignore. Decades in this business have taught me to read people, to separate genuine emotion from manipulation. Usually, I can tell what’s real and what’s not, but today, everything is off because of her.

"You’re going to tell me everything, then we can talk about who’s innocent and who’s not," I demand.

“Okay, sure.” He nods with a tremor in his body that makes him seem even weaker than before.

"Who are you working for?"

He takes a quick breath, then his confession spills out in a torrent of words.

He tells me about how his son screwed him over and left him with a fucked-up debt to Scarlett’s abusive ex, Anton Chekhov from the Bratva. Then he tells me about how Johnny got the job to steal the chip from a group called the Nexxus.

That’s the part that has me hooked, because I’ve never heard of them before. It sounds like a group who work the black market.

"So, you see, I never meant for any of this to happen. I got desperate because I wanted to keep Scarlett out of it. Johnny shouldn’t have gone to her ex." He chokes on the words while he shakes his head. "My son shouldn’t have gone to him out of principle because he could have killed her when they were together. It was foolish and selfish. It was luck that she escaped him. Now I’ve fucked things up because he’d use any excuse to get her to go back to him.”

The weight of his words settles heavily in my chest and something that feels like rage clenches my insides.

I know better than to feel protective over a woman I shouldn’t have, but her father’s words get me. I remember how Scarlett looked in New York when she spoke about her ex. There was fear in her eyes. Now I know why. And against my better judgment, I find myself understanding the situation.

I stare back at Brody, knowing he’s telling the truth. He didn’t give me much to work with, but I have something. “How do the Nexxus communicate with you?"

"Text messages and emails. Everything is on my phone. I can show you."

“I’ll take a look in a little while. Do you have names?”

“No. No names. Just phone numbers and encrypted email addresses. The only physical contact we’ve had with them is when Scarlett went to the warehouse.”

And I’m sure they’ll be long gone by now. The chip had a tracker in it, but it can’t tell me anything I don’t already know.

“What about Johnny? Where is he?”

“He skipped town. I can’t find him anywhere.”

Motherfucker . He set his old man and sister up then left them to deal with the fall. If anyone in my family did shit like that, they’d be killed.

“I’ll find him.”

Brody looks pale again. “What about Scarlett? Please don't hurt her."

I’m glad he’s not asking me to spare Johnny, because I won’t. Johnny sounds like one shady motherfucker, and he also sounds like he’ll have more information I need.

That said, I should be able to get a foot through the door now that I know about the Nexxus.

I straighten, adjusting the cuffs of my shirt before I stand. Brody keeps his eyes glued on me.

“Micah.” It’s strange hearing him call my name. “Please let Scarlett go. Do what you want to me, but let my little girl go.”

Let her go… I’m not sure I can. Not from here nor from my mind.

“I’ll let you know what I decide later.”

I move toward the door ignoring the anguish on Brody’s face. It’s time to talk to my bellezza. Now that we know each other, it’s time she gets acquainted with the real me.