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Mia gulps and nods. “I don’t regret anything.” Her voice sounds surprisingly calm, not like her brother upstairs. Although, I can’t blame him. I bet she’d be different if I was holding a knife. Actually, she looks younger than I imagined.
I nod in understanding, though in reality, there are still quite a few gaps to fill. “You’re protecting your brother.” Before I can finish my phrase, we hear the sound of a falling chair, followed by the hooting sounds of the men.
Mia freezes. “What are they doing to him?”
“Answer the question. Please.”Because I’ve got no idea.
Mia sighs, looking strangely defeated. ”I knew you’d find out eventually. Our parents died a few years ago and since then we’ve been looking out for one another.”
“Who approached you?”
“Charlie’s a good brother,” Mia whispers. “He’s sweet and caring. But he likes to get himself into trouble. He enjoyed working for The Business, but then he got ill. He was in the hospital for six weeks and I was scared shitless about his health. But things only got worse when the hospital bills started landing on our doorstep. We desperately needed the money, so Charlie decided to press charges and The Business—you—refused to pay sick leave.” She shoots me a murderous glare. “This is all your fault. You forced him into this, into this, filthy lifestyle. We never meant to start a war, we just wanted his sick pay, I swear. Just to pay the bills. When we were searching for a lawyer, Carter Hutchinson approached us. And then—” Mia sucks in her lower lip as her gaze goes to her computers, then moves her mouse and the screen comes to life. She spins her chair back, gesturing to me to approach.
“They offered money.” Her quiet voice fills the room, and we both look at video footage of the storage unit. “Charlie always loved working for you and admired the Donnelly brothers. But we needed the cash.” I wait for her to continue talking.
“An eye for an eye, is what they told me. They needed camera footage in this abandoned storage unit. Said that soon there would be a murder that they needed filmed. We told them that we’d do it. Right after we recorded the murders, Charlie lost the case against you guys.” She gives me another scowl. “Despite my predictions, because I was so sure that the Donnelly family could feel some sort of compassion. Guess I was wrong.” Mia clears her throat. “I felt desperate. Scared. Or maybe I just felt trapped between two dark powers, when all I want for us is to be happy. I wanted to go back to the old days. So I sent those emails, trying to blackmail you. I figured that if you dropped the case, we could still get our money and we’d just tell the others that the camera didn’t work or something. Charlie wanted to stay loyal to you guys.”
“I understand,” I murmur, and I mean it. This is so very sad. “So, who are these others?” Mia looks down at her folded hands and says nothing. “I suppose it’s The Void?” I try.
She looks up and blinks. Then nods.
“How did you meet them?”
We both turn our heads in surprise at Logan’s smooth, low voice. He’s standing in the open door, flanked by Mason and Harry. When I look back to the other woman, I notice how her posture has stiffened as she pulls herself further back into the chair with every step Logan takes into the room. I want him to stop scaring her, but I can’t push my luck. Logan’s a proud man, I’ve learned, and he won’t lose face.
Charlie’s being brought into view and Mia gasps at the sight of Samuel, holding a firm grip on his waist and a Glock at his temple.
“Talk to me, or your brother dies,” Logan mumbles. “How did The Void get in touch with you?”
Mia’s eyes dart from Charlie to me and, feeling the same despair as she must feel, I nod encouragingly. “Our lawyer,” she breathes out the words and her shoulders slump.
“Carter Hutchinson?” Logan clarifies, voice surprised.
Mia nods and with a huff, Logan spins around. “That son of bitch. Harry, get this information to Connor.Now. Check his address and get Nolan, then bring Carter in. Deal with him, but don’t kill him. I suppose the boys can take your Kia for a ride?” He looks at Charlie and gives him a devious grin. The poor guy is still shaking. The gun to his head surely doesn’t help.
Logan claps his hands and eyes both Charlie and Mia. “Now, what to do with you both?” Samuel visibly tightens his grip on Charlie and tilts his head ever so slightly. The silence is thick with despair. I can’t bear it. “Hire them,” I blurt.
Logan snaps his face my way and we both stare at each other. To be honest, I’m quite surprised with myself as well. For speaking up, for testing his patience. In my defense, I believe I’m right.
“This could be the first time that you guys have a lead on The Void. That’s a huge breakthrough.” I watch as his stare burns my face, yet he doesn’t speak. He gives me a slight tilt of the head and I take that as encouragement to continue. “Take Charlie back, he’s loyal. And Mia’s great with computers, she can team up with Connor.” I turn my gaze to Mia when I think of her earlier comment. “An eye for eye is literally what they said, right?”
“Yes. Those were Carter Hutchinson’s exact words.”
I chew on my lower lip in contemplation. “Do you think he’s with The Void?”
“No.” Charlie speaks. He really is very pretty and I feel relieved to see that all ten of his fingers are still attached. “He’s a freelancer. I don’t know anyone in The Void, but I do know that they solely work with freelancers. They hire a new guy for every job, and even the guy who hires you is hired. They’re very secretive.”
The room goes quiet again as his words sink in.
Logan is still staring at me, an unreadable expression on his face. He explores every detail of my face and I force myself to keep my shoulders straight and my head high.
“Fair enough,” he finally mumbles. “Charlie, we’ll pay your sick leave. Samuel, get in touch with Ella to get this sorted.”
Relief washes through all of us and impulsively I wrap both my arms around his neck. I stand on my tiptoes to press my lips against his. “Thank you.” It’s a big thing and we both know it. It’s a shift, a promise that something has changed.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
SUNDAY NIGHT – LOGAN
