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“What’s happening,” I say, pushing against his shoulder to get him to let me down.
“You heard the man. Someone shot the mayor.”
“How? He’s got like six guards with him at all times.”
Luke shakes his head. “No idea. You’re coming with me until we can figure out what’s going on.”
I glance back at the club as we head for a row of limos parked out back. The door to one opens, and we slide in with Luke’s father. There is no sign of his cousin.
“Your cousin has been arrested,” Jamie says with no emotion.
“For the assassination?”
The older man nods. “One of the men on the mayor’s detail was dirty. He’s the one who pulled the trigger. Claims to be working for the Bowdens. The rest of us got out, but your cousin wasn’t so lucky.”
Luke settles onto the seat across from his father but doesn’t let me go. Now seems like a bad time to put up a fight, so I just close my eyes and listen.
The door opens, and my purse lands on the seat next to us before it’s slammed shut again. Luke snatches it before I can and pulls out both of my phones.
“Sorry, Flower. We can’t have you calling anyone right now.”
I glare at him. “Don’t call me that. And stay out of my phone. I have very sensitive client information on there.”
He slides both into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “I won’t touch them. And your name is a variation of flower in Arabic, isn’t it? Why can’t I call you that?”
So, he has some understanding of foreign languages himself. Before I can respond, Luke’s dad leans forward. “Why would someone want to pin this on us?”
Luke shakes his head. I’m not convinced his cousin didn’t do it. What better alibi than a very expensive escort? Then again, people in my line of work are hesitant to get involved with the police if we can help it.
My gut tells me I’m in over my head and I need to get out of this mess as soon as possible. Unfortunately, my entire business is on my phone. Every favor I could call in from a high-powered man is trapped in Luke Bowden’s suit pocket. So, until he trusts me enough to give me my phones back, I’m going to have to deal with my current circumstances. But I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. Eventually, someone will say something important, and I’ll be able to use it when I’m ready to get away.
Luke pulls out a phone and taps a few buttons.
“I’m heading back to Vegas, and I have a guest with me. Can you get us on a flight without a paper trail?”
There’s a pause, and I hear a muffled voice on the other end. It sounds feminine, but I can’t understand a word they’re saying. So, I turn my attention to Luke’s father who is also on the phone.
“I want the name of everyone in that club tonight. Did the cop do it? Or was it someone else framing the cop and my nephew?”
Jamie Bowden is one of the most powerful men in New York City, and he was taken by surprise. That means whoever did this is even more powerful.
I flip through a mental Rolodex of my own powerful contacts and come up with a plan for who to contact first as soon as I get my phones back.
Luke ends his call and I look at him pleadingly. “I can’t go to Vegas. The reasons are complicated, but I can’t go back there.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have much of a choice, Flower.”
I lean away from him since he still hasn’t let me off his lap. “So, you’re kidnapping me?”
“Not at all, Zara. I’m just taking you on a much-needed vacation. You’ll stay in a luxury hotel with all the room service you want while we sort this out.”
I shake my head. “I’ve got clients.” And I don’t want to fucking go to Vegas. I hate that place.
“They’ll have to wait. You have a new client now, and he lives in Vegas.”
I raise an eyebrow and glance at his father who seems unfazed by our conversation. “You want to book me now?”
He shrugs. “If that’s what it takes to get you to go without a fuss then yes.”
