24. Leona #2
I kept my voice low and calm. “Is everyone okay in here?”
They lifted their heads. Trails of tears tracked through their makeup. “Who are you?” one asked.
“I’m Leona,” I said. “I’m a friend of Max. He’s right outside, and we came to help. Do you want to see?”
Slowly, they stood up one by one. They followed me out of the tiny break room, and a few rushed over to him as soon as they saw Max. One gave him a huge hug, thanking him for coming. She must have been the one who contacted him.
Once they were free of the office, Obi and Cas entered so they could inspect the vault. It only took a few moments before they exited, shaking their heads.
“The money is gone,” Cas confirmed.
“Fuck.” Max’s jaw was tight before he let out a sigh and turned to the waitresses. “I’m glad you’re all safe. Is anyone hurt?”
The one who hugged him shook her head. “No, we hid in there once they took the money.” She put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Max. We should have fought harder.”
He rubbed his eyes. “No, it’s my fault. I should have had more men here. I could have prevented this.”
I bit the inside of my cheek while I exchanged a look with Cas. Something inside my chest twisted at Max’s look of guilt and shame, but I had nothing to say.
Another waitress shuffled forward. Her fingers trembled where they wrapped around her middle and clutched her elbows. “I want to go. Can we leave?”
Max nodded tightly. “Yeah, get out of here while you can. I’m sorry.”
The five of them quickly grabbed their things from the office and scurried away while the rest of us looked around and wondered what to do next. We still had to take the bouncers to the hospital, but was there anything to salvage here?
I was just about to ask when my phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it from my jeans and instantly recognized the number. Obi watched carefully as I put the phone to my ear.
“Piero,” I greeted. Max’s head snapped up. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Signorina,” his smooth voice came from the other side. “I enjoyed your pictures the other day. How are my guns treating you?”
“Excellent,” I said. “Can’t wait to kill more of your men with them. How’s our money?”
His easy laugh sent chills down my spine. “A welcome addition to my coffers. I’m sure I’ll put it to good use. Are you still at the casino?”
My eyes narrowed as I looked around. Cas and Ryu had wandered around the overturned poker tables, talking in low voices to one another. Ciel and Wynn inspected the vault while Ciel typed on his tablet. Obi stood next to me.
All seemed quiet. Everyone was accounted for, but the back of my neck prickled with unease. Somehow I got the feeling he was watching. Waiting in the dark.
“You know I am.”
“I’ll give you one last chance, then.”
“For what?”
“Turn Maximiliano over to me,” he said. “I’ll even return your money.”
Max wiped his face with the sleeve of his dark henley. Even though none of them could hear Greco’s demand, it was like they all knew. Everyone turned to look at him.
“I’ll give you my final answer,” I replied to Greco. “No.”
Max took a step forward with his arm slightly raised, like he were reaching for me, before he let it drop to his side.
“Uhh, guys?” Ryu said from where he and Cas now stood by the front door. “I think we have a problem.”
“What?” Obi asked, while I held my hand over the phone so Greco couldn’t hear.
Greco sighed. “I am disappointed, signorina. I thought better of you than this.”
“I don’t really care, Greco,” I said as I stalked to the door at the front. The faint sound of sirens echoed down the street. “Your approval means nothing to me.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I despised your father. He never had the bravery or the pride to stand up to me, but I could always tell that he was working against me in the background. He jostled for his own power, and it ended up being the death of him. Are you sure you want to make the same foolish choices?”
“Different choices for different reasons,” I said while I watched Ciel fiddle with his tablet.
Meanwhile, I grabbed the man with the shoulder injury and yanked him to his feet. Ryu pulled up the first bouncer. “Time to go,” Ryu whispered. “Think you can hobble to the clinic? Two blocks to the south.”
With wide eyes, they looked down at the guy’s leg. They both swallowed in trepidation, but they had little choice.
“Get out of here,” I hissed, hand over the phone, while Ryu ushered them to the door.
“Signorina,” Greco said in my ear. “When you lay dying—and rest assured, you will not reach the end of this war alive—I want you to remember how many opportunities I gave you.”
“When I kill you, I hope you’ll do the same.”
He smirked. “Ah, but to do that, you’ll have to beat me, and it doesn’t look like that will happen.”
The line went dead.
Ciel looked up from his tablet. “The cops are on their way.”
I stared down at my screen and Greco’s number.
“Cops?” Max frowned. “We pay the police force to ignore this block.”
The sirens got even louder until flashing red and blue lights began bouncing off the walls.
“Shit,” Ryu said, slamming the door shut. He started snapping his fingers. “Grab our weapons and our packs. Let’s go.”
“The back exits,” Cas said quickly, grabbing my arm and leading me through the carnage of wrecked furniture.
“Hurry,” Obi urged. “Before they surround the building.”
Cas yanked open the back door, and together we froze. A SWAT team pointed assault rifles in our faces. Uniformed officers waited behind, also with guns raised.
“Drop your weapons!” one SWAT officer shouted.
“Fucking cops,” Cas said, moving to block my body with his own. “What’s the plan, princess? Want to fight?”
Obi and Max came out of the office, weapons drawn. The SWAT team pressed inside the building, walking us backward toward the rest of my men.
“Drop them! Now!” the officer shouted again. “Or we will shoot!”
Shit. Shit, fuck, shit.
“Do it,” I ordered my men. Slowly, I lowered my Hellcat to the ground.
“Hands up!” another shouted. “Now!”
I raised my hands, keeping my eyes locked on the barrels of their guns. Slowly, my men took subtle steps in my direction while cops flooded into the casino and began surrounding us. I swallowed, hearing Greco’s warnings echo in my ears again.
Are you still at the casino?
The wave of cops parted, and five people wearing dark trench coats, instead of uniforms, pushed through the crowd. My blood went cold as I recognized the two at the front. Jack Greer and Farrah Badawi. The same agents who came to Ryuji’s club. The same agents that Samuel said were after us.
“Leona Vero,” Greer sneered, holding up his badge as if I needed the fucking reminder that the FBI was here. “You need to come with us.”
My men huddled close, hackles raised, forming a circle of defense around me. My eyes flicked down to our guns at our feet. If I dove to grab mine, and the guys followed, could we shoot our way free? Could we somehow get out of this alive?
No. We’d be pumped full of bullets before we had a chance.
“Why?” I lifted my chin. “What the fuck do you want?”
You’ll have to beat me, and it doesn’t look like that will happen.
Fuck. This was a setup. Greco played us from the start.
Greer pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt and held them up with a shit-eating grin. “You’re under arrest.”