40
Broadway
C ity lights fade into the distance as we speed along the highway toward Pittsburgh. Noretto sent the address for the exchange and, as fate would have it, it’s the fucking auction house. The one place I never wanted to set foot in again. I don’t want to relive the ordeal of buying the girl I love.
The car vibrates with the growling engine and the hastened clicking of Ryder’s keyboard. He’s been tapping away since we left, probably working on plans C, D, and E in case things go south. Koby’s in the back too, uncharacteristically quiet.
There’s tension in his muscles, jaw clamped right, gaze jumping between the back of Vaughn’s head, the rearview mirror, and the screen of Ryder’s laptop.
Vaughn’s in the passenger seat, his wheelchair folded and stored in the back. He stares out the window, a mask of calm in place, but the subtle crease between his brows betrays his anxiousness and fuels the suspicion roiling in my gut.
The weight of the flash drive resting in the front pocket of my pants increases with every passing mile.
Something doesn’t quite add up with his story. Vaughn knew an awful lot about the ins and outs of Blaze’s thought processes, almost as if he read the guy’s mind.
Ryder checked his billing details, the meticulously planted bugs around his house, the tracker Carter installed on his car and found nothing out of the ordinary. Still, trust is a rare commodity in our line of work and my sixth sense tells me there’s more to Vaughn’s story than he’s letting on.
“You’ve been quiet,” I say, glancing his way. “Why did you insist on coming along for the ride? I doubt Octavius is going to welcome you with open arms.”
“What choice do I have? You need someone knowledgeable to check the legitimacy of Violet’s documents, don’t you? I don’t have many options for earning Carter’s trust, so when he issues an order, I comply.”
“You volunteered,” Koby reminds him. “You’re risking a bullet between the eyes for Carter’s approval? There are many things he’s capable of forgiving, but hurting Hailey isn’t one of them.”
Vaughn shifts his upper body, leaning against the door. “I won’t know if I don’t try. I’ve made a lot of mistakes; losing Hailey’s trust is the biggest one. Helping you might be a step toward making amends.”
His words ring true but fail to settle that gut feeling. I might be biased, though. I hate the guy almost as much as Carter does. Hailey’s like my little sister. Any harm coming her way affects me more than would be considered rational. Even before I met her, just knowing she was the center of Carter’s world was enough to trigger my protective instinct.
I wonder if that’s why Carter gave up the evidence so easily? Maybe he’s as protective toward Violet as I am toward Hailey.
Another hour passes in silence, save for Ryder swearing under his nose. A chill seeps deep into my bones the moment I throw the car into a parking space outside the forsaken auction house.
Memories of the night I bought Violet hit me square in the jaw. The anger gunning through me back then, the annoyance, that cement-like feeling to my muscles. And now I’m back here, feeling just as unnerved though for a much different reason.
Back then, I was carrying away a girl terrified to leave with me. Now I’m here to keep a girl terrified to be without me.
The gravity of what we’re about to do settles over the four us like a stormy cloud. I take a deep breath, centering my mind and willing the pounding rhythm in my chest to settle.
It doesn’t. In fact, it grows faster when cold air bites my skin the second I exit the car. Ryder follows suit, his laptop tucked under his arm, eyes on the bouncer stationed at the door.
He’s alone, no guns in sight.
So far, so good.
Vaughn maneuvers himself out with Koby’s help, his wheelchair unfolding with a metallic clink.
“They’re waiting for you,” the bodyguard announces, pulling the door open as we approach.
Once we’re inside, another goon sticks his arm out, stopping us in place. “No weapons beyond this point.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal and points toward a round table in the corner. “You’ll get them back later.”
If there is a later.
The only time I don’t wear a gun is when I’m locked in my penthouse with Violet. Even then, my Glock’s nearby, easily accessible in case of emergency. Now, leaving the glistening steel behind makes me feel naked.
“This way.” The goon gestures, pulling back a red curtain.
I don’t recall it from the last time I visited.
The air is thick with the scent of polished wood and leather. The lighting fixtures are dimmed again, the room quiet without the crowd of horny rapists.
“That didn’t take long,” Octavius denotes. “I expected you to make me wait.”
Chairs hang upside down from the edges of the tables lining the walls, but one table capable of seating at least twelve, though with only one chair on either side, stands front and center. That’s where Octavius Grey rises from his seat, Blaze Noretto standing to his right, a timid-looking man on his left, and nine goons further back in a military line.
“What would be the point?” I shoot back. “The sooner we get this over with the better for everyone involved.”
Vaughn moves closer to me, his voice low and steady. “Don’t taunt him. Keep your focus.”
Octavius reaches over the table, offering his hand once I’m close enough. Ryder doesn’t bother with pleasantries, taking a seat across from the timid man. Koby hangs back, his foul mood so potent I can fucking taste it.
Blaze doesn’t extend his hand, simply juts his chin at me as if I’m not imagining all the pain I’d like to inflict on him. His eyes flicker briefly to Vaughn, amusement lighting up his features, but it’s Octavius who addresses him first.
“Charles,” he greets in a smooth tone. “It’s been a while.”
