9. Vortex #2
I sigh. “The Lockwoods won’t have to know I came here to talk to you — unless you decide to tell them,” I say, resigned to the fact that anything she knows is minimal at best.
I don’t want to tell her the truth.
A female Lockwood agent, too young to be Abigail Lockwood herself. I can up security at the casino, but it’d be impossible to ban anyone matching that description. I’ll tell casino security to stay on guard, but there’s not much else I can do.
I place my hand on Erica’s shoulder, and she tenses up.
“I don’t have to stress how important your cooperation is to your continued well-being. The Spades do not like people who interrupt their business,” I say ominously.
Erica nods. “Yes, you’ve made that clear.”
“If the Lockwoods reach out to you again, you’ll let us know.” I give her a nasty grin. “I know you know how to get in touch with the Spades.”
She shudders but nods. “Understood.”
“Good.” I glance at her phone, then reach down to pick it up. I offer it to her. “We really don’t want to meet again, Ms. Reese,” I tell her. I wait for her to nod and take the phone with a trembling hand, then I turn.
There’s a chance she’ll call the cops. There’s a chance she’ll call the Lockwoods.
I don’t think she will.
Here’s hoping I’m not wrong.
I let myself out of her apartment, heading back downstairs. Agitation is coursing through me that I put us all at risk for something that didn’t even pan out, and I understand Havoc’s need to punch something when it all feels like everything is going wrong.
I get into the passenger side of my SUV with a heavy sigh, shaking my head. “They told her Seven was a runaway, though I doubt she believed it. All she knows is that they’re setting up shop ‘somewhere in the state.’” I grimace. “And there’s a Lockwood agent in town, but we knew that.”
Havoc groans loudly. “Tell me that you at least got revenge for how she spooked Seven.”
“I did not,” I reply. “The most I can hope for is that we don’t have to bribe the cops to look the other way, and that she won’t want to piss off the Lockwoods by having them find out she talked.” I sigh, thoroughly frustrated. “I was hoping this would be the lead we needed.”
Havoc pulls the car out onto traffic, causing somebody behind us to honk. “Aren’t you Caleb’s hired goon? Just… do something to her. That’s what you’re paid for, right?”
I scoff at him. “I’m muscle, not an assassin,” I tell him, even though that’s not strictly true.
I’ve killed for him, for his family, before.
I don’t regret it. Caleb gave me opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
But death isn’t always the answer, and neither is outright violence when a few threats can do the trick.
Havoc drives in silence. It shouldn’t be a long drive back to the casino, but we end up trapped in late rush hour traffic. Havoc curses and looks around, but there’s no way for him to pass anyone.
“Don’t crash my car,” I grumble.
“Yeah, yeah.” Havoc grips the steering wheel tighter. “How’d you get started? With Caleb. He’s an okay guy, I guess, but you do a lot for him.”
The question takes me off guard. We aren’t the types to have serious conversations about anything but Seven. But there’s no sense in lying. It’s never really been a secret, for all that I don’t talk about it very much.
“My parents died when I was young,” I say slowly.
“I didn’t want Connie to end up in foster care or anything, so I was determined to take care of her myself.
It meant a minimum wage job making peanuts, and it meant that I was angry all the damn time about it.
” I let out a rueful laugh. “I kept getting into fights.”
Havoc side-eyes me. “ You ? You’re always calm and in control. Not like Caleb, but you aren’t… uh, you aren’t me.”
“Surprise,” I say, my voice dry. “I get it, Havoc. I was pissed at the world, and it meant I did some stupid shit. I got involved with a gang, and that did not turn out well. I was in over my head when I ended up running into the Spades. I’m still not sure whether I found them or they found me, honestly, and I’ve never asked. ”
The Spades had welcomed me into their Family, even though I’d been just as volatile as Havoc in a lot of ways.
“Sounds like me and the Diamantes,” Havoc says. “They seemed really cool to me when I was a teenager. When I got kicked out of the military, they were the only people still willing to talk to me.” He curses in Spanish. “Fuck them, though. I’d take Caleb any day over…”
I look at him, just as curious about him as he seems to be about me. “How’d you get out?” I ask.
“I was never officially part of the gang. I mostly hung out with them without doing business for them.” Havoc shrugs. “And I pissed off one of the higher ups, so he was happy to see me fuck off.”
At least he let Havoc fuck off instead of the alternative.
“Then blackjack?” I guess. “And Caleb?”
“Yeah, basically. I did play blackjack at the Palacio Diamante, but I wasn’t as desperate for cash.” Havoc lets out a bitter laugh. “The Step Asshole started getting more pissed off with me being back home.”
I don’t know much about Havoc’s stepfather, but I’m pretty sure Havoc’s temper is under control in comparison.
I hate that for him — and for his mother.
I fall silent, unsure what to say to that.
It’s not like I’m the best person to talk to about things like this.
I’ve spent most of my life avoiding these thoughts.
“He seems like a real gem,” I say carefully. “It’s good you got out.”
“My mom hasn’t,” Havoc mumbles. “But never mind me. Weren’t we talking about you? How come Connie is all, uh, y’know. Into the MLM crap.”
