Chapter 22
“Gav, wait up.” I turn to see Rowan running after us. But I don’t stop. “Gavin. I want to talk to you.”
I open the door of the Bronco and place a very sleepy Lola in the back seat. Andie slides in behind her as she glances over my shoulder at Rowan, then at me questioningly.
For a moment, I consider shutting the door and keeping her out of whatever Rowan has to say. But she’s already in this deep.
“If you’re here to tell me to give the alliance a chance?—”
“I’m not,” he cuts me off. He scans our surroundings. Then, he leans in and in a hushed voice says, “But I am here to offer help.”
Frowning, I ask, “How?”
Again, he looks around. When he spots Damian heading our way, he quickly says, “Come stay with Lou and me.”
“We’ve already been traveling all night.”
He shrugs. “So what’s four more hours?”
A few more hours in a car? My ankle pounds in painful protest.
I rub the back of my neck with my palm. “Luca will disown you if he finds out.”
“Didn’t you see, he already has. Besides, I don’t answer to him in Boston.”
“Let’s do it,” Andie says, turning to see Lola half asleep already. “We need somewhere safe to really rest. And I don’t feel safe here. Not if you don’t.”
“Come, stay a night or two. Listen to what I have to say, and if you choose not to accept my help, at least you’ll have time to regroup. But…” Rowan’s blue eyes intensify. “There’s just one condition.”
“What?”
“That you consider my home neutral ground. If you don’t like what I have to offer, you will leave peacefully.”
* * *
It’s late afternoon by the time we arrive in Boston. Had I not been told that Rowan married Louisa Duran, the daughter of his rival, I would have been surprised when we pulled up to the house in enemy territory. But I’m so tired, I’m not sure I would have cared.
A pretty woman with short black curls steps out of the giant Victorian, accompanied by an older woman.
“Gav, this is my wife, Lou, and her mother, Diana.”
“She must be exhausted.” Diana runs her hand over Lola’s cheek.
“We’ve been traveling for a bit,” Andie says. “We’re not used to that.”
“Would you like some ice cream in my garden?” She takes Lola’s hand from mine, and I fight the urge not to let her go.
“It’s okay,” Lou tells me. “She’s safe here.”
“I know.”
“Is there somewhere I can freshen up,” Andie asks her.
“I have a room ready for you.” We follow her into the main foyer, where a curved staircase goes up three levels. “I hope you don’t mind staying at my parent’s house. Ours in under repair.”
“Not at all,” Andie says. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Gavin,” Rowan calls when I try to follow them up. “Not yet. First, I need you to meet someone.”
“I’ll be okay,” Andie tells me over her shoulder.
Sighing, partly because I hate taking my eyes off her, and partly because I’d like to go up to bed too, I nod.
Rowan takes me through the foyer, to a hall that leads to the kitchen. Sitting in the breakfast nook, dressed in a tailored suit that looks too stiff for such a casual place, is a dark-haired man.
I instantly recognize him. Now I understand why Rowan made me swear to a truce when he brought me here.
The man inclines his head and grins. “Hello, Gavin. I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. My name is Gideon Black.”
Rowan’s plan to help me regain control of the casino is none other than his brother. The Ferryman.
“Traitor,” I hiss at Rowan and lunge for him. Before I can reach him, I’m tackled by two men I hadn’t noticed. They pin me to the floor, each holding one of my arms.
“I’m not a traitor, Gavin.” He lifts his hands, palms down, in a placating manner. “And you swore you’d hear me out.”
“Gideon is the one that attacked my club!”
“Are you so sure about that?” Gideon is watching me with clear amusement in his silver eyes. Damn, now that I have both him and Rowan in the room, I can really tell they’re brothers.
His words suddenly penetrate the rage of betrayal that’s clouded my brain. Am I sure that it was Gideon? Or have I simply assumed it because it was the most plausible explanation.
“I saw your picture,” I accuse. “You were across the street.”
“But was I in your building?”
No, he wasn’t.
“Think, Gav-Gav. Who else could possibly want something from you that’s had access recently.”
I do think. And hard. “Johnny Rusk.”
He shakes his head. “Try again.”
I grind my teeth. He’s enjoying making me guess. I’m about to tell him to fuck off when it hits me. “Marco Tadesco.”
“Bingo!” Gideon winks. “It seems at my level of infamy; I don’t need to lift a finger. The copycats do all the work for me. First, it was Tony Sinacore being taken out by his uncle, a la Ferryman. Then, it was Renzo Gianni offed by Noah. Did you know that wasn’t Scar’s handiwork either? I mean, she was going to kill him, but still…”
“Gianni business isn’t my business,” I say. But yes, I knew Noah was the one that killed his cousin.
I turn to Rowan. “Luca was right not to trust you. Guess he knew in the end you’d switch sides.”
“Until today, I hadn’t. I’d only decided to protect my brother.” A small smile paints across his lips. “Luca has been spying on me. He’s got men posted all around Boston. I wanted to be there for the alliance, but Luca isn’t holding his end of the deal. You were there for him. He’s not there for you.”
“Now that we know where we stand, shall we chat?” Gideon indicates the chair across from him.
I’m released, but I still shrug off the feeling of the men’s meaty hands on me. I scan the room for the first time, noticing that the guards that held me down aren’t the only ones. There are at least five others in the kitchen with us. And just outside the window, I spot three more.
Of course, I should have expected the house to be secured. But out of everyone I expect to see, there is one person missing.
“Where’s your sidekick?” I ask Gideon.
“My sidekick?” he asks, amused.
“Scarlet.”
“Ah. She’s on an assignment. But I’ll tell her you send your regards.”
“Please do,” I reply sarcastically. The female assassin could be in burning in Hell for all I care.
Begrudgingly, I sit with the man I’ve considered an enemy for months. Rowan joins us.
“You have an offer for me,” I say to Gideon.
“I do. The Red is impenetrable. At least it was until Marco figured out a way. I don’t think he’s that smart, so he must have had help from the inside. Someone that knows your systems.”
“Yes.” I agree. That’s the only explanation.
“Which means, we need to get inside too.”
“Exactly.”
“You know everything about that building.” He pushes a blue folder in front of me. “Show me what’s missing.”
I open the folder to find the blueprints for the casino. They’re detailed, as much as I allowed them to be when it was first built. But it’s missing a few key elements. Hallways and tunnels meant for my personal use. Or escape, if the need ever arose.
“If I do that, what will you do?” I ask.
“Give you men. Weapons. Whatever you need to get in. I’ll provide support until you make sense of whatever mess is going on in there. Who you can trust.”
“Why?” I lift my gaze from the blue prints. “I’m on your hit list. Why help me?”
He smiles and leans back, smoothing the fabric of his coat. “Sean Murphy was there when my father was murdered.”
“I’m aware of that. I’ve done my research.”
“So have I. And I’ve learned a lot about you, little Gav-Gav. I know about the house and the mortgage you took out on it and how you invested that money into The Red. But when I did the calculations of his investment versus the profit you’ve made, it tipped the scales in your favor.”
“Mmm. Lucky me.”
“It’s a good offer, Gavin,” Rowan says. “Accept it.”
“I haven’t heard the other side yet. You’ve only told me what you’re willing to do for me. But what is it you want me to do for you?”
“I’ll help you in exchange for one little favor.” He makes the universal sign for small, bringing his forefinger and thumb close together. “Once you have The Red back, I want you to keep something for me. It’s so tiny, you won’t even know it’s there.”
“What is it?”
His grin widens. “Did I say it. My bad. I meant she.”