A deal with the devil

Nina“What’s this?”“What’s what?” Rosa asked, raising another spoonful of cereal to her mouth.“What the hell is this, Rosa?” I snapped.My tone was sharp enough to slice through the quiet morning. Her head shot up, eyes widening when she saw what I held. In an instant, she was on her feet—anger flaring hot in her eyes.“Were you in my room? Who gave you permission to go through my stuff? You have no right!”I rolled my eyes. “I have every right to know why there’s blood money under my roof.”“Your roof? Seriously?” she scoffed.My fingers curled into a fist at my side as I tossed the bundle of cash onto the worn kitchen table.“Yes, Rosa. My roof. You haven’t contributed a dime to rent, utilities, or even the damn groceries in months.”“If you’re just going to rub it in my face, then I’ll leave,” she snarled, snatching up the cash and turning for the door.I stepped in front of her. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me where you got that money. That’s over ten thousand dolla

Nina“Sir, I have some intel about the Black Smoke gang and—”“What did I tell you about putting your nose where it doesn’t belong, Agent Torres?” Chief Keef shot me a withering glare.I stayed undeterred. “Sir, this time the information is good.”“Really?” He stopped and turned, one eyebrow arching. “Okay then, agent. Who’s your source?”“That doesn’t matter. What matters is this is usable—something we can use to nail them once and for all. Those bastards keep slipping through our fingers.”He raised a hand to cut me off. “So what makes you think you can finally catch guys who’ve been evading our best agents for years? There’s a reason nobody’s put them away, Torres—there’s no admissible evidence.”I scoffed. “Oh, come on, chief. We all know the Black Smoke gang are the worst scum.”He shrugged. “We all know it, yes. But common sense isn’t what you bring to a courtroom. Rafael Santiago—the man suspected of leading them—presents to the world as a philanthropic billionaire. He’s got do

Nina“So anyway, after I win the case, I’m going to get promoted and start earning some real money,” Bryan said.I nodded, a polite smile plastered on my face. Lifting my glass, I hid a yawn behind it and silently prayed for a meteor to hit the restaurant. I’d rather be dead than listen to another one of my date’s stories. He’d spent the entire evening talking about himself and hadn’t asked me a single question.I had never been this bored in my entire life.Why the hell had I even agreed to this?Oh, right—because I’d blurted out to a gang leader that I had a date and was too embarrassed not to follow through.“There’s this apartment on Eleventh,” Bryan continued. “Pretty sweet place. I’ll be able to afford the rent after my promotion. It’s got a nice kitchen. Do you like to cook, Nina?”“Nope.”“But you’re Italian,” he laughed. “That’s impossible. Italians are known for their cuisine.”I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. God, he was such an ass. I opened my mouth to tell h

Nina"I can't believe you came home in this state! You're insane, Nina, you're going to get yourself killed."I glanced over at Katy, trying not to wince as I shifted upright. "If you're done with the lecture, could you help me up?"She rolled her brilliant blue eyes but stepped forward, bracing an arm around me as I eased out of bed. "For the record, I'm not supporting this. Does your chief even know you checked yourself out after one day?""I couldn't stay there." I hissed as pain shot through my side. "Whoever tried to kill me walked into my hospital room and left those flowers. They could've come back to finish the job."Katy froze, eyes wide. "Wait... whoever? As in, Rafael Santiago is no longer your prime suspect?"I sank onto the couch with a sigh. "I don't know anymore. It's all too convenient. He just happens to be at the restaurant when the gang attacks at the docks, and then magically shows up to rush me to the hospital. Plus, how was he in my hospital room when someone sli

Nina "Torres." Paul's voice was as cold as ice and my reply was just as cold. "Simmers." I nodded coolly. "Let's get this show on the road shall we?" I had arrived in Vegas a few hours earlier and settled into the safe house the bureau had appointed for me. An hour ago, I had gotten a package for Simmers which included a dress, shoes and instructions of where to meet him. I'd have thought the outfit was him punishing me if Chief Keef hadn't already briefed me about the witness demanding to meet at a public gathering. Now, I had on the black slinky dress with the too high slit running up one side, four inch designer heels and a diamond choker around my throat. I couldn't remember when last I had gotten this dressed up. I couldn't wait to get back into my combat ready clothes. "Act natural." Paul instructed me. "The witness already knows what we will be wearing, and should be able to identify us in the crowd. He will make first contact and as soon as he does, our priority is to ge