Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 260(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 260(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Gabriel—One of Kane’s men who helps protect him and Lilah. His father worked for Kane for five years. Military background, recently honorably discharged. Sniper.
Enrique—One of Kane’s men who helps protect him and Lilah.
Laslo—One of Kane’s men who he has dubbed to take over the cartel when Kane can finally get rid of his uncle.
Rich Moore—blond surfer-dude looks, blue eyes. Works with Lilah. He and Lilah were sleeping together until Rich wanted more and Lilah called it off.
Greg Harrison—Lilah’s old partner from the New York Police Department. Currently in a lot of hot water with Internal Affairs over an incident that may or may not be of his own making. He was partnered with Nelson Moser prior to being put on leave by IA pending further investigation but has been working independent security with Moser in the meantime.
Roberto Mendez—Kane’s father who was supposed to be dead, murdered a few years ago. Came out of hiding when Kane killed his uncle, Miguel, and tried to pass the cartel leadership to another.
Danica “DD” Day—Thirty-something, blonde, used to be a model. Deputy Medical Examiner of Suffolk County. Worked the Wedding Duet murders with Lilah.
Director Ellis—fifty-something, and much like my father—fit, with dark, salt and pepper hair. Also much like my father, he’s wearing an expensive suit, but director or not, he shouldn’t be able to afford the price tag this one demands.
Calvin Adams—Acting FBI Director. Will oversee Murphy’s Society directives. Took over when Director Casey stepped down right as Murphy was murdered. Ex-Special Forces, well decorated, FBI for ten years. Thirty-eight, with sandy-brown wavy hair that is most likely curly but refuses to straighten.
Clyde Walker—His company, Blackhawk Security, held a top-secret government contract for years until the committee being targeted in this case decided to strip him of the contract. He operated out of a ranch in Maryland training snipers, including his daughter, Elsa.
Elsa Walker—Sniper. Daughter of Clyde Walker.
Mark Walker—VP at a firearms company. Son of Clyde Walker.
Chapter One
Fuck is for: Fuck Kane’s father for about ten things, starting with him cornering me in the lobby of my own building for some one-on-one time. I have a murder to solve, not commit, and lives to save, not take, at least for the time being, and sadly, with him showing up here to play bastard and bitch, there’s no time to enjoy.
“You’re a man of surprising vigor and height considering the news loves to call you short and dead,” I say dryly. “I loved it, too, in case you’re wondering. The part where you were dead. Not the part where you were short, because that would have made Kane short. I always knew that part was bullshit.”
His lips curve as he digests my observation with obvious amusement. He’s tall, dark, and, as would be expected considering he’s Kane’s father, handsome, if not for the fact that he’s the leader of a brutal cartel with more than one massacre under his belt.
He wants me dead.
I want him dead.
It would be disrespectful to pretend otherwise, and the Hispanic culture is all about respecting their elders.
“Sadly,” I reply to his offer of a little private chat, “I’ll need to take a raincheck, as I’ll surely kill you if given the chance, and that would be too messy for my present time restrictions.” I step around him and manage two steps toward the door.
“Are you so sure it would be you who killed me, bella?”
Bella.
Beautiful.
The name Kane calls me, and there is no question that’s by intent. He’s letting me know he’s more intimately aware of our relationship than he should be.
“You’re an FBI agent,” he adds.
Now it’s my turn to feel the bittersweetness of amusement. I rotate to face him. “Funny thing about my track record wearing a badge. No one ever seems to make it into cuffs. They do, however, make it into a grave. You think the badge will keep me from killing you? You must not know as much about me as you think you do. Sometimes I just enjoy killing a little too much.” I smile, sticky-sweet and poisonous.
“Oh fuck,” comes a muttered curse from behind, and I whip around to find Enrique standing there, looking as pale as me, and considering I’m a white chick and he’s not, that’s saying a lot.
“Choose,” is all I say to him, and I walk right past him, but by the time I’m at the door, he’s by my side.
“I chose a long time ago, Lilah,” he says, opening the door for me, “and it pisses me off you don’t know that.”
He’s such a girl, I swear, and if he thinks holding a door for me proves anything, he’s not just a girl, he’s a dumb girl. Once I’m outside, I find Jay leaning on the door of an SUV. He pops off, straightening, on alert when he brings me into view, and I move his direction.