Page 55 of Ghost Among Lies

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

SLOANE

"I know I've said this before, but crime pays too well." I shook my head. It sucked that people like the Astors made billions off the suffering of others.

"It does," Anita confirmed. "That's why I don't care when Hawk drains their bank accounts after we kill them. That money is better used elsewhere."

And by elsewhere, she meant charities and to the families of victims. Hawk was great about showing us where the money went after it was siphoned off.

"I really hope these two put up a fight. I have some extra energy to burn off." I cracked my neck as we slipped around the back and into the courtyard. This place wasn't as secluded as the mansion, so we had to be a little more careful.

"You'll get the chance. I'll make sure of it."

Anita was locked in. She wanted this almost as badly as I did.

The Astors didn't have any guards in Paris but the building had a state-of-the-art alarm system. Thankfully, breaking and entering happened to be one of my specialties. I had the system disarmed and the door unlocked in under a minute. With trained precision, we moved as one to the second floor of the building where the Astors took up residence.

The door to their apartment didn't give me trouble. It was amazing how careless people were when they thought the building they lived in was secure enough that it didn't require extra protection for their own living space.

Their oversight was good news for us.

From the city plans I was able to pull before we got to Paris, the master bedroom was off the dining room.

The door was conveniently open. Didn't these people know it was safer to sleep behind a closed door? If the place caught on fire, a closed door could be the difference between life or death.

Though it didn't matter anymore. The Astors wouldn't live to see the morning.

"Separate beds?" I whispered to Anita as soon as we crossed the threshold.

My teammate shrugged. Obviously their sleeping arrangements didn't interest her the way they did me.

I went left while Anita went right. I don't know which one I wanted more, the asshole or the bitch.

It would seem fate brought me to the bitch who was supposed to love my son like her own.

Anita and I moved at the same time. I wrapped my hand around Mrs. Astor's neck and squeezed until her fight-or-flight response kicked in. She was no match for me though. This woman spent time pampering herself while I spent it in the gym perfecting my technique.

We weren't the same.

"Time to have a little fun." With a firm grip on her throat, I dragged her out of bed and to the dining room. Anita was one step behind me with an unconscious Mr. Astor thrown over her shoulder. It was a good thing we didn't have to go far because he looked heavy.

Anita unceremoniously dropped him on the floor and helped me secure the missus to a chair.

"Who are you and what do you want?" she screamed. "Don't you know who I am? I'll ruin you for this."

I grabbed a decorative napkin from the table and shoved it in her mouth. I didn't need her waking up the neighbors before we had the chance to question them.

Once she was secure, we did the same with Mr. Astor. He started to come to just as we finished the last knot.

"What the hell?" he groaned.

Grabbing a second napkin, I shoved it in Mr. Astor's mouth just in case. It didn't hurt to think ahead.

"Now that you're both comfy, we're going to have a little chat."

Both of them rocked in their chairs in an attempt to get free, but it was no use. Anita and I were like Boy Scouts. Our knots were top-notch.

"Here's how this is going to work. We will ask a question, and you will provide the answer. Each time you refuse to answer, we cut off a finger. How does that sound?"