“Not long enough,” Vaughn barks, an ounce of venom in those words.
“I trust Carter laid out the terms and you know exactly what you’re getting,” I say, my patience wearing thin.
There’s little point in prolonging the inevitable. We’re here for one reason and one reason only. We’re not friends, so there’s no need to engage in small talk and polite conversation before we get down to business.
Those two fuckers threatened my girl’s safety, and I’m only indulging this shit show because they hold the key to her legal residency in America.
“So impatient,” Noretto pipes in, his casual arrogance setting my teeth on edge. He points at the chair on our side of the table and summons a waitress with a flick of his wrist. “Sit down. Relax.” He smirks, clearly enjoying the unease he’s causing. “I must say, it’s fascinating to see you in such different circumstances from the show you put up last time you were here.”
I clench my fists, marshaling my composure. Blaze’s presence is a constant reminder of the hell he put Violet through. He’s top of my murder list, a distant dream considering Carter wouldn’t green-light that hit yet.
But one day... one day Noretto will beg fruitlessly on his knees for me to spare him.
A young waitress rushes over with a tray of drinks. She moves with practiced ease, serving seven glasses of dark liquor in no particular order.
I pull the flash drive from my pocket, weaving the stick between my fingers. It’s all I have left—taunting them with what they want, despite Vaughn’s warning.
“To answer your question,” Octavius starts, lifting his drink once we’re all seated. “I know Carter has the evidence backed up. And I know it’s not on any server, not on any hackable device. Because my best men have been trying to get to it that way. Smart move. His father should’ve joined the twenty-first century and learned a thing or two from his son. Looks like your boss has outdone Rhett already.”
Rhett Willard was a cunning man, though he didn’t trust anything digital, but in the end his pompous attitude cost him his life. Octavius’s praise sounds like a backhanded compliment that quickly raises my temper.
“If you know Carter has copies, you know he’ll still hold the same power as before. What’s your angle?”
Octavius chuckles, shaking his head like he’s dealing with a clueless child. “Carter’s power was established the moment he became Dante Carrow’s right-hand man. This evidence is simply another weapon in his arsenal. One I’d like to share. This business is all about knowledge and influence.”
He leans in slightly, eyes narrowing. “Carter’s a clever, loyal man. I respect that. But this isn’t about him. It’s about everyone implicated on that.” He gestures to the flash drive in my hand. “Sometimes, it’s not about the information you hold, but who knows you have it.”
Blaze grins, clearly enjoying himself. I don’t blame him. This might be the first time he’s ever had the upper hand. “Octavius likes to keep his friends close and his enemies closer,” he gloats.
I keep my face impassive, hiding how much Grey’s words affect me. If this isn’t about overthrowing Carter, then what’s it about? My mind races, trying to piece together the bigger picture. Who does Octavius want to control? Did we miss something important in the weeks we spent poring over those files?
Octavius’s motives are interesting to say the least. Blaze’s involvement complicates things further, and Vaughn’s eagerness still doesn’t sit well with me. There’s a game being played here, and I’m not sure what the rules are.
I block my wandering mind, refocusing on the issue at hand. Violet’s my priority.
Everything else has to wait.
“The documents?” I ask, glancing at the timid guy. He’s hugging a briefcase to his chest as if expecting one of us will tear it out of his grasp.
“Straight to the point,” Octavius muses. “Very well.” He gestures and the timid-looking guy drops the briefcase like a hot potato. “Everything you need is inside. I took the liberty of changing Viera’s legal name, given everyone seems to be calling her Violet these days. Please...” He pushes the briefcase toward Vaughn, “...knock yourself out. I assume you’re supposed to check the documents are legit.”
Vaughn wheels himself closer and starts carefully riffling through the documents. Ryder grabs the passport as soon as Charles plucks it out. It takes less than three tense, silent minutes before the two of them give me the thumbs-up. Koby snatches the file, his nails white with how hard he’s clutching it. He’ll kill anyone who decides to wrestle him for it.
I flick the flash drive between my fingers once before pushing it along the table toward Octavius.
“Your leverage. Don’t do anything you’ll come to regret.”
Octavius smiles, a predator baring its teeth. “Don’t worry. I have no interest in going after Carter. He’s a powerful man. I’d rather have him as ally than enemy...” He shifts his gaze to Vaughn. “Well done. Consider your debt paid and her daughter free.”
Cold, dead hands wrap their bony fingers around my throat, that nagging suspicion toward Vaughn coming true before my eyes. I fucking knew he was acting off. I bet Carter knew it too, which is why he agreed to let Vaughn tag along when he oh-so-enthusiastically volunteered.
Charles turns his fearful, wide eyes my way, paling so fast his skin turns ashen. I don’t think he expected Grey to out him so blatantly. “I can explain.”
“Again?” I snap, everything inside me shaking with unbridled fury. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You have a death wish?”
Looks that way. Why else would he betray the almost nonexistent trust Carter placed in him? No matter what excuse he can conjure this time, he’s done. There’s no way Carter will allow Hailey anywhere near Vaughn again. He might spare his life on her command, but I bet it’ll cost him.
