“You found something,” I said.
At the table, Lili set her tools down and rose.
“Facial recognition got a hit on Ava-Jane,” Nash said.
I glanced at Lili. She hurried over, twisting her hands together.
“Where?” she demanded.
“At the Aurora Casino. She’s there now. Or she was twenty minutes ago.” He pulled out his phone and held it out.
The photo showed a crowd. It looked like a party. Ava-Jane was in a very short, red dress with a plunging neckline. An older man in a suit had his arm around her as he smoked a cigar. There were several other men and women in the shot.
“Let me guess,” I said. “It’s Goodyear’s party.”
“Yeah,” Nash confirmed. “A private party with an eclectic guest list. My guess, people he wants on his side when he makes his play for governor. There are local businessmen, some politicians, and some of Vegas’ more colorful residents.”
I cocked my head.
“He means those with links to organized crime,” Landon said. “Goodyear clearly isn’t shy about cultivating those relationships.”
“He just doesn’t care,” Lili whispered. “He just takes whatever he wants, and he runs over whoever’s in his way, with no consequences. I don’t understand why he isn’t in jail. I don’t understand how anyone wants anything to do with him.”
“Greed,” I said.
She threw an arm in the air. “And people like me, like Ava-Jane, like anyone he deems beneath him, get screwed over.”
They did. Like Delta Team.
I gripped her shoulders and forced her to face me. “I am going to stop him.”
She nodded, but the pain was etched deeply on her face.
“First, we need to get Ava-Jane free.”
Lili’s head whipped up.
Nash nodded. “Got an SUV ready. Alessio left on a job today, Rafe has something on, but Bastian is in. The four of us can deal with this. We need to change so we blend into the party.” He paused. “And make sure your weapons are discreet.”
“I’m coming,” Lili said.
My heart fucking nearly exploded. “You are not.”
“Cole—”
“We need to sneak in without making a scene and get her out. This is a private party, but it’s in a public place.” As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t put a bullet in Goodyear’s brain in the middle of a party at the Aurora attended by the who’s who of Las Vegas society. “And Goodyear will have his army of goons there.”
“Plus, he knows his top guard is missing,” Nash said. “He was already tweaked after Cole’s visit to his house, but his missing guy has likely put him on higher alert.”
“If you were there, I’d worry about you being in danger,” I told her. “Which would throw me off my game.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Okay.”
I kissed her nose. “Good.”
“Lark and Georgie are on their way over to stay with you,” Nash said.
“You wait here.” I kissed her again. “I’ll be back as soon as I can with your friend.”
