Page 37 of Empire of Savages

I grunted. “Let’s go.”

I let her lead the way through the two-bay garage that was set up with a pit in one bay and a hoist in the other. The tools were expensive—every piece of equipment top of the line. At the back of the garage, there was a spiral staircase that led to a small landing and hallway. There were two doors opposite each other. One was slightly ajar, and I saw that it was a small laundry. Alex went to the other door and opened it.

Lucifer was the first to walk into her apartment, an L-shaped room with an open-plan kitchen and living room.

“The bathroom is there if you want to clean up,” she said, going to the kitchen sink to wash her hand.

I looked at Lucifer. “Stay.”

The dog settled onto the floor resting his head on his paws. Confident that he wasn’t going to be getting up, I went into the bathroom and shut the door. I cleaned up the best I could, then washed my hands. Staring at my reflection, I couldn’t quite believe that I was in the inner sanctum of La Croix’s daughter. I could crush the man right now but knew that waiting would give me maximum impact.

When I exited the bathroom, I found Alex on the couch.

And right beside her was Lucifer.

“Off,” I barked at him.

Lucifer whimpered and looked to Alex for support.

She wrapped her arm around his thick neck. “Don’t be mad at him. I invited him up.”

Fucking dog. I made my way to the couch and sat on the other side of Alex. She turned her head to face me but kept a hand on Lucifer.

“What’s his name?”

“Lucifer.”

Her eyes widened. “Like the devil?”

I shook my head. “Couldn’t tell you. I inherited him.”

“Inherited? Who would leave someone else a dog?”

Clearing my throat, I answered, “My brother.”

“Oh? Did he have to move somewhere that wouldn’t allow dogs?”

“He was murdered. Two weeks ago,” I said, staring into her face and trying to see the resemblance to her father. “By a fucking coward.”

Her blue eyes widened. “You know who it was?”

I nodded, mentally willing her to ask. To ask who it was that had pulled the trigger. I wanted to tell her it was her father. That he had taken away the only person I gave a damn about in this world, and to get my revenge, I would take away the only person he had left in this world.

“Have they been arrested?” she asked, still stroking Lucifer. “Charged?”

A shake of my head. “No, the bastard is still walking around while my brother rots in the ground, but he’ll get what’s coming to him soon enough.”

Alex shifted her attention back to Lucifer and cleared her throat. “Well, I think he’s sweet even if he does look like he’s about to eat my face off.”

I grunted. The damn mutt was a cinnamon roll, but he looked the part. Desperate to change the subject, I said, “So, tell me about that broken window. When did it happen?”

Alex’s eyes darted away from my face.

“Look at me,” I commanded.

She sighed, dragging her gaze back to mine. “A couple of nights ago.”

“Who did it?”