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“I know! I saw him holding it while he was talking to you. But it didn’t come back with his things from the hospital and I had the ambulance searched.”
“It must have fallen out somewhere between the house and the morgue,” Speed murmured.
“I checked with their lost and found and talked to the maintenance people myself,” Francis said, then let out a hard breath. “I know it wouldn’t be the first rosary to get lost at a hospital but my gut tells me someone knew what that rosary meant to us and took the fuckin’ thing,” he growled.
“Easy!” Speed urged with a wince at Hawk. He didn’t want Francis rampaging around Miami, assaulting nurses and paramedics. “What if it fell out in the parking lot when they were unloading him? Anyone could have found it out there or in one of the hallways and just took it because it was a nice old rosary. I’d watch the pawn shops but anyone who knows that it was Mickey’s would know that they’d be putting a price on their heads if they tried to sell it.”
“You’re probably right. But I’m still going to watch the pawn shops. Let me know when you have something and we’ll decide what we want to do,” Francis said. Which was perfect. Speed could feed him misinformation while keeping tabs on Francis. He’d have Francis spinning in circles until he believed the Pope killed Mickey. Speed spat a frustrated curse so he could wind Francis up a little more.
“What’s there to decide, Francis? I got fuckin’ played. As soon as I get the fucking—”
“Did you hear what I said?” Francis shouted. “They tried to take you out with Mickey. You think they won’t try again if they know you’re coming after them? Your luck is gonna run out, Speed, and you’re all the family I got left.” There was a rustling and Speed assumed Francis was holding his phone against something while he raged. “I gotta think, Speed. I can’t make fucking heads or tails out of this if I’m worried about you getting killed too.”
“Ok! I won’t do anything until I talk to you.”
“Thanks. I’m just glad you’re alive. You have no idea what was going through my head. I didn’t know if they got to you and you were in pieces in the swamp or at the bottom of the ocean. Or if they got to you and you were in protective custody,” he chuckled wryly. Speed’s face twisted and he snorted in disgust.
“Fuck you for even thinking I’d help the fucking Feds. Or that I’d trust them to protect me.” He laughed and shook his head. “Forget about you and Mickey, they’d never cut me a deal for the shit I’ve done since I left you and they can’t afford to hide me.”
“I was kidding. I know you’re too much of a pampered asshole for witness protection. Stay out of trouble and check in soon,” Francis said.
“I will but you know that nobody can catch me.”
“Nope. You were always the fastest and you could slip through anything,” Francis agreed with a soft laugh.
“Nothing’s changed. I love you and I’ll talk to you soon.”
“You too. Later, Speed.” The call ended but Speed held onto the phone and the fleeting tenderness he felt for Francis for a moment.
The love he felt was real when Speed was able to reach through the years and lies and touch the Francis he knew as a child. It was easy to love the Francis that dragged Speed upstairs and into the dumpy apartment Mickey kept for his mistresses. Francis fed Speed his first real meal in weeks and it was manna after eating scraps from the trash. He made Speed take a shower and found him clean clothes. They were both eight but Speed had gotten scrawny and frail so Francis promised he’d look out for him.
Francis thought he’d found a brother but he’d played right into Speed’s hands when he got him a job “guarding” the garage. There really wasn’t anything of value in the office but Speed was allowed to sleep on the couch because it prevented the Feds from bugging it while the shop was closed for the night.
He could have found help before Speed caught Francis’s eye on the subway but it had been a calculated act. Speed followed him and learned Francis’s routine, scraping by on swigs of cold, discarded coffee and dropped bits of bagels and pizza crusts. No one paid attention to him except the creeps, as long as he avoided department stores. Speed learned how to be invisible in the city and he learned how to listen for signs of danger but he only had a loose plan when he first met Francis.
Speed knew that the kid they called Francis Michael ran around with the man who killed his parents and spent a lot of time at Mickey Winterstone’s garage. So Speed made it his mission to do whatever it took to become that kid’s best friend. He vowed that he’d become indispensable to Francis—and by extension, Mickey—until Speed could get his revenge. He didn’t know how he’d do it because Speed was only a child, but he knew that he’d have time to figure it all out if he got Francis to love and trust him like a brother.
And it was never lost on Speed that his success—and his survival—was made possible by an act of kindness and an offer of brotherhood from Francis. He’d protected Speed as many times as he betrayed him by being a bigot but even those violent threats were Francis’s misguided way of protecting him. Through the years, Speed could swallow his disappointment and bitterness because of those moments when he loved Francis like they were eight and believed they could be brothers.
“You handled that well,” Lavender said, snapping Speed back to the present.
“Thanks. As you’ve just heard, Francis is staking out pawn shops. He’s buying it and we’re in the clear.”
“For now.” Lavender held up a finger and there were murmurs from around the room. Lane pushed out a hard breath as he studied the carpet.
“That’s good enough for me. Speed’s bought himself some time so he can rest and heal. Toly’s watching the FBI while Reginald’s away so we’ll know if Leary stumbles onto anything there,” Lane said, earning serious hums and grumbles. Lavender gave him a loaded look.
“I talked to Paul before they left and we’re keeping him on a very short leash. I’ve given orders for Reginald to rest and heal. He’s perilously close to going over a cliff so I want him offline until he’s stronger.”
Toly cleared his throat, a soft hum from the speakers. “I have it covered and I am monitoring Sloan and Marston as they travel. I will make sure they remain safe.”
“Thank you, Toly,” Lavender said as he smiled at the ceiling, then bowed at the bed. “I always rest easier knowing Toly’s keeping an eye on things.” He winked at Speed to remind him that Toly was watching them as well.
“Me too,” Speed said as he nodded. “I trust Toly a hell of a lot more than I trust you.”
“Now, now…” Lavender pretended to be insulted as he left. “I haven’t done a thing to deserve that. All I did was shoot you,” he said. There were more jokes and laughter as the room cleared, leaving Speed with Hawk.
“You should give him credit for his restraint,” Hawk scolded. He was ready with a glass of water and handed Speed two tablets.
