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“I could come up with a similar approach that’s not quite as gruesome,” his aunt started.
He cut her off with a sharp motion. “No. Nothing that means faking that I really did kill Mercy. I don’t want to pretend I’m the kind of guy who would. It’s a coward’s way out. Besides, Mercy would still have to stay in hiding then, or things would get even worse for both of us.”
Anthea frowned. “Think about it very carefully. You’re walking a thin line. I’ve known my brother even longer than you have, and he doesn’t take kindly to having his orders outright ignored.”
“We only have a couple more days before the time he gave Wylder runs out,” Rowan said. “What are our other options? Is there any chance of convincing Ezra that Mercy’s a useful asset after all?”
“Yeah, right,” I muttered. “If he hasn’t figured that out yet…”
Gideon recovered himself enough to poke at his tablet. The surveillance feeds on the screens flickered and shifted. “None of this talk does us any good if we get slaughtered by the Storm’s people or the Red Shark’s in the meantime,” he said in explanation.
“If we knew how to get rid of them and could prove Mercy played a big role in making that happen, maybe Ezra would have to admit she’s all right,” Kaige suggested. “I know we kind of tried that with Colt, but this Xavier asshole did turn up right afterward… Ezra was happy for a little while before that.”
“Then we just have to figure out how to crush all our enemies in two days,” Wylder said. “Got any brilliant brainstorms?”
Kaige pointed at Gideon. “That’s his area.”
“And mine.” Anthea tapped her lips. “Give me some time to make some calls, and maybe I’ll have another idea by the end of the day.”
“Nothing that means Mercy plays dead,” Wylder told her. “I’ll figure something out one way or another—something that doesn’t mess up her life any more than it already is.”
He spoke confidently, but the corners of his mouth had pulled tight with worry. My throat constricted. I didn’t want his life getting messed up over me either.
Before I could say that, Gideon’s head jerked up. He motioned to one of the screens. “Well, look at that.”
We all glanced over at the feed he’d indicated. A few guys had gathered on a street corner in the grainy footage that must have been from a street cam. I immediately recognized one of them from the confrontation with Xavier the other day.
“Storm people,” I said. “That one guy, at least, is pretty high up. What do you think they’re doing?”
“I saw them stash a duffel bag right before they got into position,” Gideon said. “Looks like they’re planning on doing some major dealing. They’re outside some apartment buildings, lots of foot traffic, people coming and going.”
As if on cue, a couple of kids darted by, waving at each other. They didn’t even glance at the Storm’s people, but Kaige stiffened next to me. His jaw clenched. “We should shut them down. We can call the cops on them—they’ll have no idea we spotted them, right?”
Gideon turned to Wylder. “We were looking to trace some of the key players to the Storm’s local center of operations. One of these guys might lead us there if we keep an eye on them undisturbed. It’s up to you.”
Before Wylder could answer, Kaige spoke up again. “You’ve already been narrowing down the locations watching their activity with all this.” He waved to the screens. “We don’t need these pricks.”
“We might,” Wylder cut in with a bit of an edge in his voice.
Just then, another car pulled up at the edge of the screen we were watching. I leaned forward, studying the figure who got out. A chill trickled through my stomach. “Gideon, can you zoom in on the feed?”
“Sure.” His fingers skimmed over the controls on the tablet.
As the view closed in on the men and the new guy who’d joined them, my eyes narrowed. “I thought so. It’s that guy who works for Axel—he’s hanging around the Storm’s people again.”
“What?” Wylder’s head whipped around. “That’s the same guy we saw with them at the arcade.”
“Damn right,” I said. “There’s no mistaking that hair. But what the hell is he doing with the dealers now?”
“He’s supposed to be investigating the Storm, isn’t he?” Rowan said. “At least that’s what Axel said.”
“Yeah,” Wylder said, but he knit his brow.
“He seems to be hanging out with them an awful lot,” I said. “Look at how friendly they’re being with him. I don’t know.”
“Axel didn’t seem totally sure about what the guy was doing,” Wylder admitted. “He’s been so busy keeping an eye on us, I’m not sure how closely he’s been watching his people. I wouldn’t expect him to make a mistake that big, though.”
Gideon tapped the screen. “Either way, I’m recording this. We’ll have proof if he’s up to no good.”
