“Are you back?” Oscar’s voice came through the Earwig, and she stopped her spiral down memory lane.
“I am, and I’m on my way down. I stopped by my room to pick up the bag I needed.”
Dwelling on things no one could change was useless, but she still missed that kid who hoped to be rescued from the shit life she’d endured. Only problem was, she had no idea who her father was, and her hooker and junkie mother had fucking OD’d the night her caseworker, Mrs. Speck, put her in the system. Eventually, she learned the only person who was going to save her was herself. And she had.
Thankfully, the elevator didn’t take long and she mentally reviewed the rest of her night. All that was left was getting to Victor without leaving a trace.
“Any problems?”
“Not a one. Did he go up yet?” She stopped to admire Chihuly’s Fiori di Como on the lobby ceiling, and to make sure nothing strange jumped out at her.
“He’s still sitting in the high-stakes area with a woman who isn’t his assistant, and they’re really cozy.”
She headed for the slots near the bar and put in a hundred. She was starting to see there was so much more to Victor than the cheating. He was in deep with something much bigger, and she wanted to know what it was. He wouldn’t be around much longer to clarify everything she wanted to know about him, but the download from the attorney’s office would be a start. A quick glance at his position gave her the scenario she needed for what came next, and she smiled as Victor discreetly handed the woman a small bag.
“What room, Oscar?”
“It’s one of the so-called villas out back. They’re short a few dozen rooms for true villa status, but that’s never stopped Vegas from making everything grandiose. It’s more secluded, and it sounds like he enjoys his privacy.” She heard Oscar typing something, so she pressed the max pay button a few times. “It’s number four, and I’ll guide you whenever you’re ready.”
“I need to beat him there.”
Victor and the woman were ramping up, so Reed stood and cashed out. It was time to give Sofia what she wanted. All she could hope for was that the result would still be what Sofia wanted when it was done. Death wasn’t something she could undo, and Sofia changed her mind as often as an adolescent.
“Head for the spa.”
The path Oscar led her on was one where he could manipulate the cameras along the way, so she didn’t walk too fast. She didn’t run into anyone else, which was a blessing. Anyone with a comp for this area was either at a high-stakes table, or a private one.
The villa Victor had reserved was situated down a flagstone walk in the dense garden and had a private pool. All the lights were dimmed, and a bucket of champagne chilled next to the bed. “Very romantic, this guy,” she said as she entered the bathroom.
All couples in which a guy in the late stages of middle age was paired with a very young beautiful woman had one thing in common. It centered around a small blue pill, and she was willing to bet her ten percent of this job that Victor had some. Sure enough, the bottle of pills was right next to the champagne. Classy.
“Are there flowers?” Oscar asked. “The happy couple is getting close to the spa.”
“Champagne and Viagra, buddy, but no flowers,” she said, emptying Victor’s bottle and replacing them with some from her bag. She put in the same number in case Victor was a guy who noticed small details.
“Ah, the combination of champions.” Oscar kept typing and hummed even though it drove her insane, and she knew he knew it. “They should reach the door in about two minutes.”
“A lot of his stuff is here, which means this is where he comes when he’s supposedly working.” The wingback overlooking the pool was in a dark spot so she turned it slightly, sat down, and waited.
“It’ll be like dying at home then.”
She chuckled. “I’m going to deliver every man’s dream.”
“Robert Redford, when he was twenty-five?” Oscar said, but the door opening prevented her from answering.
“Get on your knees and show Big Daddy how much you missed him,” Victor said.
Reed almost gagged. Big Daddy? Really?
“Let me share my candy with you,” the girl said as she sucked the head of his dick, then spread some of the powder he’d given her on it. She massaged it in with her finger, making Victor laugh. “You promise what you said?”
“Yeah, baby. As soon as the bitch gets back, it’s over. The guy will make it look like an accident.” Victor headed for the bathroom before the woman could get her mouth back on him.
