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“I’m only going to ask you this once, Stephen, and I’ll know if you’re lying. Did you sell out?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Did. You. Betray. Me? It’s a simple yes or no question.”
He appeared insulted, his expression one of shock. “Are you out of your mind? We’ve been friends for a long time, buddy. You saved my life, for fuck’s sake. Why would that ever enter your mind?”
He was right. I immediately let go, turning around and raking my hand through my wet hair. “They almost got to her. Again. At my house, the one very few people know exists.”
“Shit. Look, I don’t have a clue what is going on, but I don’t think whoever made the attempt has anything to do with Torino, at least from what I heard.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Why don’t you listen for yourself?” He pointed toward the system behind his chair. “I’m serious.”
I glanced over at the headphones and sighed. Then I thumped down in the chair, yanking them over my ears. Stephen reached over me, using the trackpad to move the cursor.
“Yeah, it seems like he took the bait,”the male voice said.
“That’s Sean,” Stephen said from behind me. “Just wait.”
“Excellent. I always knew Briggs was a stupid son of a bitch,”the second voice said, one clearly belonging to Killian O’Rourke.
“They think there’s a contract on the bitch’s life just like you proposed.”
“Good,”Killian said as he laughed.
“There’s not much more, but you heard the most important information.” Stephen leaned against the table, clearly still shaken by my accusation.
“If Killian planned this, he had a perfect opportunity dropped into his lap given Madisen’s return.”
“That’s what I was thinking. What bait is he talking about, what Gio found out in Vegas?”
“Likely.” I tossed the headphones. If Killian planned the entire situation, was there an issue with Dante? I couldn’t risk it either way.
“Well, get this. The investigation regarding Mr. Barrington was ruled an accident, the Feds pulled off.”
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “That won’t necessarily keep Madisen safe. I need to know Torino’s exact location.”
“Well, I made those couple of phone calls I mentioned.” He pulled up his phone. “This was just texted to me.”
As soon as I glanced at the screen, I sucked in my breath. “Today?”
“Not long ago. That’s definitely Dante Torino walking through the lobby of his casino.”
While that didn’t necessarily mean he hadn’t sent soldiers to ensure he wasn’t prosecuted in the future, it added credence to the possibility I’d been baited by a calculating asshole who’d waited for a year to get back at Max and the entire syndicate.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“Leave for the more secure facility.”
“Any equipment I need to take?”
“None. When we get there, you’re going to do a deep dive on everyone who works for me at Powers Security as well as all the men who arrived from New York.”
Stephen cocked his head. “Oh, come on. You are kidding me. Our team?”
I rose from the chair and by the look on his face, I could tell he was nervous. “A wise man once told me that most betrayal came because you let you let your guard fall. That’s exactly what I’ve done, believing nothing could touch me in LA. I was wrong. Someone I trusted put all our lives in danger. Do you have total faith it wasn’t someone we thought we knew?”
