Somewhere between leaving Jamie’s office and flopping into the backseat of the Uber, my apprehension had returned. I was under no illusion that the doctor fairy had felt sorry for my busted up body and dropped a magical appointment into my lap, so that only left my theory that this was some sort of cloak-and-dagger meeting.

I offered up a silent prayer to please let it be Aaron and not another ambush, because I had no doubt that another meeting with Theodore Brown’s Matrix crew would mean certain death.

I looked out the window of the Uber car and noticed a man standing across the street. There was nothing particularly remarkable about a guy in a baggy hoodie and jeans, but my gaze had snagged on him before I realized I was staring.

Something about him… The posture. The stillness. The way he seemed to be staring right back at me, even though his face was almost completely hidden within the shadows of the too-large hood.

My car pulled away before I could study him too closely, but as I turned to look through the back glass, I was disturbed to find that his head had turned to follow the car.

Fuck. A chill went through me.

I tried to forget about the strange man, but even Cliff-the-Uber-Driver’s babbling couldn’t wipe the unease from my mind. I thought about him all the way to the doctor’s office.

I did manage to pick up snippets of Cliff’s one-sided conversation. He talked about Las Vegas traffic, his girlfriend’s unwillingness to commit to marriage, and his brother-in-law’s drug addiction among other things. It made me think of bartenders and hairdressers, who were known to be sort of lay-therapists to their customers, and I had to wonder why it always seemed like the roles were reversed with Uber drivers. Maybe it was just my luck to get the mouthy ones.

By the time we reached the doctor’s office, I was so stressed out from worrying about Cliff’s issues on top of my own, I was out of the car before it even came to a stop.

Fuck you, Cliff,” I thought. You think you’ve got problems? Try walking in my shoes for a day. You’d be in rehab right alongside your brother-in-law.

As the car pulled away, I stumbled into the sparsely populated waiting room and gave it a quick scan. There was a lady with a walker, a man in a Braves cap, a bald man reading Cosmo, a businessman tapping on his cell phone, a woman with a sleeping baby, and a man in a leg brace.

No men in trench coats, thank God.

With no other obvious options, I approached the receptionist’s desk. She was on the phone, so I stood on unsteady legs and waited. When I heard her say goodbye to the person on the other end of the line, I took a step forward, and that’s when I felt the hand on my shoulder.

Aaron’s voice.

“Follow me out the back door,” a familiar voice said close to my ear.

Aaron’s voice.

He stepped in front of me, wearing an Atlanta Braves baseball cap, jeans, and a pink Polo. He’d dropped about thirty pounds, and his dark brown hair, which I’d only ever seen buzzed, had grown long enough to reach the collar of his shirt. It was full and lustrous, and he was sporting a neat jaw full of stubble that could almost be classified as a beard.

“I didn’t even recognize you,” I called after him, trying to keep up as he practically sprinted down the hallway. My words came out thick and slow, like the last bit of syrup from a bottle, and I found myself wishing I wasn’t so dulled from the pain pills.

Once we were through the door, Aaron got into the backseat of a waiting black sedan, and I followed him inside. The driver wasted no time getting us out of the parking lot.

“You look so different,” I said, gaping at him. “I figured you were the one who sent me the text, but I looked straight at you in that waiting room and didn’t recognize you.”

Aaron smiled. Not a full-on smile, but at least the hint of one. “I’m dressing a little differently these days.”

“Yeah, in someone else’s body. Jesus, man. I mean, I still know your face when I look closely, and your voice is the same, but—” Words finally failed me, and I just threw up my hands and laughed.

“You look a little different, too,” he said, his dark brown eyes flicking down and back up as he gave me a quick once-over.

I shrugged, feeling a little judged. “I’m carrying about twenty extra pounds these days. Nothing a little cleanse won’t fix.”

“You got any fights coming up?”

I heard echoes of Marco’s bitching and looked out the window. “Yeah, in a couple of months.”

He whistled. “And you went and got yourself all jacked up by Theo’s boys.”

I nodded. “It’ll be fine. I’m Michael Kage.”

“Well, Michael Kage, you’re making some pretty stupid decisions these days. You know that, right?”

“How do you figure?” I was being purposely obtuse as I mentally waded through my ever-deepening pile of colossal mistakes.

