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Another uncomfortable sensation curdles my stomach when he calls Lauren ‘Low’. Shrugging it off, I narrow my eyes at him.
“What do you know about Josh and Lauren Carmichael?”
Perry sighs, running a hand through his shaggy hair. “I went to school with Josh. Low was the skinny little sister he always had to look out for. Sometimes she was annoying because he couldn’t do stuff. ‘I can’t. Low needs me,’ was his go-to phrase. But she was a good kid.”
So, she was close with her brother. That doesn’t answer the questions hammering at my brain.
“What happened with Josh and the Italians.”
Perry shifts uncomfortably, sadness flashing across his face. “I don’t know. He never wanted to be affiliated with any… one.”
His eyes dart to my face, but I keep it impassive. I don’t give a shit if Carmichael didn’t agree with the mafias running this city – he was always polite to me, and a good opponent in the ring. Until three days ago, that’s all I needed to know about the man to respect him.
“I heard the Italians paid him to take a dive. But Josh would never take a dive. I don’t know if he agreed for some reason and backed out or if they just misunderstood, but he wound up dead.”
“And Lauren?”
Perry’s breath blows out sharply. “Low buried him. She tried to move on. I thought that was the end of things. Then she texted me asking about you.”
His eyes trail over me, and he snorts.
“What about me?”
“She wanted to know when you were fighting. I told her Josh never wanted her near the fights, so she wasn’t fucking getting close to one.”
And he should have fucking held the line. Lauren should never have been in that warehouse. There were Italiansright there. Does she know what kind of danger she might have been in?
“And yet, you let her in. You sat her with Seamus.”
“Yeah. She said if I didn’t tell her, she would sit on the doorstep of Oracle until you showed up.”
Jesus fuck. I need to have a word with the lass about self-preservation.
“I figured I had some clout at least at the fight and could keep her safe.” He pauses, eyeing me carefully. “Is she okay? Is she safe?”
“She’s safe.”
He hesitates again. “You’re not going to tell me where she is, are you?”
“No. I’m not.”
“Okay. That’s okay. As long as she’s safe. That’s what Josh would have wanted.”
“Do you know why Josh Carmichael told Lauren to come to me if she ever needed help?”
I mean, I knew the guy. He was a good guy. But we barely spoke two words to each other outside of the ring. Perry smirks.
“Josh thought you were a decent bloke. I guess he trusted you with his sister.”
I wish I could ask him why. But he’s cold in the ground, and I don’t think I will get any more information from Perry.
“I’ll see you at the next fight, Perry.”
He nods stiffly, unlocking the door and holding it open for me.
“Thank you for looking out for Low.”
Grunting, I nod and stalk out of the apartment, heading back for the stairs. Of course I’m going to look out for Lauren. What the fuck else would I do? If anything happened to her, I think those huge eyes would haunt me for the rest of my life.