Nothing like a blue helper to get the magic wand to respond, Reed thought. The woman wet her finger, dipped it in the powder, and rubbed it on her gums before stripping her dress off and heading to the bed. Whoever this was didn’t have a problem with Victor killing his wife, but sometimes whatever you threw out into the universe boomeranged on you tenfold. Victor was about to learn that lesson. Killing him before he killed his wife might bring repercussions, but there was no way to link it back to her. Hopefully Sofia had a great attorney.
Once the happy couple were in the bedroom, Reed put on some latex gloves and got what she needed from her bag. She wondered if Victor was surprised how fast his last erection came up, but it sounded like he didn’t care as the sound of skin slapping on skin started in earnest. He didn’t last very long before he started gurgling slightly, and then there was silence.
“Baby?” the woman said, but there was no response. “Come on, this isn’t funny.”
Reed stood in the doorway and cracked her neck as the woman pounded on Victor’s shoulders, but he wasn’t moving. Victor’s date was now trapped under him, making Reed’s next step easier. She came in and pressed her fingers to her lips when the woman opened her mouth as if to scream. The gun in her hand must’ve been deterrent enough for the sound to die in her throat. “Spread your legs for me.”
“What?” the woman asked, not taking her eyes off the gun.
“Slowly spread your legs, and don’t make me say it again.” She slid her finger into the woman, next to Victor’s penis, and inserted the pill that would dissolve quickly. Another pill went on the tip of the small dildo she’d brought for Victor. The rest wouldn’t take long at all, so she got to work staging the scene.
Reed replaced the bag of coke Victor had given his date in the casino with the one she’d brought, which was coke mixed with fentanyl. She entered the bedroom again and sat by the bed. The woman’s eyes were open but they were vacant of life, and Victor wasn’t breathing. When she felt no pulse, Reed opened the woman’s purse and got her information from her wallet.
It was Victor’s bad luck that the twentysomething beauty in his bed was really nineteen. The address on her driver’s license bordered an affluent area that boasted plenty of the headliners on the marquees around town. Someone was definitely going to miss this girl and be pissed she was dead. She was young, but the address meant she was in no way an escort.
She paused and stared at the hollow faces and reflected on her feelings. These people were dead by her hand, and yet she felt nothing. The part of herself that should’ve had some sense of shock or horror had started its slow death the day that old judge and Mrs. Speck spoke a lot of words she didn’t understand, then dropped her somewhere she didn’t want to be. All those lost years had emptied her soul and left her only with the keen drive to survive and to never be the victim again.
Granted, plenty of people went through foster care and came out to find success in business, or maybe a marriage, and went their whole lives without killing a spider, much less a person. That was true, but she’d chosen this life for the fast money and to have enough to take care of herself. She probably needed to spend time on someone’s couch spilling her problems. No shrink would ever understand that she’d do whatever she had to in order to keep from relying on anyone ever again, and that playing on the far side of the law gave her a rush no desk job ever would.
The young woman’s eyes were open, as if she was staring into some unknown abyss, but she had only herself to blame for a death that was years too early. When you got mixed up with the wrong people, shit went bad. That’s how the world worked, and yeah, it was a shame, but it was part of the job. No witnesses. What the hell was a nineteen-year-old doing with Victor, and where the hell had he met her?
Facial recognition unlocked the young woman’s phone, and Reed scrolled through the calls, texts, and contacts to see if some answer popped out at her. Every single message was the typical bullshit people this young exchanged, with the exception of one thread. From the number of explicit texts she’d shared with Caterina Terzo, they were much more than phone buddies. This woman had been in way over her head and probably hadn’t even realized it.
She stopped at one message and reread it four times before photographing it. Fuck but this job would have some complications if it found its way back to her.
Make sure you get him to commit on Sofia and I’ll handle it from there. Do whatever to get the asshole to make the call, and I’ll make it worth it.
The Terzo family was targeting Sofia, but Reed doubted it had anything to do with the state of her marriage to Victor or any concern over Victor’s bedmates. Reed had done work for the Terzo family, and the old man, Francesco, had raised two pit vipers. Their rule was simple: anything or anyone that came up against them got eliminated.
