Page 38 of Retribution

“You okay?”

“I didn’t read the note.”

He grimaces. “I tried to tell you.”

“I know. It is what it is.”

Opening the side door, he holds my attention for an extra beat before saying, “Yeah, so Clarissa gets kinda crazy when I talk to other girls.”

“I can see why,” I purr and wink.

A woman pops her head out the door. Her long, curly brown hair is all I see. “Murray, Jesus. You’re going to get fired on your first day.” With her hand on his collar, she yanks him in the door. That must be Clarissa, his contact, his fake girlfriend.

I stride back to the cars and slide onto the leather seat beside Finn. He looks at me, eyebrows raised.

“He’s Murray. Last day in Newport was yesterday. His girlfriend Clarissa got him in with Shen. Shitty tips in Newport and a jealous, possessive girlfriend.”

“Last names?”

I shake my head. “Couldn’t slip it in during the five minutes.”

“I’ve worked with less.” He focuses out the window. “We’ll see what a bit of digging turns up.”

“Do you want me to do that?”

He chuckles. “No. I have people who specialize in getting information.”

My shoulders are tight with tension, and I tuck my hands under my legs, worry for Malik eating at my insides. If Finn didn’t get anything true or suspicious on me, I have to believe Malik’s backstory will hold. Hopefully, I’m insulated enough that even if they end up suspecting him, they won’t start to question me.

The car glides through the streets, but it doesn’t seem like we’re headed back to the house. Instead of asking, I keep quiet. Soon, I recognize other things. When the car comes to a stop outside The Cage, my mouth goes dry.

“I hear this didn’t go well yesterday.” He glances at me with a wry smile.

“I wouldn’t say—”

“You should.” Finn cuts me off, his eyes like steel. “Don’t lie to me. It’s not worth lying to me. ’Cause I’m a digger.” His jaw clenches. “I don’t give up. When something smells rotten, I peel away the rot layer by layer. Once I have the truth, those who lied to me end up in pine boxes. You got me?”

I raise my chin, meeting his stare. “I got you.”

“Mercy’ll get you killed. Better someone else dead than me—woman, man, kid—don’t matter to me.”

“Consider me warned.” My voice is even. My heart hammers against my breastbone, threatening to jump out and run away. It’s not the first time my life has been threatened, not even close. It’s one of the things I can’t get used to, can’t think of as a routine part of the job, even if it is.

“I’ll give it to you, Kimmy. I’ve had bigger, tougher men piss themselves at that speech.” Finn nods at me before knocking on his window. The door opens, and Antonio is on the other side with a few guys.

We climb out and approach the door, leaving the cars parked outside. Finn has Antonio knock and slip a paper through the open mail slot. When the door swings back, it’s packed inside again. Does the fight club run all the time? Are there that many people interested in betting, fighting, and dying?

Derry ambles out of the crowd, but he doesn’t have the same smarmy smile and attitude as he had yesterday. He’s wary, unsure. More of Derry’s men crowd around him, surrounding him, protecting him.

“Finn.” His voice is strained. “What are you doing here?”

“You want to do this out in the open?” Finn throws his arms wide.

“No, no. Course not. Come back to the office.” Derry glances over his shoulder at some guys, and they check their weapons.

It would make me laugh if he hadn’t given me so much shit yesterday for touching my own gun. The same rules don’t apply when Finn’s here.

Leading the way back to his office, Derry keeps himself well-insulated with men. Pausing at his door, he surveys the crowd in the hall. “You and one other designate. No one else.”