––––––––
The moment we crossed over the boss’s property line, a spotlight popped on from the top of his stucco security wall. Gabriel raised his hand to shield his eyes.
I couldn’t because my hands were tied behind my back.
“Who’s there?”
I squinted into the light. It sounded like the voice was coming from a few feet away.
“Jesus Christ, Maxson. It’s me!” Gabriel yelled out.
“Gabe?”
“Yeah. Could you dim the light a little, man?”
“Sorry, it’s automatic. Can’t really control it,” Maxson responded, his voice a notch warmer than before.
I let myself breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed like Gabriel had been right when he predicted that some of the Laughlin Kings had been hired for something other than drug-pushing. It certainly explained their presence in Vegas. The fact that he was seemingly on good terms with this Maxson guy was even better. The plan was working, but only so far.
I saw a man walking toward us in the distance, his silhouette black against the blinding spotlight. There was a strange shape on his shoulder, like some sort of extra limb. But when he got close enough for me to see his face, I recognized it as an assault rifle. I thanked God that it wasn’t pointed at me, at least.
Maxson was like a thumb: short, wide, and bald. He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously. “So, who’s this?”
Gabriel nudged me forward, a little too roughly. “I heard the boss wants her. I brought her,” he said gruffly.
“I see. Why?” Maxson said.
“Want to earn his trust. Get in on the action with the rest of the crew.” Gabriel’s voice was smooth as silk.
I felt Maxson’s gaze on my face. I lowered my head, trying to shield my eyes. Could he see there was deception in them? I bit the inside of my cheek, agonized by the silence.
Mercifully, Maxson seemed satisfied.
“Okay. Guess I should invite you in, then,” he said.
We followed Maxson to the wrought iron gates. He made a call on his cell phone. When the gates rolled open, Gabriel muttered, “So far, so good.” He spoke to Maxson, but his words were meant for me.
We strolled ahead into the courtyard. The only light came from the backlit stone fountain at the center of it. I could barely discern the outlines of other men skulking around in the shadows. There were more Skull Kings, with more rifles. Maxson gave a grunt before falling back.
“Yo, Gabe’s here with something for the boss,” he announced as the gate rolled shut.
Our footsteps echoed on the flagstones, the sound lonely and sinister. Gabriel put his hand on the back of my neck, feigning control over me. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to enter the main house. By the stiffness of Gabriel’s fingers, I knew he was just as uncertain.
Then, a voice floated out of the darkness. “Hey, brother.”
My skin prickled over with goose bumps. An image of a tall, long-haired biker with spitting cobras tattooed on his arms popped into my mind. He was the foil to Gabriel, blonde to his brunette, hard to his softness. But he was the brother that had been plaguing Gabriel ever since he’d left Laughlin, and now he was here.
Jameson himself stepped out from behind the fountain. “What’s your business, little bro?” A few chuckles rang out from the shadows.
Gabriel’s fingers twitched against my neck. “I heard that the boss needed this one.” He jerked me forward. I yelped for good measure. “I wanted to see if I could get an audience with him.”
Jameson crossed his arms. His cobra tattoos bulged. “Hm. We’ll see.” He turned and began walking in the direction of the main house.
I pulled forward slightly, giving Gabriel the signal to follow. We trudged on in Jameson’s wake, following the skull on the back of his cut. I couldn’t help but realize how alarmingly numb I felt despite the situation. It was like my body was protecting itself, like it knew this plan would never work.
But it had to. We had no other choice.
Jameson opened the vast, oaken front door. We crossed over the threshold, and I was instantly greeted by the smell of the boss’s favorite candles that burned all over the house. My eyes adjusted to the lighting, and I immediately recognized the layout of the house. The wide, marble-floored entranceway led to a huge living room with sleek furniture. An entire side of the house was walled with glass. Candle flames leapt inside small alcoves in the walls, their light reflected off of the gleaming floors. I could tell Gabriel was trying to hide his impressions as we followed Jameson inside.
“Wait here,” Jameson said gruffly, stopping just outside of the boss’s private office. He slipped through the doors and disappeared.
Gabriel exhaled loudly and began pacing. I scanned the walls for security cameras and found them in the exact same spots as before.
“Over here,” I whispered, backing into a corner that I knew was safe from view.
“What happens now?” Gabriel whispered nervously.
“Jameson is telling the boss that we’re here. Most likely, he’ll want to see me alone. You can rally up your crew on your way out. Do you think you can convince them to turn their backs in time?”
“Oh yeah, definitely. If they know the Feds are sniffing around, they’ll be gone yesterday.” He gulped. “How long can you distract the boss man?”
I set my lips in a straight line, but my heart was pounding out a panicked beat. “We have some unfinished business. I’m sure I’ll have enough time.”
“Okay.”
He searched my eyes. Even in the dim candlelight, I could tell there were a million words he wanted to say to me.
“Um...Jameson’s probably ready to come out really soon,” I whispered.
Gabriel nodded. “One last thing, just in case everything goes to Hell.”
He grabbed me by my neck again. This time, though, he pulled me toward him. I closed my eyes and let him kiss me. He enveloped me in that Skull King smell of his, cigarettes and leather, the slight spice of whiskey. I pushed away any thoughts of one last time. I was strangely serene inside, even as Gabriel’s tongue brushed across mine, as his hands held me close to his warm, beating body. I had faith that this plan would work.
It was working well so far.
He was panting when we finally pulled ourselves apart, and just in time, too. The doorknob turned, and we arranged ourselves appropriately as Jameson finally stepped out. Gabriel’s hand was on my neck again, holding me like I was a slave.
“He’s ready to see her,” Jameson growled, “and only her.”
I dutifully stepped forward. I didn’t dare turn my head to look at Gabriel, but I crossed my fingers behind my back for luck. Hopefully, Gabriel recognized it as a positive sign.
I mentally filed through each step of the plan. Gabriel showed up with me as an offering to gain his crew’s trust. Check. We got inside the house to see the boss. Check. Now, all I had to do was keep the boss talking for long enough while Gabriel worked his magic with his brother and the rest of the Kings. Even if he was “the boss,” he was still no match to a dozen armed bikers. It would give us just enough muscle to get out from under the boss’s nose and away from Vegas.
So far, so good.
Jameson opened the door for me and waved me through. I could see a section of the office beyond, and the sight suddenly filled me with dread. I’d never seen the inside of the boss’s office, before. Often, the people who did never came back out. In spite of this, I forced myself to hold my head high. Gabriel had my back, and that was enough.
So far, so good, I told myself.
But then, something happened that we hadn’t been counting on. Jameson walked inside with me and shut the door, closing both of us inside the office and away from Gabriel.
His presence could’ve made no difference, or it could’ve changed everything.