The text message made her take more time than she’d planned to check the rest of the device, and she searched Victor’s as well. His led to a number Victor was supposed to call to solve his divorce issues without an attorney, but his call history showed he hadn’t committed yet. She wrote the number down and placed the phone back in Victor’s pants.
She glanced outside. “Oscar, can I move?” she asked from outside the door.
“There’s a couple headed to five, so walk slowly to avoid them. I need to hit the next camera.”
She made her way back to the elevator that led to the room where Oscar was waiting. Even if someone saw her, they’d describe Bill Smith, and that person didn’t exist. The only thing she wanted now was to head home and relax before she had to deal with Sofia. From what Victor and Caterina had planned, it might be the smart play to get Sofia’s family involved even if they had no real presence in Vegas. Victor was dead but that didn’t mean the Terzo family might not still want Sofia dead.
When she took Sofia’s job thinking it’d be a quick challenge, she’d had no way of knowing all this crap. Whatever the reason for the Terzo family’s interest, Sofia would have to figure it out while she was under the watchful eye of her father and most probably the police.
“It’s done?” Oscar asked.
“Like I said, I gave him every man’s wish. He came and went,” she said and Oscar laughed. “It’s done.” She picked up the phone and punched the number on her valet ticket. “Could you bring my car around please?”
Oscar would stay and deal with monitoring the response. She was curious to see how the cops handled the investigation since Victor was someone people didn’t expect to die with his dick in a nineteen-year-old who was helping him plan his wife’s murder. His public image revolved around charitable events and business organizations. But while it didn’t matter to her how her current employer stayed alive, Sofia was going to be interested in a detailed account before she started spending her inheritance.
“Thanks for all your help, buddy, and call me if something goes south.” She kissed Oscar on the top of his head and smiled. Oscar would handle the luggage when he left. “I’ll be home by tonight.”
“Relax,” Oscar said, taking her hand. “We’ve got something else at the end of this week, and you have to have a clear head.”
“It’s always something, but no matter what, it’s not anything we can’t handle.” It was true—and the secret to success was stopping when you didn’t believe that with your whole heart.
* * *
The silence of the room under the warehouse was comforting, and a refuge Reed needed to put her thoughts on hold. It was something she’d craved from an early age, but until recently she’d never had a chance to really let her guard down. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, but no meditation known to mankind would keep the past from haunting her.
The fear that had gripped her for so long was something she fought against, but it was always simmering right out of her reach, taunting her. She was determined to beat it, though, which is why she loved jobs like Victor Madison. That scrawny kid from all those years ago would’ve never had the cojones to pull it off, and every time she did, it was like a dagger through the heart of the fears of that pathetic mutt no one wanted.
“Stop wasting your time on dead subjects,” she said out loud and opened her eyes. If she didn’t regain control, every single idiot who’d ever touched her without consent, beaten her, or tried to take what little she had would parade through her mind in an effort to chip away at her sanity.
The facade of Bill Smith from Oregon didn’t take long to wipe away, so she changed into her jeans and white T-shirt and tried her best to decompress. Victor was dead, but there was still work to do. She opened the first ledger and started going through it as she made a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. Peanut butter was the only thing aside from cold milk that she’d kept from her first day in foster care.
It took most of the night, but she managed to crack all of Victor’s codes and had to whistle at the total. “My, my, Victor, you’ve been a productive little bastard, haven’t you?” The fucker had to have been skimming, along with all the screwing around he was doing. No one accumulated ninety-six million running the Bellagio alone.
Her contract with Sofia said ten percent of whatever Reed could find, and she’d found a fuck-ton. Whatever he’d done or wherever he got it wasn’t her problem. All she cared about was the 7.2 million dollar payday, and the 2.4 million for Oscar. Their deal had always been a seventy-five–twenty-five split, since Oscar never ventured out of the shadows. In the beginning he would’ve been happy with ten percent, but he made her life so much easier that she’d talked him into the larger cut.
