Chapter 7
As I pull up my Harley and park it next to the curb, I see his silver SUV standing in front of Finesse.
The rain has finally let up, but the wind is still chilly, to the point where it actually bites into the skin on my face and arms as I make my way over to the man leaning against the side of his car.
Christopher Solo – former sheriff of Riverside County – is not only Jayce and I’s mentor, but he’s also the guy who saved our lives almost two decades ago.
He pulled us out of the mud and made us who we are today, and honestly, I love who I am today.
I’m content with the life I live, the things I do.
And if it wasn’t for the man standing before me, I’d be nothing but a stained memory against the countless others out there.
“I got your texts,” I say by way of greeting as I come to a stop in front of him.
He’s a polished motherfucker, that guy. With pressed black dress pants, a cream shirt tucked inside said black pants, grey hair slicked back, along with a thick stubble to match, he’s as put-together as they come. But then again, he always dresses like this, so tonight shouldn’t be an exception.
He straightens, then moves in to give me a one-armed hug, which I return.
“Christ, Dor,” he mutters, then moves back to give me a scowl. “You smell like pussy.”
I chuckle. “It’s a hard one to resist, trust me,” I tell him. “And so is the woman who owns it.” My thoughts immediately go to Cignette, to the way she’d looked at me; the way she’d felt against me. To the way she’d kissed me, and the way she’d surrendered to me.
The little defiance she’d showed was strategic – because she wanted to see how far I’d push myself, and her, before she finally gave into me.
I like it – this little game of ours. It’s maddeningly addicting, and it keeps me wanting more and more of it.
Solo rolls his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re losing control over a cunt, Dor.
” His blue eyes narrow a little as he assesses me.
“Because you and I both know you’re way better than that.
” He glances down, then behind me, and clicks his tongue.
“She gave you a souvenir as well, it seems,” he muses, speaking of Cignette’s shorts in one of my back pockets.
“Careful,” I warn him, then grit my teeth. “You’re still a man, Solo, even under all those lavish clothes – all flesh and blood and bones.”
He laughs dryly around a shake of his head. “She’s got you real good, hasn’t she?”
I contemplate how to answer that, because truth be told, I don’t know if I have a proper response to that question.
“That’s a TBD kinda situation right now,” I say.
Solo laughs again, and this time, I join him.
What Cignette is doing to me is confusing on multiple levels, but like I said: it is adherent enough that I wanna see where it leads me.
I never said I was mentally sane, did I?
I shove my hands into the front pockets of my jeans and jerk my head at Solo. “So, why’d you wanna meet this late?” I ask him.
“What, now I can’t even meet with my favorite protégé whenever I feel like it?”
I scoff. “If Jayce hears that somehow, he’ll end you before anyone else gets a shot.”
He grins, and it’s so fierce that it makes my veins hum. I know what he’s about to say, and I’m all but high on the anticipation of it.
“We’ve been assigned 3 kills,” he announces. “Maybe Jayce’ll have a little mercy on me when he hears that.”
Fuck yeah.
I match his grin. “You just gave my boner a fucking boost, man,” I say.
His lips twitch. “Thought you’d have already scratched that itch with your…lady.”
“Screw you.”
He chuckles. “She left you to fend for yourself, then. Pity.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “I don’t appreciate you being so interested in her.”
“That so?” He gives me a sharp smirk.
I shake my head. “Just tell me about the task, asswipe.”
“You do realize that I’m quite older than you, don’t you?”
“It hasn’t put you out of business yet, so I don’t think I quite care.”
He snorts and leans back against the driver’s side of his SUV. “Same-night kills,” he begins, then folds his arms in front of himself. “All 3 of them have been accused of trafficking women to remote islands and high-pay buyers around the world for prostitution and slavery.”
My hands clench inside my pockets after I hear that. “And the kidnapped women?”
Solo sighs. “Mostly of Asian descent. Their ages vary from anywhere between 16 to 35.”
“Fucking dipshits,” I hiss.
“I agree.” Solo clicks his tongue again. “Locations for most of these trafficked women have been attained, so all you have to do is end the fuckers.”
I nod. “Names?”
