Page 19 of Own

“I’m sure she’ll manage her disappointment.” I waited for my turn at the bar.

“I’ve got four more,” Lunchbox said, barely moving his lips.

“Two more arriving now. That’s eleven, there were five in here with Peacock stepping in.” Alphabet had tucked his phone into his pocket, but he had a lapel camera in place and he wasphotographing the room and had been since we settled in the casino.

“Find your seats,” a man near the front said. “We will begin in five minutes. Guest lists and menus have been delivered to your tables.”

Guest lists?

I slid a look at Lunchbox. His expression didn’t reflect the grimness in his eyes. Not one drop. But I felt every ounce of the darkness sliding through him.

Guest. List.

“Oh, well,” Alphabet said. “That could be a problem.”

I’d just ordered the wine bottle and turned to see what had snared Alphabet’s attention and locked eyes with Reznik, Captain T. The last time I’d seen him had been five minutes before all hell broke loose.

“You,” he snapped as recognition rippled over his face.

Yeah, why should it be any different today?

Chapter

Eight

ALPHABET

“You still limping, Kelly?” Reznik said in a dark snarl as his gaze traveled past Voodoo to lock on me. Yeah, he wasdefinitelygoing to be a problem.

So many ways we could play this.

So. Many. Ways.

For one long moment, I let my gaze sweep the room. I’d identified and photographed eleven of the targets.

We were waiting on number twelve.

Riveting my attention back to Reznik, I straightened to let the camera on my lapel snap his image. Not that I could forget it. Then again, sometimes you had to see it to believe it particularly when it came to this former captain, dishonorably discharged and disgraced.

“Well, you’re definitely still ugly.”

His dark snarl turned into a smirk just in time for the bartender to set out the twenty thousand dollar bottle of wine. There was timing and then there was timing. Taking a page out of Gracie’s book, I hurled the bottle and took enormous satisfaction out of it colliding with the man’s face.

The nature of the premium glass used for expensive bottles added heft but it still didn’t prevent it from smashing as it slammed into his nose. Pain exploded over his expression along with the wine and he staggered.

Voodoo flipped the table closest to us, sending glasses flying and catching one of Reznik’s guards in the face with the wood. Knives flashed in hands and he sliced his way through the men stampeding toward us.

I yanked the bartender toward me, and relieved him of his gun. A single blow with the weapon knock him out. I aimed low and took out the knees of any security racing toward us. Lunchbox had Reznik up and slammed his head into another table repeatedly.

Marva Duvall—Peacock—and Diamond along with her, were already rushing out the doors as their guards split up. Half came toward us, while the others hustled them out. Voodoo cut through the crowd, lethal, fast, and more than a little reckless.

There was a reason he was the only one who could keep up with Bones in hand-to-hand. Another door opened on the far side of the room.

“Fuck,” I swore as more of our targets sought to escape. I yanked a ball vial out of my inner pocket and threw it. It arced over the room and I shot it. It rained glass and a uv-traceable liquid down on those rushing out.

It was better than nothing, so I headed for the main doors as metal coverings slid down over the windows. Yeah, we weren’t going to be locked in here. I took out the two guards in my way, then smashed open the control panel.

“Time to wrap this gentlemen,” I said, taking control of the doors to hold them open. Voodoo and Lunchbox converged on me with Reznik and two other key bidders in hand. Once out, I let the doors shut and caught up to Suitcase and his men before their elevator could close.

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