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“Then why didn’t you just say that?” he demands on a growl.
“Because nothing is ever that simple,” I remind him. “The forest is at war, and there is an army of animals hiding in the shadows.”
I call Lory sixty-three times between seven and nine in the morning, adopting the crazy girlfriend role without actually wanting the title. Every time his voicemail picks up, my heart climbs further into my throat.
Finally, he answers, and I launch to my feet in relief.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I snarl at Lory. “I was beginning to think—”
“Sorry,” he mumbles, still half asleep. “I took Javier and Tomas home first, then I took a nap when I got to the hotel.”
“You’re okay?”
“Yeah.”
I sigh. “Everyone else?”
“Yeah. Well, no,” he backtracks. “We killed Dean and Reggie.”
“Wow, really?” I whisper. “Them too?”
“Who’d you kill?”
“A recruit I’ve never met and two of Estrada’s guys. But Don and Jose were with them. They ran.”
He hums, not really surprised. “We didn’t trust them, anyway.”
“Yeah, but now we’ve got to find them,” I point out. “So that doesn’t exactly help us at all.”
“Where are you?” he asks.
“The Copeland estate.”
“Why?”
I step out the back door to pace across the immaculate patio as I answer, “Because Ezra was at my apartment when they attacked.”
“Him too, huh?”
“Lory,” I breathe. “I’ve always been honest about what I want with you. If you really can’t handle—”
“Can we talk about this later?” he cuts in. “I have some other news I need to tell you.”
“Sure. What is it?”
He takes a deep, rattling breath. “Roland Perez is dead.”
I stop moving, the words echoing around my mind as I process them too slowly.
Roland Perez is dead?
Died at a job I gave him to keep him safe?
During an attack meant for us…
Chills wrack my body as anger floods my system. I shake out my arms and continue moving to exert some of the building adrenaline.
It needs an outlet.
