The abandoned hotel had once promised luxury.
Now its neon sign was dark.
Dust coated the windows.
The parking structure smelled like old concrete, oil, and desert heat.
Dominic hated every second of the plan.
I could tell because he had asked me whether I wanted to back out twelve times.
The first six times, I answered politely.
By the twelfth, I said, “If you ask again, I’m taking the bus inside.”
He stopped asking.
The plan was simple.
Which meant it was probably terrible.
Mason believed I was coming alone.
I had messaged him from my phone:
You want the Costantini information? We talk first.
He answered within two minutes.
Come alone or your sister gets the next visit.
That sentence erased every hesitation I had.
Dominic’s people positioned themselves throughout the building.
Law enforcement had also been notified through the attorney handling my identity-theft case.
Dominic hated that part too.
“You’re surprisingly cranky about police involvement,” I told him.
He stared at me.
“Surprisingly?”
“Fair.”
The wire beneath my shirt felt like a second heartbeat.
Dominic adjusted the transmitter at my waist.
His fingers stopped before touching skin.
Rule two.
I nodded.
He completed the adjustment.
“You stay near the entrance.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t move deeper into the building.”
“Yes.”
“If Mason has anyone with him—”
“I leave.”
“If you hear me say ‘blue’ through the earpiece—”
“I drop and move toward the north exit.”
He stared at me.
“What?”
“You’re smiling.”
“I’m nervous.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“I know.”
He exhaled.
Then he did something completely unexpected.
He rested his forehead against mine.
No audience.
No act.
No excuse.
My breath caught.
“Dominic.”
“I know.”
Rule five.
Neither of us moved.
Then he whispered, “Come back to me.”
Everything inside me went still.
I wanted to ask what that meant.
Instead, I said, “I will.”
Mason arrived nine minutes later.
Alone.
At least visibly.
He entered through the lobby wearing jeans and a leather jacket.
He looked tired.
Not frightened.
Tired.
As if betraying half of Las Vegas had become exhausting.
“Emma.”
I stood near a broken reception desk.
“Mason.”
He looked around.
“You came alone?”
“Yes.”
My lie sounded better than his ever had.
He smiled.
“You always were terrible at lying.”
“I learned from you.”
His expression hardened.
“There she is.”
“Where’s the notebook?”
“Where’s Costantini’s financial information?”
“I don’t have any.”
He laughed.
“Then why are you here?”
“To get my life back.”
“You threw your life away when you left.”
“No.”
I surprised myself with how calm my voice sounded.
“I got my life back when I left.”
Mason’s smile disappeared.
He walked closer.
My body wanted to retreat.
I forced myself to stay still.
“You think you’re brave because Costantini is sleeping with you?”
“He isn’t.”
“Right.”
“He helped me because you made me afraid.”
Mason rolled his eyes.
“You love playing victim.”
That sentence used to destroy me.
Now it just made me tired.
“I have photographs.”
“So?”
“Bank records.”
His jaw tightened.
“Messages from other women.”
He stopped.
That hit.
“You contacted them?”
“They contacted me.”
“Bitter liars.”
“All of us?”
“You poisoned them against me.”
“Mason, one of them dated you before I even knew your name.”
His expression twisted.
“You always do this.”
“Do what?”
“Push.”
I almost laughed.
“There it is.”
His voice rose.
“You keep pushing until a man reacts, then you act shocked.”
The wire carried every word.
For once, Mason’s excuses were being heard by people he couldn’t manipulate.
He moved closer.
“Where is Costantini?”
“I told you—”
His hand shot out.
He grabbed my wrist.
The same wrist he had bruised before.
My entire body froze.
Memory flooded me.
Kitchen tiles.
His face inches from mine.
Apologies afterward.
I heard Dominic through my earpiece.
“Blue.”
But something inside me had changed.
I looked down at Mason’s hand.
Then at him.
“Let go.”
He tightened his grip.
“You don’t tell me what to do.”
For three and a half years, I had believed that.
This time, I twisted my wrist exactly the way Dominic’s security instructor had taught me two days earlier.
Thumb toward the weakest point.
Step back.
Pull.
Mason lost his grip.
His eyes widened.
I moved away.
“Don’t touch me again.”
Mason laughed, but uncertainty had entered his face.
“Costantini taught you that?”
“No.”
I squared my shoulders.
“I learned.”
“Same weak Emma.”
“No.”
I looked straight at him.
“She’s gone.”
His face changed.
Then he lunged.
Dominic appeared before Mason reached me.
I still don’t know where he came from.
One moment Mason was moving.
The next Dominic stood between us.
He didn’t hit him.
That surprised everyone.
Especially Mason.
Dominic simply looked at him.
Mason stumbled backward.
“You said alone!”
I stepped around Dominic.
“I lied.”
Dominic glanced at me.
“Excellent progress.”
Despite everything, I almost laughed.
Then footsteps echoed.
Several men emerged from the hallway.
Not Dominic’s.
Antonio’s voice came through the earpiece.
“Salerno’s men. Four.”
Dominic moved me behind him.
Mason looked around.
His confidence returned.
“You see?”
He grinned.
“You thought you were controlling this?”
One of the newcomers stepped forward.
Tall.
Gray hair.
Expensive coat.
Victor Salerno.
Dominic’s face became stone.
“Victor.”
“Dominic.”
I expected shouting.
Instead, they sounded like businessmen meeting over lunch.
Victor looked at me.
“So this is the waitress.”
Dominic stepped sideways, blocking his view.
“She has a name.”
Victor smiled.
“Protective.”
Mason interrupted.
“I brought what you wanted.”
