Page 51 of Lethal Obsession

“That’s what I’m going to find out. You got a weapon?”

Mickey nods.

“Good. But I don’t want you down there with me.” I check the Luger I had delivered on arrival. “I need you up here, with your sister.”

“Got it. But I haven’t slept in days, and I’ve drunk too much to be a sure shot.” He meets my eyes squarely. “I’m in no state to put up a decent fight if it comes to it.”

I’m slightly taken aback and more than a little impressed by his honesty.

“Let me make a call for backup,” he says, taking out his phone.

Making a call means Roman.

Questions.

Explanations I wasn’t planning on making.

On the other hand, not calling might endanger Ofelia.

No-brainer.

“Make the call.” I swap my dress shirt for a black T-shirt and lace boots beneath my suit pants. “Then get rid of any stragglers and put Benny and Lourdes into Lars’s bedroom. It’s got a huge Jacuzzi, so I’m sure Benny won’t complain. I want your sister to stay where she is, in a separate room, and I want you outside her door with as many men as you have. Then get Lars out here with his laptop. Do you understand?”

Mickey nods. He doesn’t fuck around asking questions, just makes for the door, already murmuring into his phone as he goes. I wait until he’s gone before I slip my new passport and several rolls of euros into my pockets. I have no intention of letting whatever is down on that street follow me back up into the hotel—or anywhere near Ofelia.

My fingers touch the square box still in my suit pants pocket.

You should leave it for Ofelia.

It is her gift, after all.

Oh, sure. Hard reality reasserts itself almost immediately. On her fucking pillow, asshole, or were you planning to ask her brother to pass it on?

My hand tightens on the box, but despite knowing it’s the sensible thing to do, I can’t bear to simply leave it among the rest of my things. Instead, as I hear the party in the salon dying down, I thrust the box down to the bottom of my pocket and tell myself I’ll deal with it later.

As I come into the salon Mickey emerges from his room, weapon in one hand and laptop in the other. Going by the fresh water dripping down his face, he’s done his best to sober up. “I’m hacking the hotel security cameras,” he says, his fingers flying over the keys. “And Roman is sending reinforcements. This time of the morning they’ll be here in ten minutes.”

“Good.” I’m starting to remember why I liked Mickey back when I first met him.

“Roman said to wait,” he goes on, “and let them work this out instead of going down yourself.”

I really don’t give a fuck what Roman said.

“We’re not waiting,” I say curtly as two of the security guys emerge from the elevator.

“Two of our men are waiting for you on the second floor,” one of them says.

“Tell them not to bother. I want all of you here.” I put out my hand. “Give me a comms set, and I’ll tell them myself.”

Lars emerges with his laptop as I’m attaching the comms. “Ooh,” he says, cracking his knuckles and giving me a very loose grin as he pulls out a headset. “Looks like my kind of party. Mickey, where are we on hotel security?”

“Almost in.” Mickey doesn’t look up.

“Just like I nearly was with the divine Benny.” Lars shakes his head ruefully as he raises the mike to his mouth. “Radio check?”

“Loud and clear.” I glance at him. “There’s a street sweeper outside who shouldn’t be there. Can you run his face, see what turns up?”

“If he’s hot,” Lars says, taking his phone to the window and zooming in, “can I put him in the Jacuzzi with Benny? Oh well,” he says, opening the picture on his laptop. “Not hot, sadly.”