His laugh was a low rumble in his throat. “Well, let’s count them off. One, you pissed Theo off. Two, you’re not training like you were. And three, what in God’s name were you thinking getting fucked up before coming here today? I could have been anyone.”

I met his gaze and raised my t-shirt, revealing the nasty bruises all along my side. “Does this answer your question?”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay. I guess you get a pass. But you need to be more careful, Kage. If they come after you again, that first beating will seem like fun times.”

I dropped my shirt and stared out the window again, noticing we were pulling into a parking garage. “I know I’m fucking up, Aaron. But I’m confused. I don’t know what to do to fix things, and every move I make seems to be the wrong one.”

“For starters, you can tell me everything that you said to Theo Brown. And everything he said to you.”

I struggled to remember and to articulate. “Basically, he just told me he’d known my brother and me when we were kids. And my dad. We had a drink, and I asked him a few questions about my family. Then I told him I was thinking about shutting down the art gallery, the horse stables, and his hotel. I told him he could come work at the Alcazar as the casino manager because I was thinking about firing the current one.”

“So you were going to strip him of his current position in the company and obliterate his income. Sounds reasonable. I can’t imagine he didn’t go for it.”

My face colored. “Well, I did tell him he’d still make the same salary he’s making now as a hotel manager.”

Aaron laughed, but it was a harsh and humorless sound. “You thought he was just a hotel manager? How could you have been living with your uncle all these years and still be so clueless? It’s a wonder you made it this far without stepping off in it.”

“Nobody ever told me anything,” I said defensively. “You think Santori ever gave me the time of day? The only time he had anything to do with me was when he wanted to bitch or threaten me. You of all people should know that.”

“I did know you were oblivious. I just never could understand it. You were aware that your uncle was involved in illegal activities, and you knew he wasn’t a good guy. The two of you rarely got along, he had you watched like a hawk, and he controlled every move you made. Yet you just—” He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

My eyes watered, but I willed the tears away. “I ignored it all because it was easier that way. Fighting was my way of coping. I could pour every bit of my focus into that one thing, and everything else didn’t seem so bad.”

“Fighting wasn’t your only outlet,” Aaron said, eyebrow raised.

I glared at him. “Now you want to talk about my sex life?”

“No.” He had the decency to look chagrined. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. You were a good kid in a bad situation, and you did what you had to do to get through it. Believe me, I get it.”

I slammed my fist down on the armrest of the car door and growled. “I thought when he died, it would all be over. I thought Jamie and I could get married and run the Alcazar together. I could fight in the UFC for a while and maybe get that fucking belt my uncle was gagging for. But now it seems like things are worse than they were before.”

“That’s because they are,” Aaron said. “Much worse.”

I laughed. “Don’t try to sugar coat it or anything.”

“I’m not here to sugar coat anything, Kage. I’m here to pull your head out of your ass and tell you exactly what’s going on.”

“And what exactly is going on?” I was pleading now, because this bullshit had gone on long enough. I needed help, and it seemed like Aaron was the only one in any position to give me that help.

Aaron turned his entire body to face me, hitching a knee up onto the seat. The driver had pulled into a parking space deep in the garage, and we were just sitting there in the semi-dark with the car running.

I turned to face Aaron, mimicking his pose and wincing when I twisted a little too far for comfort. “So are you gonna tease me or tell me?”

“What do you think of the journals?” he asked.

“I read some of the first one. It jumps around a lot, and it seems like an emo teenager wrote it, but it’s very enlightening. I got to the part where Peter moved in with Gio Rivera, and… well, I had to read all about him losing his virginity, because he spared no details in describing that.” I shook my head and chuckled at the memory of his words. “Are we even sure my uncle wrote that stuff? He drew hearts, Aaron. Cheesy little hearts with arrows through them. And Peter Loves Gio 4-Ever in bubble letters.”

Aaron smiled. “I thought it was kind of sweet. In the beginning, anyway. Enjoy the hearts. They’ll be gone soon enough.”

