“Hawthorne kidnapped people and killed them for their organs. He treated humans like livestock.” My fingers curled, remembering the first time I held a heart with blood smearing both of my hands. It took me a while to stop dreaming about that incident. But when one nightmare disappeared, another one took its place.
“Hawthorne’s not dead.” Harry’s lips thinned. “He sent you and the boys Francisco’s body parts.”
“How do you know this?” I whipped my attention to him.
I didn’t know if I liked Harry being so involved in this dangerous game. He was Eva’s grandfather, recovering from surgery.
“Francisco and his brother, Mario, were part of Hawthorne’s gang. Mario died when Hawthorne’s client killed him in a rage for delivering an organ ten minutes late. Hawthorne dismissed the incident, continuing to work with the client. So Francisco became furious, went rogue, and wanted vengeance for his brother.”
“Francisco left explosives at the Boston Harbor Hotel,” I said. “He was targeting Noah Loomer and Anastasia Masterson.”
“Noah and Anastasia are part of a pedophile ring. Francisco wanted to atone for his sins by eliminating them.”
Now they were on my shit list.
I stared at Harry, surprised that he knew so much. “How do you know this?”
“I’ve got my people.” He smirked, tapping his temple. “These wheels are working fine.” Then he blew out a sigh. “Hawthorne caught up to Francisco, killed him, and sent his guts to you as a warning.”
“What do you mean?”
“He now knowsyou’reresponsible for the explosion twenty years ago.”
“Why did it take him so long?” I asked.
“Because he assumed Scorpion Trine did it.”
The pieces were finally falling into place. Hawthorne thought his powerful enemy was behind his organization’s demise, but in reality, it was me and my friends—young boys he’d captured and imprisoned.
I couldn’t help the smile that crept onto my lips. “That must’ve pissed him off when he figured out it was me.”
Hawthorne’s assumption had kept me and the boys safe all these years.
“Hence the body parts. He’s saying he’s going to dismember you and the boys like he did Francisco.”
“Was he injured? What about the other members?”
“He was injured, but I don’t know to what extent.” Harry shrugged. “I heard some members died, but others survived.”
“Hawthorne used to kill people and used black roses at the crime scene. But now they’re bleeding hearts and other flowers.”
“Maybe his injuries changed his MO. Or maybe it’s a disciple, or a random copycat killer who wants fame. Maybe he’s bored and wants to change things up to confuse you.”
That could be the case. It was hard to pinpoint why a psychopath did what he did.
“That means the officials lied to me back then.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “They said his DNA matched the burned body.”
“Corrupt officials are a dime a dozen. Or maybe Hawthorne planted his DNA to sway the investigation.”
A moment of silence hung in the air as we watched more kids arrive at the playground.
I stared at him, studying this fascinating old man sitting beside me. He was my savior and the only family member of the woman I loved.
I loved her, but I wanted to wait a while before telling her. I didn’t believe in love at first sight until Eva. That rare phenomenon that people spoke about was real.
The desire to protect Eva and Harry rose in me. “You should step back from all of this.”
Harry leveled a stare at me. “Too late.”
