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FIVE
Decima
We’d been sittingon the sofa staring at the TV for a full minute after getting back to the house before any of us spoke.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Julius said, staring at the photos of Garrison and Blaze that were showing on the screen while the reporter announced that they were wanted in connection with multiple murders over the past five years thanks to new DNA evidence.
Blaze was pacing back and forth in the room behind us. “This shouldn’t even be possible. None of us has DNA on file with any law enforcement agency. I made sure of that. And we’ve been so careful during our jobs.”
“We were careful specificallybecausewe knew how easy it is to leave behind a speck of blood or a hair accidentally,” Julius pointed out grimly. “We’ve carried out hundreds of jobs. It’s not surprising that we could have missed a trace or two in the chaos somewhere. Those would have been kept on file, and now the Blood Hunter has added profiles for you to the databases.”
Garrison’s head jerked around from where he’d been glowering at the TV. “What? How the fuck could he do that?”
The three of us who’d gone to meet Petrov exchanged a glance. We hadn’t had the opportunity to tell the other men what we’d learned from Julius’s former colleague yet.
Julius sighed. “In the ambush in the alleyway, the Blood Hunter instructed the attackers to keep any blood they drew during the attack. Now we know why.”
“He wanted DNA he was sure was yours so he could tie you to those murders,” I filled in, my stomach twisting. We were lucky he hadn’t gotten his hands on samples of all the guys’ blood. “But it’s not like it matters when they don’t even know where you are, right?”
“It matters enough for this to be an effective move on his part,” Talon said. “Blaze and Garrison won’t be able to go out in public without risking being recognized and having the cops called on them.”
“Half of the crew taken out of commission,” Garrison muttered. “I can’t do my job properly if I can’t talk to anyone face to face.”
Anger rippled through me on their behalf. “It’s because of me. The two-day deadline he gave me has passed—he knows I’m not taking him up on his offer. He told me I’d regret it if I didn’t. So now he’s punishing you to get to me.”
Garrison caught my gaze, his eyes flashing. “It isn’t your fault, sweetheart. This shit came directly from that one big asshole.”
“Do you think that’s why he’s done it with the other groups of criminals he had Petrov’s squad attack?” I asked. “So he could get them out of the way?”
“Or so he has blackmail material to hold over their heads if he wants something from them,” Julius suggested. “Knowing that hecanset them up for a fall if he decides to.”
I didn’t particularly like that possibility either. The Blood Hunter was obviously used to getting whatever he wanted, and he was way too fucking good at it.
“They still don’t know our names,” Talon said with sober satisfaction. “Or our aliases. They can’t tie this to your pasts.”
Even the pictures were photos that must have been taken from security footage—from the vague bits of background around the guys’ faces, it looked like the images were from the Blood Hunter’s night club. But they were still way too recognizable.
It took a moment before Talon’s comment fully sunk in. I glanced at him. “Aliases?”
Garrison flopped back in his chair. “Really more like our real names now. Who’s used the name their parents gave them in the last five years? Anyone?”
My gaze leapt to him and then to the other two men. “The names I know aren’t your birth names?”
Julius tipped his head forward in acknowledgment. “We didn’t want anyone having access to our birth names that are tied to our public records. And we wanted names that we’d chosen for ourselves, since none of us has fond memories of our formative years. I went with Julius after Julius Caesar. You’ve got to admire his brilliant military strategy, even if he wasn’t so popular with the masses.”
Talon shrugged. “I wasn’t worried about anything that complicated. I liked the sound of Talon, and it’s something brutal that can cut straight to the point.”
I could admit it was very fitting for his ruthless killer instincts. I looked to Blaze next. “And I guess yours is because of your hair?”
Blaze managed to laugh, a bit of a sparkle coming into his bright eyes as he winked at me. “And because it reflects my blazing speed zipping through the internet—and the heat I can bring into the bedroom.”
Garrison snorted at that proclamation and rubbed his jaw, looking a bit awkward. “I’m a garrison of my own making,” he said. “No one gets inside this fortress. All you see is the walls and how I decide to decorate them.” He paused, his voice softening just a tad. “Unless I decide to let someone in.”
His name was even more fitting than Talon’s. I shot him a little smile, hoping he knew how privileged I considered myself to be one of the few people—possibly the only person—he’d ever let those walls down for.
Blaze took a deep breath and went back to his laptop where he’d left it on the dining table. “Do you trust the brothers to let us keep staying here without any problems?” he asked Julius over his shoulder. “Or is this going to be too much heat for them?”
Julius frowned in thought. “I think we’re good for now. It doesn’t affect them as long as we haven’t been connected to the building. But, Garrison, you should put out feelers for alternate accommodations in case we need to move quickly.”