Victor looked at him with open disgust.
“You brought confusion.”
“The notebook has everything.”
Mason reached inside his jacket.
Several weapons immediately appeared.
“Easy!” he shouted.
He slowly removed the black leather notebook.
My notebook.
The one stolen from my apartment.
I stared at him.
“You had someone break into my home.”
Mason smiled.
“You kept things that belonged to me.”
“My identity belonged to me too.”
His smile faded.
Victor extended his hand.
“Notebook.”
Mason held it back.
“Money first.”
Victor laughed.
“You think you’re negotiating?”
“I have records.”
“So do I.”
“What?”
Victor’s smile disappeared.
“You have been stealing from me for months.”
Mason went pale.
Dominic looked toward Victor.
“How much?”
“Three hundred seventy thousand.”
I stared at Mason.
He had stolen my money to repay money he had stolen from criminals.
Mason began backing away.
“This isn’t—”
Victor snapped his fingers.
One of his men produced a folder.
“Transactions. False accounts. Transfers.”
Victor looked at me.
“And Miss Carter’s company was your favorite washing machine.”
My stomach turned.
“You knew?”
“I suspected.”
I looked at Dominic.
“He knew and did nothing?”
Dominic’s jaw tightened.
Victor shrugged.
“Your ex was useful.”
My anger exploded.
“You let him use my name.”
Victor seemed amused.
“Collateral damage.”
Dominic took a step forward.
Antonio’s voice came through the earpiece.
“Federal team two minutes out.”
Mason panicked.
“You promised me protection!”
Victor laughed.
“I promised to consider it.”
Mason turned toward Dominic.
“I can give you Salerno.”
Victor’s face changed.
Then Mason turned toward Victor.
“I can give you Costantini.”
Everyone stared at him.
I almost pitied him.
Almost.
A man who had spent his entire life manipulating people had finally entered a room where everyone understood manipulation better than he did.
“You have nothing,” Dominic said.
Mason held up the notebook.
“I have names.”
“Your handwriting.”
“I have account numbers.”
“Already frozen.”
Mason blinked.
Dominic glanced at me.
“Emma’s attorney moved yesterday.”
For the first time in months, I felt something like triumph.
Mason looked at me.
“You froze the accounts?”
“Yes.”
“You ruined me.”
I stared.
“No, Mason.”
My voice became quiet.
“You did that yourself.”
Sirens sounded faintly outside.
Victor’s men moved.
Dominic said, “Nobody leaves.”
Victor smiled.
“You brought police?”
“Emma did.”
Every man turned toward me.
I shrugged.
“I’m apparently full of surprises.”
The federal agents entered seconds later.
Everything happened quickly.
Weapons lowered.
Commands shouted.
Victor protested through an attorney before anyone even touched him.
Mason tried to run.
He made it six steps.
Antonio caught him.
By the time officers handcuffed Mason, he was screaming my name.
“Emma! Tell them! Tell them I didn’t force you!”
I stood still.
He struggled.
“We loved each other!”
The words hurt more than I expected.
Maybe because once, I had believed them.
Mason saw something on my face.
His voice softened.
“You know I loved you.”
I walked toward him.
Dominic started to stop me.
Then didn’t.
I stood three feet from Mason.
“No.”
His face changed.
“You loved controlling me.”
“Emma—”
“You loved knowing I would forgive you.”
His eyes filled with something.
Anger.
Fear.
Maybe regret.
I didn’t care anymore.
“You loved the version of me that apologized when you hurt me.”
He shook his head.
“That isn’t fair.”
“For once, Mason, fair isn’t your decision.”
Agents led him away.
He shouted again.
I didn’t turn around.
The black notebook sat on the floor where he had dropped it.
One of the investigators bagged it as evidence.
Dominic came to stand beside me.
“It’s over.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
His eyebrows drew together.
“The immediate danger is.”
“What else is there?”
I looked at him.
“Me.”
“Emma?”
“I’ve spent so long surviving Mason that I don’t know what happens when I don’t have to.”
Dominic’s expression softened.
“You live.”
My eyes burned.
“That sounds simple.”
“It isn’t.”
“No.”
We stood in the abandoned hotel while agents photographed evidence around us.
Then I remembered our agreement.
“This means our deal ends.”
Dominic’s face changed.
“Yes.”
I hated the disappointment I felt.
He must have seen it.
“Emma—”
“No.”
I stepped backward.
“This was fake.”
The words hurt.
Dominic’s jaw tightened.
“You’re right.”
“Protection. Public appearances. Rules.”
“Yes.”
“So now I go back to my apartment.”
“Not yet. The investigation—”
“When it’s safe.”
He nodded.
“And then?”
Silence.
I smiled even though my chest ached.
“Then you return to being Dominic Costantini.”
“And you?”
“I figure out who Emma Carter is.”
He looked at me for a long time.
“Maybe I’d like to meet her.”
My breath caught.
Neither of us moved.
Then Antonio approached.
“Dominic.”
His expression was grave.
“What?”
“Mason wasn’t working alone.”
My heart dropped again.
Antonio held up a recovered phone.
“There are messages to someone inside the Echelon.”
Dominic took it.
“Who?”
Antonio looked at me.
“Your casino manager.”
“Harris?” I whispered.
Antonio nodded.
And suddenly I remembered every schedule change.
Every time Harris had asked where I lived.
Every time he knew when I was alone.
Dominic’s face became terrifyingly calm.
Mason had been arrested.
Salerno was surrounded by federal agents.
But the person who had watched me every day for fourteen months was still free.
And he knew exactly where Dominic lived.