Page 37 of Dangerous Deviance
“Not without killing him.”
I rubbed my forehead. It was possible to kill Muro, I had no doubt about that. But it wasn’t as simple as sending Axe or another enforcer. Muro was a boss and had protection that was unknown, at this point, but undoubtedly vast.
“Muro doesn’t care about an alliance one way or another,” I said. Derek nodded. I thought about Muro’s headquarters. They seemed minimal—the white walls, white furniture, everything bare and empty, as if there was no reason to draw attention to any of it, except for the fact that it was stark. But that didn’t mean anything. Seeing the sheer size of the place and the particularly arranged structure meant that he likely had an army packed inside, waiting to protect him.
“You think the murders in the woods are connected to him?” I asked. “The women?”
My subtext: Ellie?
“The way he acted just now?” Derek asked. I nodded, and he shook his head. “He’s dealing with other shit. Not just us. And honestly, it doesn’t make sense.” He tapped a fist against his lips. “Why not send a message, one that’s loud and clear? Not the silent deaths of our men, but claiming it, actually claiming it, to show us that he meant war? And the women?” Derek shrugged. “Axe said the second one hasn’t spoken since he took her to the workroom.”
Well, the reasoning behind that was obvious. “She’s been caged, for fuck’s sake.”
“Yeah, but you know. For Axe, he’s taking pretty damn good care of her.”
That wasn’t saying much, but still, it was better than the alternative.
“Any word from Ellie?” Derek asked.
“Kiley called. Said Ellie used to practice martial arts at a women’s gym, or club. Something like that,” I said.
Derek laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me.” He must have been thinking about the first night we met when she kneed me in the stomach.
I grinned. “She knows her place now.”
“I figured.” Derek stood and I did too. “I don’t know what to think of this.” He ran his hands through his hair. “If it’s all Midnight Miles Corporation, then we only have one enemy to deal with. But if it’s someone else, someone new?” He squeezed his fists tight. “I don’t know what’s worse.”
I didn’t know either. Neither of the options were particularly good news for us. But if I could help Ellie figure out what was going on, maybe we could get closer to finding that answer. Then, we could make a plan.
“Ellie is the key,” I said.
Derek nodded. “When you figure it out, let me know. I’m going to talk to Gerard,” he said.
“Let me know too.”
I walked him out, gave my men instructions, then went back to the penthouse.
***
This time, when I entered, Ellie was sitting next to the fireplace between the front room and the kitchen. It almost startled me. Hearing me, she turned and smiled. I stood still. It was the first smile she had given me, probably ever. It was hard not to smile back.
I took a seat beside her.
“How was work?” she asked.
I shrugged. She didn’t need to hear the details about the situation with Muro. “Nothing interesting. Let’s talk about you.”
She straightened, the top button of her shirt undone, teasing me. The curve of her breast visible in the opening. “What’s up?”
“I promised to look after your sister,” I started, “but I’m going to be honest. I also need to figure out where you came from, because of what’s been going on.”
“Like what?”
“There have been a few bodies found,” I paused, gauging her reaction. I had mentioned them before, but only in passing. She blinked, but otherwise, had no expression. “We’re thinking it has to do with you and the other woman.”
“Does she have a name yet?”
I shook my head. “We don’t want to lose any more lives,” I said. “Those were our men. Good men.” We had plenty more, but I didn’t like losing good help. Ellie nodded, her eyes never leaving mine, to prove that she wasn’t hiding anything. “So let’s start with something easy. Do you remember anything else about that martial arts gym?” I traced my memory for the name. “Women’s Elite Social Club?”
