24. Leo
Chapter twenty-four
Leo
I unwind from Scarlett’s naked, sleeping body and sit up, my mind racing with unanswered questions. Grabbing a pair of grey sweatpants and a T-shirt, I lock the door behind me and head outside, where I find Mauro and Vin around the fire pit with Cuban cigars between their fingers.
I sit in the free chair beside Mauro and shake my head when Vin offers me a cigar. I never did care for them.
“Suit yourself,” he answers, stretching his legs before him.
Mauro pulls the cigar from his lips and blows a thick puff of smoke toward the sky.
“Can’t sleep?” Vin asks.
“Too many unanswered questions plaguing me.” I lean forward, staring into the fire. The orange, blue, and yellow hues blend, mesmerizing my weary mind.
“We’ll find—” Vin stops speaking as he pulls out his phone from his pocket. “It’s Alex.” He accepts the call, putting him on speakerphone. “Alex, did you find anything from the text?”
The first thing we hear is Alex’s fingers tapping away on a keyboard. “No,” Alex answers, letting out a defeated sigh. “My team and I have been working on it all day, but we can’t pinpoint a location. He’s fixed it so the phone’s location changes every five minutes, leaving us nothing to go off of.”
“Shit.” Vin smooths his hand over his stubble. “Well, I take it you called us for something else then?”
The clacking on the keyboard pauses. “Igor slipped up.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, angling closer to the phone.
“I’ll let you hear for yourself.” Alex taps a few buttons, and then suddenly…
“What are you doing calling me?” Igor’s chilly tone floats through the phone. “I told you our conversations have to happen in person. There’re too many eyes and ears watching and listening.”
“Yes, well, this couldn’t wait. Thanks to your employee, Le Diable, I am now facing quite a bit of heat and need things fixed now!”
I still. His employee? My hand clenches into a tight fist. That motherfucker does know Le Diable and lied to our fucking faces. “Whose voice is that?” I ask, cracking my knuckles.
“Governor Garrett Johnson’s,” Alex answers.
Vin and I share a look.
Igor laughs. “It’s funny if you think I can tell that monster what to do.” He pauses. “Besides, he doesn’t work for me.”
“It’s not funny!” Garrett spits out. “He’s making things very difficult for me.”
Igor sighs. “What’s the problem, Garrett?”
“The problem is that there are too many missing girls in my state. And the blame is being directed at me for not doing enough about it,” he hisses. “It’s an election year, and I cannot risk things falling apart!”
“Listen,” Igor starts. “You knew what was needed when I presented you with our plan. And I believe you were quite happy to learn of the cut you would be receiving.”
“Yes, but that was before I had the voters breathing down my neck seeking answers!” He lets out a breath. “Why can’t he collect girls from other parts of the country?”
“His current employer is in New York, so that’s where he must stay…for now.”
Garrett huffs. “And the owner of this club, your partner… Are the rumors true?”
“They are,” Igor states. “He’s back from the dead.” A deep, satisfied laugh fills the line. “And he’s very much looking forward to your discretion while allowing him access to your…lovely state.”
Mauro’s brows furrow in confusion, all of us feeling the same way. Who the fuck could he be talking about?
“Yeah. Yeah,” Garrett adds. “Just as long as no one forgets my portion of the profits. I’m going to need it to buy off extra voters this year because of all this shit.”
“Of course. You’ll be compensated quite fairly.”
“And the auction… When is that happening?”
“You mean the biggest auction of the year? Well, two weeks from today,” he says matter-of-factly. “Why? Will you be bidding?”
Garrett chuckles. “If I can make it into the city without anyone noticing, then I’ll be there.”
The city.
“Good,” Igor drawls.
“Will you be running the show?”
“I’ll be there, ensuring all guests get exactly what they came for.”
“And Le Diable?”
“He’ll be there to deliver the inventory.”
“Ahh, I’ll finally see the face of this so-called Le Diable,” Garrett muses. “And the location?”
“That is private information and you must wait until I see you in person at your governor’s dinner next week. I’ve said too much over the phone as it is. Who knows who could be listening?”
“Fine. And the problem with the missing girls?”
“I can guarantee you that there will be no more issues after the night of the auction.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because there will be a new ruler in your— Did you hear something?”
“No.”
There’s a rustling sound.
“I must go. We’ll speak soon.”
The conversation ends, and silence fills the space between us, with only the ocean’s crashing waves beside us.
“Le Diable is here in New York,” I say through clenched teeth.
“And the biggest auction of the year will be held two weeks from today on Halloween,” Alex muses.
“And Le Diable will be there.” Vin leans forward, steepling his fingers under his chin. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
Mauro glances between the two of us, not comprehending.
I lean back in my chair, staring up at the pitch-black sky. “It means we’re going to the fucking governor’s dinner to get the details on the location.”
Alex groans just as Mauro lets out an exasperated grunt of displeasure.
Vin clasps Mauro’s shoulder. “You and me both, big guy. But remember who we’re doing this for.”
Mauro nods in understanding. He turns to me, placing his hand on his chest, right over his heart. “Scar…lett,” he manages in a hoarse whisper.
“Alex?” Vin lets out a puff of smoke.
“Yeah?”
“Can you get us a way to listen to Igor at the dinner?”
“Of course,” he answers. “Piece of cake.”
“Good.” I run my fingers through my hair, pushing it back. “Once we obtain the location, we’ll have the last piece of the puzzle.”
“Looks like we have a plan,” Vin surmises.
“We have a plan,” Alex repeats.
I stand, looking off at the dark water. We’re so close to catching Le Diable. I can feel it in my grasp. He’s been just out of reach this whole time, always finding a way out of our clutches. But not this fucking time. We’ve got him right where we want him. “Le Diable is going to regret ever fucking with the Alaries.”
It’s a lesson he’ll learn.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Until his dying breath.
My lips curve up, pleasure surging through my veins for what I plan on doing to him.