Sofia would be set with her eighty-six million, plus whatever Victor owned legitimately. The house alone was probably worth more than five million, plus the life insurance, and the perks coming from Bellagio. If she wasn’t satisfied with her take, that, too, wasn’t Reed’s problem. Once the transfers were made, and with Oscar’s wizardry, they were untraceable. It was time to move on.
“Hello,” Sofia said, and the noise in the background meant she was somewhere public. In case the police checked Sofia’s phone, Reed was spoofing a number tied to a clothing store Sofia frequented. She probably should’ve waited until the police had contacted Sofia, but hopefully the warning would prepare her for what was coming.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Madison, but your gains might bring you comfort,” Reed said softly, using a program that would bounce the signal around the globe, since she didn’t feel like leaving her safe room. “I’ll call you in two days.”
“Wait,” Sofia said but didn’t raise her voice. “I’m coming home as soon as I can manage it, so we can meet sooner.”
“Two days, Mrs. Madison, and again, I’m sorry for your loss.”
She hung up, moved to the bed, and turned the lights off, bringing the room to total darkness. The small bear her mom had given her was under her hand, and she took a few moments to think about the woman who’d given birth to her.
Penny Jones had been a simple country girl from Kentucky who’d come to Vegas with her best friend, thinking they’d make a fortune working for a casino. It took them six months to fall victim to the city’s multitude of vices, and to continue to pay their way and avoid going back to their boring lives in the hills, they had to start turning tricks.
To dull the pain and shame of too many men, Penny had turned to drugs, but somewhere along the way she’d gotten sloppy, and pregnant. Reed had no idea who her father was, but she’d loved Penny despite the abuse and neglect. She hadn’t known till much later that the day she’d gone before the judge for the first time, Penny was already dead. That was the only reason she’d forgiven the case worker responsible for the hell her childhood became. Not that Penny had been Mary Poppins, but at least she’d had a home.
The phone she’d used that day rang and she sat up, wondering who was calling the number. “Yeah.”
“Hi, baby,” a woman said and she could hear slots in the background. “You promised you’d call.”
“Jayden?” She turned the lamp on and swung her legs off the bed.
“Want to come out and play?”
“I actually had to leave, but my sister took my place. If the offer’s still good, she might want to play with you.”
“Really? Is she like you?” Jayden asked and Reed couldn’t be sure, but Jayden sounded relieved.
“We’re twins, so it’s like we’re the same person, and we both like beautiful blondes.”
“It’s your money, baby, and if you have her number I’ll call her.”
Five minutes later another phone rang, and Jayden sounded even more seductive. Her tone was enough to get Reed to change clothes and head out the door, anxious to blow off some of her pent-up energy.
She parked her car herself and pocketed the keycard to the room upgrade Oscar had gotten her. The bar close to the high-stakes tables was where Jayden was waiting, and Reed watched her nurse a glass of wine as if she was using it to pass the time. The dress Jayden was wearing made Reed want to peel it off slowly.
“Jayden,” she said as she sat next to her and raised a finger toward the bartender.
“Hey, you guys really do look alike in the face,” Jayden said, putting her hand on Reed’s thigh. “And don’t tell your brother, but I’m more into women.”
“Lucky me.” She stopped to order a vodka on the rocks and pointed to Jayden’s glass. “You want another one?”
“More than one makes me clumsy, and I don’t want to be that tonight.”
“Never mind,” Reed said to the bartender as Jayden’s hand moved higher. She dropped some money on the bar and helped Jayden to her feet. “Let’s get more comfortable.”
They walked to the elevator and she held Jayden’s hand. These were the only kinds of encounters she allowed herself, since she’d never have enough to offer anyone except the few hours it’d take for the need for human contact to be satisfied.
The suite was high enough that they could keep the curtains open, but low enough to give a good view of the Strip. She put her hands on the first button of her shirt, and Jayden stopped her.
“Please, can I do it?”
Reed dropped her hands and nodded.
“What’s your name?”
“Rebel,” she said and smiled at Jayden’s arched eyebrow. “My mother’s idea of a joke, I guess.”
