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“My God, your ring is gorgeous and huge,” I say. “Don’t you worry about people attacking you for it?”
“I just tell them it’s as fake as the sock in their pants.” She eyes Rick. “Don’t kill Pocher. He’ll grow like six more heads, and they send a dozen more after you. Believe me, if it were that easy, I’d have shot the bastard a long time ago.”
“And yet you tried to kill him last year,” Rick says dryly.
“That’s true, but we had a unique opportunity, a chance to make it look like a serial killer took him out. Unfortunately, his brother was at his house, instead of him.”
“You must have thought the next head that took over the Society was controllable.”
“We did. Funny thing, about him. He ended up dead a month later. The next in line, after Pocher now is trouble.”
“How are you alive, if Pocher wants you dead?” Rick asks. “You killed his brother.”
“There’s a line in the sand between Pocher and Kane but it’s thin, too thin to suit me.” She motions between us. “Drink the coffee. Donna gets bitchy if you don’t and since this place is always empty, I come here when I am trying not to kill someone.” She waves at Donna. “Great coffee, Donna!” she calls out. “But you’re still a bitch!”
“Then drink it, don’t waste it,” Donna calls back.
“He sent an assassin to kill her,” Rick says. “Either Kane helps me now, or I kill Pocher now.” He picks up his cup. “Maybe he’ll negotiate with you for your life over Pumpkin Lattes.” He takes a drink. “That’s actually good.”
Lilah’s cellphone rings and she glances at the number and then takes the call. She mostly listens, makes a few indiscernible remarks and then hangs up. “Kane said he’ll meet you at the cigar club, Savage, but not to take Candace.”
Rick narrows his eyes on her. “How does he know we’re meeting at a cigar club?”
“Because he does.”
He studies her a heavy few beats and stands up, offering me his hand. “Come, baby.”
“Kane says she should stay with me. She’s safe with me. Pocher avoids me, I have a gun that I like to shoot and a badge that makes it look pretty when I do. Plus you cut a man’s finger off for me.” She picks up her coffee and gives Rick a toast. “I owe you. I need to run by the station anyway. She’ll be surrounded by cops.”
I catch his arm. “I’ll stay with Lilah. Don’t kill him. It’s not time. It doesn’t feel like it’s time.”
He doesn’t agree. He simply kisses me and orders, “Be careful. I won’t be long.”
CHAPTER FIFTY
Savage
I walk out of the diner with Candace’s words in my mind: Don’t kill him.
And of course, I know that I can’t really kill Pocher, not without unleashing the wrath of hell on us all, but everyone else doesn’t need to know that. Kane and Lilah need to be motivated to help us. Pocher needs to be motivated to negotiate. And sure, when I place my gun to Pocher’s head, he can revel in the idea that we’ll suffer after he dies, but he still doesn’t want to die.
The moment before death can get the most unmotivated of a man motivated.
With protecting Candace on my mind, I hunt down Memphis, open the passenger door and poke my head in. “Follow Candace and the woman she’s with but keep a safe distance. Text Candace and let her know you’re there. And kill Alejandro if you see him.”
“Why keep a distance?”
“It’s complicated. Just keep a damn distance.”
“Where are you—”
I shut the door and head for the subway, and it kills me to be walking away from Candace, but I do believe she’s safest with Lilah. Pocher won’t touch her. I don’t know how Kane has drawn that line in the sand after killing Pocher’s brother but he has, and I intend to have him draw that same line for us.
Fifteen minutes later, I arrive at the location of the cigar and whiskey club an hour early, which was my plan. I take up a discreet spot in a coffee shop across the street from the club, where I watch the comings and goings. The result is not much more than a bunch of stuffed shirts who leave a little looser than when they entered the joint. As for the choice of meetings spots, Pocher probably holds a shit ton of meetings here while indulging in his cigars and whiskey and that’s most likely why Kane knows he’s here. He has this place watched. He knows this is the meeting spot Pocher favors. Or perhaps it’s the Society that favors this spot.
I glance at my watch and it’s five minutes until six. There’s no sign of Kane but he may be waiting for me to show myself. I dial his phone. It goes to voicemail. If the bastard no-shows, he’s next on my hitlist.