What wouldn’t I give to have my Glock right now. I’d turn the cripple into a fucking sieve and spare Carter the moral dilemma.
“I had no choice,” Vaughn rasps, his hands shaking just as much as his voice. “I swear, if there was any other way—”
“No choice, huh?” Koby scoffs. “I think I heard that one before.” He takes a threatening step forward, both fists clenched. “Whatever your excuse, don’t fucking bother. Carter’s going to kill you either way.”
I’d gladly do it for him, but a small, rational part of me knows that if—and that’s a big if given he’s Hailey’s father—Vaughn just earned a death sentence, Carter wouldn’t be pleased if I robbed him of the privilege.
“Who’s her daughter ?” Ryder asks, analytical as always.
Blaze chuckles beside Octavius, the triumph on his face clearly visible. “Bianca Davis. Vaughn’s late wife’s illegitimate daughter.”
My brows meet in the middle. What the actual fuck?
While I’m processing the abstract information, Ryder’s clicking, probably X-raying Bianca through and through to confirm Vaughn’s story.
“Hailey has a sister?” Koby asks, snatching the words from my mouth.
“Half-sister,” Vaughn corrects. “I didn’t know about her until she showed up at my doorstep a few weeks after my accident. My wife... she had Bianca young, in secret, just a year before we met... She was in a bad place; Bianca’s father wasn’t around and—”
“Spare me the sob story,” I snap, not at all concerned with how and why Hailey’s half-sister ended up getting adopted. “Where has Bianca been all these years? And what does she have to do with this ?” I gesture around the room, encompassing the shit show.
“I told you I’ve been keeping tabs on Blaze,” Vaughn says, straightening in his chair. “The truth is, he was keeping tabs on me and once Bianca and I became close, he saw an opportunity.”
“ Why did you become close? She’s not your daughter, Hailey is.”
“Bianca’s... she’s just like my wife. So easy to love.”
That explains it. Knowing how much Vaughn clung to his wife, what he sacrificed trying to cure her cancer, it doesn’t surprise me that he took to Bianca—another connection to his late wife—instantly.
“She didn’t know she was adopted,” Vaughn continues. “Until her grieving father told her the truth after her mother passed away last December. She started looking for her biological mother but found an obituary instead and reached out to me.”
“She’s just like her...” he whispers, confirming my theory. “So full of life, always smiling.” He clears his throat, meeting my eyes again. “Carter doesn’t let me see Hailey much—”
“So you replaced one daughter with another?” Ryder asks in a mocking voice. “You have issues, old man.”
The bloodthirsty beast inside me roars with the need to take revenge and hurt the man who’s threatened Violet and Hailey’s safety. Carter should’ve let him bleed out all those months ago. He should’ve put the final bullet in the man himself.
But he didn’t, and instead of valuing the second chance Carter gave him, Vaughn made the same mistake again. He could’ve told Carter about Bianca as soon as she showed up. He should’ve known someone could use her against him. Against Carter.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I really am, but I had no choice. I couldn’t let Blaze kill Bianca like he killed Matthews’ daughter.”
“That wasn’t me,” Blaze denotes, taking a few measured steps to round the table. “Darius disobeyed a direct order to keep both Matthews and his daughter safe. I don’t kill unless I have a reason, Vaughn.”
The bullet he put into Damon’s head begs to differ. Then again, maybe he had a reason I’m not aware of.
“I’m a man of my word,” Blaze continues. “Even though I’d love nothing more than to keep Bianca for myself, I’ll let her go, as agreed.” Another self-indulgent smirk curls his lips. “Unless she decides to stay.”
“She would never ,” Vaughn snaps angling his head toward Octavius, perfectly aware he’s the boss here, not Blaze. Noretto just acts like he’s the king. “I did everything you said. It’s time you hold up your end of the deal.”
Octavius bobs his head, toying with the flash drive between his fingers. “Very well.” He waves me, Koby, and Ryder off. “We’re done here, gentlemen. Time to leave. Give my best to your boss. It’s a shame he couldn’t make it here tonight.”
A blessing, more like it. I doubt he’d stop himself killing Vaughn with his bare hands. He’d regret it as soon as he came back to his senses. Regardless of how much Carter despises Vaughn, he can’t kill him without hurting Hailey. And that’s the one thing he can’t handle.
I turn on my heel without a word and march away, Koby and Ryder hot on my tail. We collect our guns and burst out the door as if we’re being chased. I’m pretty sure we’re all rushing toward the car to keep ourselves from turning back and raining hellfire on Blaze, Grey, and Vaughn.
My chest’s rising and falling as if I’ve run a marathon by the time I take the driver’s seat. The steering wheel takes most of my frustration when I hack at it with both fists, then gouge them into my eyes.
“What a fucking mess,” Koby says, buckling up beside me. “Carter will flip when he finds out.”
Ryder exhales a long breath before slamming the back door closed. “Carter? Imagine Hailey when she realizes she has a sister.”
“Fuck. I think I know what we’ll be doing for the foreseeable future.” Koby’s head slaps against the headrest.
“Yeah... catching Bianca.”