“I like it,” Jayden said as she slowly moved down her chest, undoing buttons and kissing exposed skin. “Can I admit something to you?”
“If it’s that you’re a cop, you’re a really friendly one.”
“No, but I’m new to this.” She stopped at her belt, tucking a few fingers into the front of her pants. “The fact that I’m getting to fuck you doesn’t seem fair.”
What an interesting thing to say, Reed thought as Jayden tugged her toward a chair by the window and gently pushed her into it. “Unfair how?”
“Baby, have you glanced in a mirror lately? I’d do you for free.”
“You’ll be successful if you decide to stick to this,” she said as Jayden moved to turn some music on and started to dance for her. “You’re really good at flattery.”
“If you don’t think you’re good-looking, I don’t believe you.” Jaden dropped the straps of her dress, and it fell to the floor when she wiggled her hips. The sight of the black underwear made Reed lean back and spread her legs. The woman was beautiful in the curvy feminine way she loved.
“The same could definitely be said of you.” She raised her hand and held it out. “Come here.”
Jayden stepped out of her dress and heels to walk over and knelt when she was between Reed’s legs. Without asking, she unbuckled Reed’s belt and unzipped her pants. “Do you want me, baby?”
She’d paid good money for the conversation that was totally contrived, but right now, she didn’t give a shit that none of this was real. The relief she needed was calling the shots. “Yes, I do,” she said, wrapping her hand around Jayden’s blond hair and pulling her head back to kiss her.
“Lift for me,” Jayden said when their lips came apart. She tugged at the top of Reed’s pants. The way Jayden yanked them down almost convinced her that Jayden was enjoying this, money or no. Jayden left Reed’s shirt on, but spread her legs wider and put her mouth on her without another word.
Jayden sucked her clit hard enough to get her attention, and she put her hand on the back of Jayden’s head. She might’ve been new to the escort game, but Jayden really knew what she was doing. “Fuck,” she said, suddenly winded as Jayden stopped sucking and started making flicking motions with her tongue. It was enough for Reed to feel the orgasm start to build to the point of no return. “Harder.” Talking during sex wasn’t something she was comfortable with.
“Don’t worry, I’m going to take good care of you,” Jayden said and went back to what she was doing.
“Goddamn.” Reed came hard enough to stop herself from thinking. That was a rarity.
Jayden sat back on her heels and smiled before moving to straddle her hips. Reed smiled back before Jayden leaned in and kissed her softly as if they were lovers. She froze at first, not used to such intimacy, but Jayden was so nice she relaxed into it. The kiss came to an end, and Jayden leaned back and pressed herself into Reed’s abdomen, apparently seeking her own relief.
“I’ll give your brother some of his money back if you touch me.”
Reed reached around Jayden, unfastened her bra, and kept her eyes on Jayden’s chest. The woman was perfect, which wasn’t a strange thing in Vegas since there were more plastic surgeons in the city than showgirls, but all of Jayden’s body seemed totally unenhanced.
“And where do you want me to touch you?” she asked as she pinched Jayden’s nipple and pulled her forward.
“I want you to fuck me.”
She stood with Jayden wrapped around her and laid her on the bed, taking a moment to look at her. Jayden really was new to this, and for some reason she hoped she found another way to support herself. She wasn’t stupid enough to have feelings for an escort, but somewhere in her brain she couldn’t help but think about what her life would be if she’d had to resort to this.
“What’s wrong? Come on, baby,” Jayden said, holding her hand up. “You don’t have to be shy—I want you to touch me.”
Brought back to the moment, she hovered over Jayden and sucked her nipple in as she put her hand between her legs. Jayden was dripping wet, and the feel of her slick pussy was a major sign she wasn’t just playing at her role of devoted lover. “Is this what you had in mind?”
Jayden nodded and held her other breast as if begging her to suck on the other hardening nipple. “In my bag…please.”
This woman had a talent for saying interesting things, so she rolled off her to see what else she had planned. She lay on her back and watched Jayden head for the purse she’d dropped by the door. There was little chance Jayden would do anything to harm her, but she tensed in case she had to move fast.
