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Blake lifted his hands. He took the ball from Gage and ran down the court, bouncing it as he went. At the last second he jumped and dunked the ball in the basket. The teenage spectators whooped and hollered. Three of them ran over to join the game with Blake.
Jasper had gone to his bag to take a call of his own. Probably from a woman.
Liam still stood in front of Dakota. “You’ve got problems? Fine. But you don’t cut down your teammate. You think he’s gonna take a bullet for you when you treat him like trash?”
Dakota’s face reddened almost the color of his hair. “I don’t need anyone taking a bullet for me.” He slapped his chest. “I got it.”
“That’s what you think?”
Gage agreed with Liam. No way did Dakota have anything but a whole lot of denial about whatever his brother seemed to think needed the Lord’s intervention.
“Point, and I’ll shoot.” Dakota strode past Liam and headed for Blake and the kids, a couple of whom were intent on doing tricks instead of playing the game.
Liam said, “Working this bank robbery case will be good for us. Even if we did get schooled today.”
Gage didn’t consider the fact the suspects were in the wind that way, but cases weren’t a matter of success or failure. They were either open or closed.
Keeping his job, making this teamwork? That was his focus. And it was win or lose, but no way would Gage risk that loss. If it meant working with Clare, then so be it.
Dakota threw the ball. It slammed Gage in the chest, but he caught it.
One of the kids called out, “We gonna play ball, or what?”
Gage grinned. “Let’s do this.”
TWELVE
London came awake swinging. Two sets of hands, one sat either side of him in the van, held him in the middle seat. Rio and Phoenix. “What…” His voice came out muffled, a strip of tape over the bottom half of his face.
His abdomen thrummed with pain. London inhaled, and shards sliced through his ribs. Broken, or just cracked. Didn’t matter. Either way he was in the doghouse—or worse.
Berlin sat in the front seat while Miami drove. Berlin twisted in the chair and looked at him. “Didn’t figure you’d wake up before we got there, but it is what it is.”
London recalled the savage beating they’d given him before he blacked out. Mostly Phoenix. The guy had a metric ton of rage in him, and it wasn’t the first time they’d let him pummel someone bloody.
Usually it wasn’t one of their group on the receiving end.
“What did I do?” The words were nothing but a muffled yell behind the tape.
Phoenix snorted.
Rio reached over and ripped off the tape. Miami took a corner too hard. London knew where they were going, and the knowledge of it settled in him like cold food in his stomach. Made him want to hurl.You’re a dead man.
“What?” London had to take a breath. “What did I do?”
Berlin’s face bore an emotionless expression. “None of us steps out of line. We agreed to that when we started this, and it’s worked. We don’t deviate from the plan.”
They’d jumped him before. Would they explain now?What did I do?
“Awfully chatty with that lady in the bank.”
“She wasn’t a cop. She runs a PI firm. And I didn’t tell her anything.” London pulled against the ties securing his wrists together. The boys knew what they were doing. He wasn’t going to be able to break out of these—even fracturing a thumb wouldn’t help. His breath came faster until spots pricked at the edges of his vision.
“We don’t deviate from the plan.”
London squeezed his eyes shut. He shook against the seat as pain roiled through his body in waves.Kill me now. Just put me out of my misery.“You just decided you don’t want to split this five ways. Four is a bigger payday. Is that it?”
“Watch your mouth.” Miami took another corner.