“Andres Salazar, Rizwana Hafeez, and Tomas Aetos.”
All of them are elites, to no one’s surprise.
I rub a hand over my jaw. “Place? I’m assuming there’s a reason why it’s a same-night kill.”
Solo’s eyes gleam as he hums. “Miranda Adler is hosting a charity ball at Imperia this Saturday, and all 3 of our kills have already RSVP’d for it.”
I keep my expression neutral as I look at him, but the way he’s looking back at me, it’s like he’s reading me; seeing right through me.
Imperia is a Michelin Star hotel that both Cignette’s mom, and her uncle, own. It’s just another show of power from those 2; the place could go up in flames and no one would care, not even them.
“A charity ball?” I muse. “Since when does Miranda do those?”
Solo laughs airily. “Since she was advised to do so.” He lifts a shoulder.
“It’s basically a posh ploy to soft-launch her new clothing collection.
She’d recently held an exclusive gathering to promote her casualwear crap, if you remember.
Hosting another one so soon would only irate her peers, so she’s masking this promotional shindig under the guise of charity.
All the influencers and celebrities who are ambassadors for Lure, will be there, so you’ll have quite an audience to evade. ”
“Interesting.” I tilt my head to the right. “Who’s ordered the kills anyway? For someone who wants not 1, but 3 elites dead, our client must be quite special.”
“Oh, Dor,” Solo says, then chuckles. “That’s the best part of it all.
” He pushes away from his car and takes a step toward me.
“Our client is Miranda’s latest boy-toy, Waleed Najimi.
And, before you ask: yes, he’s paying enough for the kills and for the cleanup, and yes, him and his team were the ones who located the trafficked women and learnt of Andres, Rizwana, and Tomas’s involvement in the act.
And finally, yes, he decided to associate himself with Miranda merely to get close to our kills, and nothing more. ”
I whistle. “Bold.”
“And rich as fuck,” Solo adds. “He’s 25, an heir to a petrol and oil company in Abu Dhabi, and respects women way too much to let this pass, not when he knows he can put an end to it.”
“And yet, he’s using a woman to get what he wants,” I point out.
Solo waves a dismissive hand in front of his face. “Miranda Adler can hardly be labeled as a woman, let alone a dignified one.”
“But she’s got the money, the status, and the connections.”
Solo gives me an exasperated look. “It shouldn’t matter to us.”
“I’m just trying to understand shit here.”
He runs his fingers through his styled hair. “Do you have a plan, or what, kid? Because that’s the only thing that matters.”
I nod again. “Varsha’ll get rid of Rizwana first. That way, we’ll get the noisy fuss outta the way. I’ll take on Andres, and Jayce and Alex can work on Tomas.”
Solo looks impressed, as if he’s never seen me device a plan so quickly before. “I like it; you distributed the kills precisely.”
I give him a quick wink. “You’ve taught me well.”
He grins. “That, I have.” He points a finger at me. “Get that navy suit ready. I think you look very distinguished in it. When you’re killing snobs, Dor, you gotta do it with a flair of formality.”
“Don’t I know that?” I quip.
“Doesn’t hurt to refresh your memory, especially after seeing you so pussy-drunk earlier.”
I tip my head back and laugh out loud. “You’re such a dipshit,” I tell him.
He gives me a two-finger salute. “Gotta maintain that reputation somehow.”
“Just go before I clock you in the head, Chris.”
He chuckles as he turns and gets into his car. He stops before shutting the driver’s side door, though, and looks at me. “I’ll see you on Saturday. And, if you or the crew decide to alternate the plan, then shoot me a text. I need your A-game on this, Dor, you hear me?”
I incline my head at him as I start walking backwards. “Loud and clear, boss. I’ve got it.” With that, I pivot on my feet and start walking towards Finesse, just as Solo revs up his engine and speeds away.
I’m not going to tell Cignette about the kills, obviously, but because I’m going to be undertaking them at her mom’s party – I mean, charity
ball – there’s a strong chance that her and I will cross paths. It will definitely be interesting to see how my Little Swan reacts when she sees me in my element, or how my mind’ll behave with her in such close proximity to me.
Either way, I’m fucked, and fucked for good.