"We know the laundromat is just a cover for Marco's dirty money. He washes cash through there."
"The entire block is! He owns all of it! Every house, every business. There's lookouts everywhere. No way you're getting close to her if that's what you're planning."
"Not without an informant. I need someone to help me figure out when the coast is clear. Someone who will see me slip in and keep their lips sealed."
I stared at him. He swallowed hard. Then I grabbed a pair of wire cutters, moving close. Every muscle in his body coiled tight, prepared for more pain, until I moved behind him, clipping his restraints.
“I’ll call you on this,” I said, tossing him a prepaid disposable phone. “You keep it on you at all times. Got it?”
He nodded quickly.
I blindfolded him again, guided him up the workshop stairs, and eased him into the trunk of my van.
I drove toward the East district of Falcon City. I wanted himout of the car as fast as possible. He reeked of piss and sweat.
When the van stopped, he started begging. “Don’t kill me, man. Please.”
“Then answer your phone,” I said calmly. “You get one chance to stay alive. Miss my call even once, and I will find you and end you. Got it?”
“Yes,” he blurted. “Yes. I won’t fuck up.”
I dragged him out of the van and let his body hit the concrete, then drove off without looking back.
On the drive back to the safe house, my mind replayed the image of Lena completing her puzzle over and over. A small, reserved smile slipped across her cheeks. The way it had appeared so briefly, so fleetingly, sent possessiveness curling through me.
I wanted to make her smile again.
Something pulled me straight to her room, eager to be near her after being gone for so long. As I got closer, her scent wrapped around me, drawing me in like a lure. Spiced peaches quieted the violent edge in me.
I cracked her bedroom door open. Knox jumped to his feet instantly, silent and lethal, ready to attack. His posture relaxed only when he realized it was me, stepping into the hallway and closing the door softly behind him.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “Didn’t expect you back so soon. What’d you get?”
“Good intel,” I replied. “The lookout’s ours now. I flipped him. Sounds like Marco moved an omega to one of his stash houses on Maple Street. Apparently he owns most of the abandoned properties on that block. It should be easy to track how he's buying them and follow the money.”
Knox nodded. “Okay. Then we’ll talk about strategy for omega retrieval.”
“Tomorrow,” I said. “I’m beat.”
“Same,” he muttered. “My ass is numb and I’ve gotta piss. I’m turning in.”
He reached for the key to lock Lena’s door, but I stopped him.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I’m going to sit in there for a while.”
His brow lifted, but he didn’t argue, handing over the key and heading down the hall.
I took his usual spot on the floor and exhaled, dragging my hands through my hair.
Why the fuck was I in here?
I looked up, ready to watch Lena sleep, but her eyes were already on me. They grew wider and more attentive, tracking me. She was awake.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “Didn’t mean to wake you. Knox had to piss, so you’re stuck with me for a bit.”
Her silence stretched between us.
She almost never responded to me. Not even a nod. Only my brother.
