Page 9 of Dangerous Games

“That’s a very bad decision, Jimmy. First of all, you have no idea where I have her. Second of all, you have no idea who I have on my payroll. Third of all, you’re likely to end up finding yourself wearing cement boots. I don’t play around.” I finish the whiskey and walk back to the liquor cabinet across the room and refill my glass. Jimmy is silent, so I remind him: “You work for me. And you do the job or maybe I keep your sister forever. Maybe not. Maybe she dies.”

“Dammit, Dominic.”

“What do you have?” With my cup refreshed, I walk back to my desk and sit down. I watch the monitor while Jimmy rambles off some useless facts. Nanette is lying down on the bed now, curled up under the blanket. She’s not moving, so I assume she is sleeping or at least feeling the effects of the tea. When I’ve had enough of the incessant chatter, I cut Jimmy off. “Enough. Just tell me the shit I want to know.”

He takes a deep breath and says, “The hit is going down soon. The man who was hired to kill you is named Alessandro Conti. Italian, notorious hitman, bad news.”

The name chills me and curdles my blood. I know the man well. Too well. It’s a surreal feeling, hearing that name in conjunction with a plot to end my life, given the fact that he was at the heart of how my mother died. Why she died… I squeeze the glass so hard it cracks, and before I shatter it, I set it down.

“Conti? Who put him up to it? How?” My mind reels with the information. If Conti isn’t behind it, I’ll be surprised, though Sven and I both know there is someone inside calling the shots too. It’s possible he’s gotten to someone, paid them off, offered something my father and I haven’t offered. But who?

“No clue, Dom. I’m following the money. That offshore account was an alias this man uses, and he’s really bad news. Like very very scary. He never makes a mistake, never misses his mark. If I were you, I’d beef up security.” Jimmy is scared. Of course, he’s scared. He’s a pussy with a gun. Yes, pusillanimous is the exact word I would use to describe Jimmy Slater when it comes to anything mob related. But he is still the right man for the job. The only one who can weed out this mole without tipping anyone off.

“If you can follow the money to the man who is being paid, you can follow it back upstream to the account that sent it to him. Do it now. I need answers.” I hang up on him before my rage can betray me, and my eye wanders back to Nanette who still hasn’t moved.

Whatever this familial bond is that Jimmy and Nanette have, it goes beyond even the one I have with my brothers. We’re blood, and we’re close too, but we aren’t that close. None of my siblings would cross someone like me to save me; of course, none of my siblings would find themselves in the same situation Jimmy is in—in my crosshairs. Still, family only means something until your blood is on the line; then you protect yourself first, and family second. Otherwise, who will lead when you’re gone?

Jimmy doesn’t seem to understand that Nanette’s existence depends on him doing his job. Nanette, however, seems to be getting it slowly. At least she didn’t make a break for it when the door was open. She didn’t even go back to the door after Mika left to see if it was unlocked. I instructed Mika to put the key in the lock and engage it, then disengage it. I wanted to test Nanette—see if she’d crack when given an opportunity.

She didn’t.

Sighing, I unlock my phone again and call Red. He’s family, but distant. He’s also the only other person I can trust, though he’s not the type to pull in on a job like this. I won’t risk his life like that, but he can definitely help me with some fact searching.

“Yo, Dom, what’s up, buddy?” He sounds happy. There is loud music playing in the background and I picture him with a few women on his lap at the nightclub.

“Red, I need information.” I drink my Scotch and wait as I hear the music fading. Red is leaving the party, a wise play considering my temper tonight. But I have a soft spot for Red because he was there for me when Mom died.

“Anything, Dom. Just say the word.” The music is all but gone now, faded like a ghost in the night. And Red’s attention is on me.

“Nanette Elaine Slater—I need everything you have on her, as fast as possible.” I stare at the monitor as she tosses. Her sleep is fraught with nightmares. It’s a clue into what torment she’s lived through, but I need real details, not symptoms of her internalized trauma she refuses to open up about.

“Got it… Anything in particular you’re looking for?”

“Yeah, everything. I want to know where she takes every shit, you got it? And don’t keep me waiting. I have my eye on her.”

“Ah, I see. Dom has a new plaything,” Red says, chuckling. “I’ll even pull up her medical charts. I got you covered, buddy.”

“Thanks, Red. Can you have that for me tonight?” One more sip and my Scotch is gone, and I’m feeling buzzed. If only I had called Red the instant I got her back here, I’d be in that room with her now instead of drinking away my urges.

“Give me an hour.”

“I’ll be waiting,” I tell him, hanging up. Wait an hour for that priceless piece of ass? Of course.

6

NANETTE

Istir, sleep still heavy in my eyes. I should feel rested, but I don’t. I feel hungover, as if I drank a bottle of tequila last night, but all I remember is the most delicious tea and cookies made by Mika. She is a sweet woman. I make a mental note to thank her for the snack next time I see her as I rub my eyes and blink them open. Sunlight streams in the window, casting a beam onto the carpet next to the bed.

For a moment I’m confused. This isn’t the same room I fell asleep in, or at least, not in the same state as the way I left it. I sit up, the blanket falling off my shoulder. It’s chilly, but not cold. I look around the room and see things exactly as they were when I was first locked in here. The nightstand has been righted, but the lamp is different. Maybe the other one broke when I tossed it. There is no clothing on the floor, no shoes. The dresser drawers are back in their correct places; the tea tray is gone.

Someone has been in my room while I was sleeping, and it unnerves me. I slip my feet off the side of the bed, scooting to the edge, and as the blanket falls more, I realize I’m also wearing only my panties. The t-shirt given to me by Mika last night is no longer on my body. It makes me shudder in horror wondering what happened. How did someone get into my room, clean the whole thing, take my t-shirt, and not wake me? “What was in that tea?” I ask myself aloud, rubbing my head.

“A sleep aid.” Dominic’s voice makes me freeze. My body instantly grows a crop of goosebumps, and my nipples go hard. I jerk the sheet up around myself and turn frantically to see him seated in a chair by the door, a chair he brought in at some point.

“How the hell did you get in here? What do you want? Why are you here?” I scoot back onto the bed, keeping myself covered. “You drugged me? You need to leave.” My palms instantly grow sweaty, my heart racing. Was it him who undressed me?

“I thought you could use some help sleeping. You seemed to be a bit restless all day.” He sits upright, folding his hands in his lap. One leg is crossed over the other, but he still wears the same black suit and tie. I wonder if he has even slept. He eyes me like I’m his breakfast, and I clutch the sheet around myself more tightly. “Get out. I need to get dressed.”

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