I’d been relieved to swap topics to Havoc instead of focusing on myself, but I get that he doesn’t want to talk about himself any more than I want to talk about my own issues .
I grimace. “I guess I fucked up,” I say, my voice more bitter than I’d expected.
“I don’t even know. I took care of her, of everything, and I made sure she didn’t have to worry about anything.
But then she finished with high school, and she was determined to make something of herself on her own.
Which is great, except one of those companies preyed on her and made her think she could get rich. ”
I hesitate, but Havoc gives me time to continue instead of saying anything.
“She wanted to pay me back,” I admit quietly. “She thought she owed me for all I’d done for her. I think. She’s never said it in those words, but she’s said things that make me think it’s the case.”
Not that it stops her from asking me for money now.
“Man, fuck those companies,” Havoc says harshly. “They tried to get my mom, too. One good thing Marcus did—he refused to pay for their snake oil crap. But the way they talked, in Spanish , trying to sell dreams of being independent and raking in cash…”
“Yeah. Connie’s on her fourth or fifth one now.
The first one was essential oils, then there was make-up, I think she sold supplemental pills once, and now we’re on ugly fashion.
” I sigh. “I keep trying to talk her into doing something less predatory, but she rants about not wanting to become a ‘wage slave’ to ‘the man.’ She hates Caleb.”
She doesn’t want to earn his money, but she doesn’t mind taking it from me, which is something I’m well aware of. It’s apparently something I have more negative thoughts about than I’d realized, too, because it makes my mood darken.
“Is she wrong? You did just go to a woman’s home, break in, and threaten her.” Havoc laughs. “I’m not judging. I’d do worse to anyone who hurts Seven. But I’m just saying. Working for Caleb isn’t exactly good .”
“No, it’s not,” I say. I can admit that much to myself, at least. “There are legit jobs, but mine straddles that line. It’s changed since Seven. Less cleanup, more stuff actually at the hotel. This is the first time in a while I’ve done something like this.”
Traffic picks up enough that Havoc can finally drive more smoothly.
“Guess I should be glad Caleb uses me as his chore monkey instead.” Havoc turns onto the main street that’ll take us back to the casino. “Y’know, Leon was the first time I had to… uh, dispose of a body.”
I watch him, trying to discern his reaction to that.
At least Leon wasn’t someone remotely innocent, but I don’t know how much that matters to him.
“Hopefully it’ll be the last,” I say. “I…” I hesitate, not sure if I want to actually say what’s going through my mind.
In the end, I ask, “What do you really think about that?”
“I wasn’t sorry to see that asshole go. I’m only sorry Seven had to do it.” Havoc gives me a strange smile. “I’m proud of him, but I don’t want him going down that path, y’know?”
I nod. “I worry about him enough as it is,” I confess. “I’m glad he defended himself. It makes me worry less that he’ll try to go back to them if he gets a chance.”
“Yeah. And you’ve seen it, right? His budding muscles?” Havoc asks. “There are biceps hidden under his spindly little arms. We’ll get him ready to defend himself in any situation.”
He’s still so small, and I know that if it came down to a real fight, someone bigger would have an advantage. “We need to work on his speed and reflexes.” If he’s fast enough, they wouldn’t have a chance at catching him to pin him down to begin with.
“I’ve got him doing cardio and weight-lifting too. And I’ve been throwing in some judo techniques as well. Use the enemy’s body against them, etc.” Havoc continues talking about Seven’s training regimens, and I throw in some ideas, which annoys Havoc.
The conversation lasts all the way back to the hotel’s parking garage.
“Dibs on Seven,” Havoc says as he gets out of the car.
I roll my eyes. “Not if I get to him first.” I flash Havoc a lopsided grin.
“I’m sure Seven will choose me,” Havoc counters with a laugh. “Hey, if Caleb’s around, maybe you can snuggle with him. Since you’re all buddy-buddy.”
“He’d want to be the big spoon,” I say, deadpan. “It would never work.”
“I don’t know, you might look good on your knees while he whips you.” Havoc shakes his head. “If Caleb is there, we definitely won’t get Seven to ourselves.”
I look curiously at him. “No?” I consider. “Does that bother you?” I don’t think it bothers me that Seven and Caleb have a special bond, but I’ve never analyzed that before.
“Nah. And Caleb knows how to run really hot scenes.” Havoc shrugs and stops in front of the elevator. “Maybe that means I’d take Caleb over you.” He snickers loudly. “You’re definitely the worst at sex.”
Chuckling, I reply, “I’ll just have to keep Seven company while the two of you are busy, then.” I wonder what would happen if something did happen between the three of us. I don’t think it would, but I have no idea how Seven would react, so it’s probably a good idea we’re never going to find out.
The elevator arrives, and we step inside of it. I face Havoc. “Thanks for playing getaway driver,” I tell him. “Even if your driving did suck.”
I feel better for our conversation, somehow. Even though we don’t have to get along, I know it’s better for Seven if we do.
And I would do anything, anything at all, for Seven.