Page 4 of Rivals & Revenge

All that is, except for four owned by Scotty boy here. I was certain he was using them to launder money with what he charges for those shit hole apartments.

“The ask.” I said curtly. He had knocked me off balance, that I could admit. There was no point playing it coy. Three and a half years trying to buy those tracts. He knew exactly how badly I wanted them.

He picked at his fingers nervously, his eyes darting around my office, landing on anything but me. Odd behavior for someone who came into this negotiation in a position of power. “I don’t want to step on any toes here, but I am planning to throw my hat in the ring once the mayor retires next term and I would appreciate your support. I—in fact, I would be willing to give you those lands in exchange for your support.”

I scoffed. “A politician.” Richardson had always come off slimy and soulless. I guess I just hadn’t connected those particular dots. “Suits you.”

My phone chirped in my pocket.

“1”

A slow smile spread across my face as I pocketed my phone. I wasn’t expecting another job this quickly, but you bet your sweet ass I was going to beat her to this one.

“Thank you.” He sputtered, his insipid voice pulling me from my happy place. “I’ve always wanted to serve the people and—”

“Not what I meant.” I said, rising from my seat dismissively.

“Have your people draw up the contract. I expect to pay thirty percent below market and Scotty,” I said, my eyes locked on his, no trace of the humor and sarcasm that normally laced our conversations. “I expect my investment to pay dividends.”

He nodded, his head bobbing rapidly.

“Two weeks. I expect to have the contract ready in two weeks and close two weeks after that.”

His eyes went wide. I had lost count of the number of times his mouth had hung open in that unattractive way of his.

“Before you say anything. I don’t care if it’s possible. You want my support? Get it done.”

“Now, if you don’t mind, there is an urgent matter I must attend to.” I said, quickly ushering him out of my office.

It was time to hunt.

Chapter 3

TIERNEY

Three hours. Three fucking hours I had been waiting in this bell tower.

It had only taken minutes to get set up this morning. Using the stones as footholds, I’d quickly scaled the side of the tower and tucked myself behind the decorative scrollwork that surrounded the fifty carillon bells, long before the first parishioners arrived for morning mass.

It was a tight squeeze snaking my body through the wrought iron bars, but the timeline was even tighter. I would have three minutes between the moment he would appear and the next moment the bells would toll.

Even with ear protection, there was no guarantee I wouldn’t lose my hearing if the bells went off while I was still up here. Take the shot and get the hell outta Dodge.

The money I paid for this dude’s itinerary was worth every penny. Further proof that loyalty meant absolutely nothing in this world.

Day three of his visit to our lovely city and he hadn’t deviated from it for a split second. If he held up for another few minutes, it might just be the easiest money I’d ever earned.

I leaned back, resting my head against the cold stone while I waited him out. This morning was far too cold for early October, but the memory of the white rose draped elegantly across the lamppost in front of my house three weeks ago had lit a fire inside me strong enough to keep me from complaining about the weather.

“There’s no way that bastard is taking two in a row from me.” I scoffed internally as I eased myself down into position.

There were better perches, taller buildings, more obvious spots to shoot from. Which is exactly why I loved my little hide in the tower. More obvious, meant more likely to get caught. A better perch probably made the security guard’s checklist.

My little limestone church with stained-glass windows under sweeping archways, depicting the six days of creation, looked so innocent and quaint that it felt like a sin to check that pesky three-story bell tower for little old me.

Noticing movement, I looked through the sight. An older lady with fluffy blue hair stopped right in my line of sight, exactly on my mark.

“Come on, lady. Move. It’s not your time yet.” I whispered to myself.

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