I nod. “Go on.”
“I drove past the Vanderburns’ garage on the way home. The brothers were there.”
My eyes widen a fraction. “What? I thought they were gone for a few more days.”
Ray exhales. “Guess when half your crew dies and one of your businesses goes up in flames, that’s a good enough reason to come home early.”
I slam my palm down on the desk, the sound cracking through the room. “Fuck!” I compose myself just slightly, inhaling sharp. “Did you see them?”
Ray continues, voice steady. “I only saw Mitch and James, they were talking out front with a few guys.”
“No Finn?”
Ray shakes his head.
I lick my teeth, the familiar bitter taste of rage rising. “That fucker…”
Ray finishes the thought for me. “Itcan’tbe a coincidence. And weknowhow unhinged Finn is now.”
I run both hands down my face again, trying to think. My thumb finds the comms button on the desk that goes straight to the security room. “Luke?”
His voice crackles back instantly. “Here, boss.”
“I want a couple of you looking into where Finn Vanderburn was this afternoon.”
Luke sounds surprised. “They’re back?”
I let out a short, bitter laugh. “Would I be asking if theyweren’t?”
Luke clears his throat, the hesitation obvious. He knows that was a stupid question.
“Ray saw Finn’s brothers at the garage,” I continue, voice low and cold. “I want to knowexactlywhere that little fucker was when Kit went missing. And whether or not I need to pay them a final visit.”
Finalbecause Iwillbutcher every last one of them if they had anything to do with this.
Luke answers quickly, all business now. “You got it, boss.”
I release the button and look back at Ray. My throat is tight, the words scraping out like gravel. I try to keep my voice steady, the way I should, but it still cracks halfway through. “We need to find him.”
I swallow hard, jaw flexing as I force the rest out. “We need to… even if…”
The pause stretches. I can feel the fracture widening behind my ribs, but I refuse to let it show on my face. My fingers curl into fists on the desk until the knuckles go white.
“Even if it’s just hisbody,” I finish, the words rough, almost choked, “we need to bring him home.”
The thought of pulling Kit’s broken little body out of some ditch or trunk makes something sharp and ugly twist deep in my chest. I shove it down, bury it, lock it behind the cold mask I’ve worn for years.
Ray’s face pales slightly. He nods once, voice quiet. “Of course. I’ll, uh… go check on the girls.”
I nod. Ray stands and leaves without another word, closing the door softly behind him.
The study falls silent again, except for the low hum of the laptop and the sound of my own ragged breathing. I stare at the frozen image of Kit’s smile on the screen and feel something inside me fracture just a little more.
???
Dinner time comes and goes, but I don’t move from my desk. The plate Lorraine brought up hours ago sits cold and untouched beside the laptop. I stare at the food like it’s an enemy… but the thought of eating makes my stomach turn.
A soft knock sounds at the door.