I swallowed hard, dreading what was to come when the hearts were gone. I may have been flippant when speaking to Aaron about the journals, but deep down I was rooting for eighteen-year-old Peter Santori. The guy whose father had abused him all his life deserved some happiness, and it seemed like Gio truly cared about him. At least from Peter’s point of view. When I compared the young man in the journal to the man who had raised me, I knew the rest of the journals couldn’t be all hearts and bubble letters and declarations of love. Mainly because I’d never heard of Gio Rivera, the man whose hotel I now owned.

What had happened to him? Had my uncle bought him out? Forced him out? It was a question I wasn’t sure I wanted answered, because the Peter Santori I knew didn’t seem to have much of a conscience to speak of.

As for the rest of the crew mentioned in the journals, none of their names rang a bell. Except for Theo, of course. He was still hanging around like the after-effect of a bad meal.

“So what’s Theo’s deal?” I asked. “How do I get rid of him?”

Aaron laughed. “Get rid of him? My poor, deluded boy. You can’t fire the boss.”

“Boss?” My head was suddenly spinning worse than before. “What are you saying?”

Aaron shifted a little in his seat and looked me in the eyes with an expression so serious it scared me. “Theo has always been the one running things, Kage. Your uncle was nothing but the money man. Peter Santori never wanted to get his hands dirty, but Theo… Let’s just say he doesn’t have a problem with it. He was Gio Rivera’s right-hand-man.”

“But I thought he was just some kid. Peter’s best friend.”

Aaron shrugged. “Apparently, he was a fast learner. He started out as Peter’s best friend, but after Peter got him hired on with Gio, things changed.”

“And what happened to Gio? Why haven’t I ever heard of him? I didn’t even know my uncle was gay or had ever had a lover. And now I find out have his hotel.”

“You’ll have to read all of that for yourself in the journals.”

I groaned. “Aaron, stop being mysterious.”

“I’m not trying to be mysterious,” he said. “It’s not my story to tell. I think you will understand it all better coming directly from your uncle, however emo his delivery may be. Besides, you may discover some things I failed to notice. I was reading with a detached professional eye. You actually have some emotional investment in the story.”

“Fine. But that can’t be all you’re going to tell me.”

“It’s not,” he said. “The most important stuff has to do with what you’re going to do for me. And for yourself.”

I swallowed. “And what would that be?”

“Are you sober enough to retain information, or do we need to reconvene at a future date?”

“I can’t wait for a future date. Things are getting real for me now if you hadn’t noticed.”

His gaze flicked down to my rib cage, where the damage was lurking beneath my shirt. “Yes, they are. More real than you know.” He took a deep breath and stared out through the window at the darkened parking garage. “What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this car. Do you understand me?”

I nodded, knowing that I was making a pact of secrecy that was going to be hard not to break. “I promise. It doesn’t leave this car.”

“The entire time I was working for your uncle, I was actually undercover with a certain government agency I’m not at liberty to name. Your uncle was laundering money for some big-time players in the crime world. Drug dealers, gun runners, and just all-around bad guys. We’d been looking at him for a while, and when he put out feelers for someone with surveillance experience, I happened to fit the bill. It was a perfect setup. I could get in close to him, monitor things, and keep my eyes open. The goal was to find out who his clients were, bust them, and get out. Peter Santori was supposed to be the gateway to a wealth of information about who we needed to be targeting, only he proved to be a dead-end.”

“A dead-end?”

“Yes. He was a slick bastard, your uncle. Believe it or not, the Alcazar is a legitimate business. There is absolutely no illegal activity tied to it. Theo is the one running the show, and somehow Peter always kept his nose clean. But getting in close to Theo Brown is next to impossible. If there’s one thing I learned in the last few years, it’s that he trusts no one.”

“Great,” I breathed, feeling the clock of my own mortality ticking. “If he doesn’t trust anyone, what am I supposed to do?”

“Well, I may have misspoken when I said no one. He did trust your uncle. And that’s why you’re our only hope if we want to salvage this operation.”

My mouth dropped open, and I stared at him. “Why me? I’m not my uncle. Far from it, in fact.”

“True,” he said. “But you are the official owner of everything Theo holds dear, and you are his last connection to his best friend, Peter Santori. And…” Aaron scrubbed his fingers through his baby beard. “You look an awful lot like Peter.”

“Well, there was definitely a family resemblance, but I’m hardly his doppelganger.”

Aaron chuckled. “Have you never seen any old pictures of your uncle?”

