Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
He was handcuffed to the chair but otherwise looked unmarked. His wrists were red, his clothes rumpled, and he stank of sweat and whatever cheap cologne he’d drowned himself in that morning. He looked up when I entered, eyes bright with calculation.
“You’re not Iron,” Rourke said. “I asked for Iron.”
“You get me,” I said, keeping my expression a practiced combination of angry and annoyed. “Talk, or you never see the sun again.”
He flashed a practiced smile. “I’m an open book. Ask me anything.”
Kass took a position behind him, arms crossed. I stayed standing. I wanted Rourke to look up, to sweat.
“You know why you’re here?” I asked.
He nodded. “Your father wants Denton. He wants Iron, too, but he wants Denton more. I can help with that.”
“Denton would feed you to the wolves if it bought him five minutes of freedom,” I said. “The only thing keeping you alive is what you give me.”
Rourke nodded, lips pressed together. He tried to hide the tremor in his hands but failed. “You want his records. Where he keeps them. Who he pays off. I can tell you that. But I want a deal.”
I laughed, and I let him see I meant it. “Your last deal was with Denton. Now you’re here. Doesn’t say much for your negotiating skills.”
He swallowed. “I can get you in the building. He trusts me. I handled all the party logistics. Every room, every security sweep, every detail for the rich boys’ club.” He tried to give me a cocky grin, but I saw the sweat trickle down his temple.
“Enclave Éclipse?”
His eyes widened, obviously surprised I knew that part of the secret. “Yeah. That place is his fortress. You’ll need me to get in.”
“Start with the last event,” I said. “Everything. And don’t waste my time with drama or you’ll die hard.”
Rourke swallowed, sweating harder, apparently realizing I might know more than he originally thought and that I couldn’t be bluffed. “Last time, Denton brought in a crew from out of state. We set up three rooms for a buyer out of Miami, but there was only one actual target. A girl from a place called Haven. I don’t usually get the details, but the buyer was particular. Didn’t want damaged goods. That’s Denton’s phrase, not mine.
“He brought in Pine as the closer. He uses a handler, never meeting face-to-face. Pays in cash, always through the same courier.”
“And?” I asked.
Rourke licked his lips. “The next run is scheduled for two days from now. Same location. But this time, the buyer’s coming in person. Not a handler. The real deal. Denton wants to impress, so he’s upped the security. I saw the list. They’re bringing in weapons, chemical restraints, and two snatch vans. One of them is ex-military. Guy’s a freak. They call him Rainman, but I think he’s your Pine alias. I’ve never seen him, only heard the voice once, and it was --” He shuddered. “Cold. Like a fucking robot.” He gave a weak laugh. “No offense.”
When I didn’t speak, Rourke cleared his throat. “Denton’s got everything locked up at his downtown condo. The safe is in his guest bedroom, the combination is his daughter’s birthday.”
“What do you want?” I asked.
He hesitated. “Witness protection, or whatever. A new ID. Some cash to get out of the state. Denton’s guys will kill me if they think I talked.”
I nodded at Kass.
“Is he worth it?” Kass said, eyes never leaving Rourke.
“We’ll see,” I said. “You get us into the safe. You help us take down Pine, Denton, and Iron. If you do that, you get your wish.” Rourke slumped in relief, like a kid told the punishment would be less than expected. “Where is Denton now?”
Rourke looked at the floor. “He sleeps in his condo, but during the day he’s always at Éclipse. He doesn’t trust anyone else to run the place. If you go there during business hours, he’ll be in the manager’s office, watching cameras.”
I tapped the armrest. “You’ll take us to the condo. You’ll walk us in, get us to the safe, and open it. You do this right, and maybe you walk out with your life.” I walked to the door. “We go in an hour. Don’t make me regret this.”
Rourke sagged in his chair, sweat dripping down his face. Kass gave me a quick, tight nod as we left the room.
Outside, I took a breath and let the morning air cut through the stink of the interrogation room. I could see the city below, streets already in motion. For the first time in weeks, I saw the outline of an answer to at least one of my problems. I’d been running the same circuit for years, keeping the city under control, keeping the damage off my father’s doorstep. Now it felt different. Every move I made was for Tessa. I didn’t care if I had to burn the whole city down to keep her safe and avenge her trauma. The part that scared me most was how right protecting Tessa felt.