Jayden held her hands behind her back as she knelt on the bed, and Reed steeled herself not to overreact. She almost laughed at herself when Jayden showed her the harness with the flesh colored dildo attached. She shifted so Jayden could slide the harness up and over her hips, and the look in Jayden’s eyes suggested just how much she wanted to be fucked.
“You ready for me, baby?” Jayden asked as she stroked the cock and pressed the base down on Reed’s clit, making her exhale. If she didn’t take a few deep breaths, she was going to embarrass herself by coming too soon.
“Let me take care of you,” Reed said as she placed her hands on Jayden’s hips.
Jayden didn’t need a lot of encouragement, and she moved up and drew the head to her sex, rubbing it against her own clit. Jayden threw her head back and closed her eyes. She really was beautiful. “If you want, you can use your hands instead, but I really want your cock in me,” Jayden said, but she was already tilting her hips forward, taking in the entire length. When it was in, she stopped and took a breath like she needed a minute to get accustomed to the fullness.
“You okay?” Reed asked as Jayden threaded their fingers together and gazed down at her.
“Feels good,” Jayden said and gasped softly when Reed pumped her hips. Then Jayden started moving. There really wasn’t much in life sexier than a woman claiming her pleasure, and Jayden certainly seemed to know how to do that.
Reed let go of Jayden’s hands so she could slide hers up Jayden’s body to her breasts. She pinched Jayden’s nipples, and the action sped Jayden’s hips, but Reed rolled them over before Jayden could get carried away. With Jayden under her, she fucked her hard while holding herself up and off her. She liked looking at the ecstasy on her face, the passion of a woman being taken. Control in all situations was paramount.
The way Jayden wrapped her legs around her hips and locked her feet behind her back made Reed speed her movements. They both came at the same time, and Jayden pulled her down, seeming to want her covering her.
“You’re incredible,” Jayden said as she combed her fingers through Reed’s hair.
“You’re pretty incredible yourself, and thank you for your time.” Reed rolled off her and sat on the side of the bed.
“I can spend the night,” Jayden said, pressing against her back. “Your brother was nice enough to pay for it.”
“Actually, go ahead and keep the room and get some sleep, but I’ve got to go.”
Jayden appeared to understand their time together had come to an end, and that Reed really wasn’t a big cuddler. She backed off and pulled the sheet over herself.
“Thanks for everything.”
Reed headed for the bathroom with her clothes in her hands. She wanted to get dressed and get out of there as soon as she could. The lure of being at home with nothing to do or think about was the only thing on her mind now that Jayden had drained her. The girl was sweet, and that kind of sweetness didn’t belong in the world Reed lived in.
“Will you call me again?” Jayden asked when Reed stepped out of the bathroom and sat on the bed, about to put her shoes on.
“I’ve got your number, but you should think about doing something else. I could be way off, but you don’t seem cut out for this life. Quit before it sucks the good out of you,” she said and tolerated the kiss Jayden placed on her neck.
“Thanks for worrying about me, baby, but this is all I’ve got.” Jayden stood naked before her and was truly stunning. “There’s no other job I can get that’ll pay me enough to keep my car and condo.”
“Then keep my number in case you need something.” The comment came out before she could censor it.
“You’re sweet, but I’ll be okay. I’ve got someone watching out for me.” Jayden stopped her by claiming her shoe, then tugged her from the bed and back into the bathroom, where she started the shower. “Let’s enjoy ourselves a little more before you’ve got to go.”
“Sure,” Reed said, but she was anxious to leave. The good thing, though, was she was going to walk out of here without any extra baggage. Whatever possessed her to offer Jayden anything would go back in its box, and she’d go back to her unencumbered life.
After she dressed again, she put another five hundred by Jayden’s purse and left without saying good-bye. She could still sense Jayden on her skin and in her head, but they’d never see each other again. If Jayden really did stick with this, then hopefully there would only be boring accountants and the like in her future. No one deserved a life like Penny’s.