“He didn’t exactly keep framed photos of himself on the fireplace mantel.”

“No, but there are some tucked away in the folder flaps at the backs of those journals.” He cocked his head at me. “You’re really not very observant, are you?”

That pissed me off.

“I’m extremely observant. Just not where my uncle is concerned. I spent too many years wishing he’d disappear.”

“And you finally got your wish. Unfortunately, as it turns out, your uncle was the only thing keeping you safe. He kept you sheltered from the harsh realities of his business, presumably until the time was right to initiate you properly. He just died before that could happen. The man was clearly deluded about his own mortality.”

“But in the end, he was going to kill me,” I said.

Aaron shook his head. “It was all a ruse. I happen to have the inside track on that situation, remember? That man never intended to kill you, Kage. You were his heir, and he took that very seriously. I doubt he gave you the entire contents of that syringe.”

“But I think I remember seeing him empty it into me.”

Aaron raised a brow. “You don’t think he could have squirted some of it out before he gave you the shot?”

“Oh. That never occurred to me. I guess he could have.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t have risked killing you. I know for a fact he was only stalling until he could get you under control. Things just got out of hand.”

“But… Jamie.” My mind was frantically trying to hang onto the crumbs of truth he was feeding me.

“Oh, he fully intended to hurt Jamie if it came to that. He was certainly no humanitarian. But the original plan was for us to talk Jamie into leaving. The drugs were just to scare you. If you hadn’t come barging into his apartment that day, things would likely have played out very differently.”

“But why did he have such a vendetta against Jamie?”

Aaron shook his head. “Love was never supposed to be in the cards for you, Kage. At least not like that. Santori was convinced that your proclivities toward men were going to be your downfall, and then when you actually developed feelings for one of them… Well, he couldn’t abide that. Not when your affection for Jamie had you rebelling in earnest. For the first time, your uncle felt like his control on you was slipping. He needed to rein you back in.”

“So he never even planned to kill me?”

Aaron scoffed. “Not even a little bit. He just wanted to scare you. To scare you both. He had Aldo and me keeping tabs on the two of you all the time, looking for anything to drive a wedge between you. When that didn’t work, he resorted to hardcore scare tactics. In the end, it was just too much for him, losing control that way. He flipped out, and I had to step in. Especially when Aldo started waving that gun around. He would have put bullets in us all if he’d thought it was what Santori wanted.”

“And you saved us.”

Aaron chuckled humorlessly. “Make no mistake, kid. I like you and Jamie, but I would never have compromised my mission or my safety to save you. This thing is bigger than us. Bigger than me. So I had to make a judgment call: back up a dead-end lead by helping to murder an innocent young man, or salvage what I had left.”

“And that was?” I thought I knew the answer, and it made me sick to my stomach.

“You,” he said simply.

And then all of it made sense. My part in this twisted drama. My destiny. The truth sank deep into my guts like a rusty hook, and I wanted to jump out of the car and run until I couldn’t run anymore—until my insides burned and my muscles gave out. But I couldn’t, because I didn’t want a fucking bullet in my back. I was caught, and all I could do was allow Aaron to reel me in by that rusty hook.

I took a deep breath, suddenly much closer to sober than I had been moments before. “What do I have to do?”

Aaron told the driver to head back to the doctor’s office, then leaned casually against the car door. “It’s pretty simple, really. Make friends with Theo and get me a list of everyone he’s working with.”

“Ummm… make friends with the man who trusts no one? How the fuck am I supposed to do that?”

Aaron shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll figure out a way.”

“And if I refuse?”

“I’m sure you can imagine. This is an important operation, Kage. We have the opportunity to take down some really big drug and arms dealers. After all of the time and money we’ve invested, we can’t afford to fail.”

I didn’t have anything to say after that. My words dried up, and I was left with nothing but images of what might happen if I didn’t go along with Aaron’s plan.

As I climbed silently out of the car at the back of the doctor’s office, Aaron leaned across the seat and called after me.

“Remember, Kage. No one can know about this. Not even Jamie. I’d hate for anything to happen to him because you can’t keep your mouth shut.”

I swallowed hard. “Are you threatening him?”

Aaron’s gaze didn’t waver when he said, “I hope I don’t have to. He’s a sweet kid.”