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“How did he get the shears?” Liam asked.
I looked away, trembling. “I took them out of the cabinet. He wasn’t listening to me, so I tried to get him to focus. I got the shears and reminded him that I had his blood. As bad as it was now, it would only get worse if he and the Brotherhood moved on from blackmail to terrorism. It didn’t have to go that far if he told me everything.
“Next thing I know, he lunges at me. His arm broke free and Vito grabbed the shears. I thought—” My eyes fluttered shut. “I thought he was going to kill me, but Vito didn’t even try. He stuck the shears in his neck without hesitation.
“I don’t know who this Brother Abraham is. But he scared Vito a lot more than you or me.”
Silence filled the desolate room. I didn’t open my eyes—as if hoping I could wish myself away.
“Mackenzie.” Hands grasped my forearm, pulling me in. “You did nothing wrong,” Liam said softly. “I’m sorry we forced you to come here. You tried to save this man, and instead, your life was put in danger and you witnessed something horrible.”
“Don’t apologize, Liam. You tried to warn me. Sometimes I’ll have to choose between pushing people past their limits, or going without information that could save lives. Today... I found out exactly what that means.”
“Let’s get out of here.”
I looked up as Liam guided me to the stairs, but he wasn’t looking at me. A silent communication passed between the Hunts.
“What? What?” I demanded when they didn’t answer me. “Why are you looking at each other like that?”
Genny shrugged off her jacket and laid it over the body. It surprised me to see her show such reverence for the body of her enemy.
Or maybe she can’t stand to look into those wide, accusing eyes for another moment.
“This is not good, Kenzie,” Genny said. “Vito was the first brother we got our hands on. The first we could question. That’s why Liam never should’ve left this up to you.” She said it to me, but it was meant for him. “Even so, you got us something.”
“What did I get?”
“I’ve known Vito a long time. The only person he loves more than himself is his reflection. He’d never kill himself unless he was convinced a long, painful death was coming his way. Brother Abraham couldn’t get him that piss-his-pants terrified if he was just another minion. Vito gave you the name of someone high up in the organization. Maybe even the leader himself.”
“But it’s still not enough,” I said as Liam helped me up the stairs. It was mostly him because I stopped feeling my legs partway through the conversation. “It’s just a first name, and a common one too.”
“It’s a start,” Liam promised. “It’s a name we can put out on the streets. I’ll take care of everything from here, Mackenzie.” Warm lips brushed my temple. “Just relax. You’re safe.”
Liam repeated that as he scooped me up, carrying me the rest of the way to the car.
I thought I accepted death and danger as the reality of my new life. But the look in Vito’s eyes as he plunged the shears in his own throat proved one thing. Whoever was coming for him—coming for us—we were not ready for him.
We were not nearly knowledgeable enough, scared enough, or prepared enough for the monster hunting us down.
GENNY
I spent the better part of the night harassing Liam, filling in Sunny and Bane, and giving orders to my Cardinals. We had a name. That was more than we had twelve hours ago.
“I need another explanation for why you didn’t tell either of us you found Vito, because the one you gave doesn’t make any sense,” Sunny said.
The five of us gathered in Sunny’s living room, pouring over every file Liam kept on every enemy the Merchants made over the decades. We were up to twelve Abrahams and counting. Damn, we’ve been busy.
The fifth member of the party munched on a fistful of my hair and babbled in Bane’s direction. Laurel woke up a little while earlier. We all agreed it was best to let Kenzie sleep.
“I’ve given you every variety of explanation,” Liam replied. “Mackenzie needed to understand what she’s signing up for. Unfortunately, I believe she understands that now.”
“Vito wasn’t the one for your test,” Bane said. He angrily paced the carpet. “You want to teach her a lesson on torture, you could’ve sent her out to hunt down the remaining guys in Adams’s organization. Beating the crap out of a rapist is therapy. But Vito we needed.”
“It’s done,” Liam barked. “We’re moving on.”
“We’ll move on when you agree you and Kenzie won’t go rogue again,” Sunny said. “We’re taking down the Brotherhood together. We make all decisions—together.”
“Like we decided to kill Yusuf together?”
