Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
A thought crossed my mind. “How about this, Jace? We record a little video saying the Brotherhood is not a hoax. They’re real and they approached you to put trackers in the clothes of Caddell clients, so they could stalk, harass, and even kill them. You refused them. You wouldn’t have anything to do with it, and now you’re warning everyone in Cinco to prepare for this new threat.
“If you say all of that on camera and let me post it to the media, you’ll never see her again.” Genny beamed at him. “We’ll leave you alone. Most importantly, we’ll keep your secret. If anyone finds out about the drugs, it won’t be from us.”
Jace shook his head hard. Relief brought even more tears to his eyes. “Yes, okay. Whatever you want. Let’s do it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he cried. “Turn on your phone. If that’s all I have to do, I’ll do it.”
Silently, Genny climbed off and moved to the corner where she stayed while I recorded Jace’s speech. He smiled at us when he was done.
“Is that it? Are we done?”
“That’s it, Jace,” I replied. “I’m genuinely sorry for what you’ve gone through today. But word of advice: I have a feeling security is about to triple at Caddell House. You need an exit strategy out of your side business.”
Genny and I left him a thankful puddle on the living room floor. We didn’t say anything to each other in the elevator or on the ride to the Fairfield. There was nothing to say.
Vito stabbed himself in the neck when a video connecting him to the Brotherhood hit the news. A fate worse than death awaited him for exposing the organization. So why wasn’t Jace afraid of the same fate?
Answer: He didn’t have a flipping clue about the Brotherhood.
We caught a shady designer slipping stuff into clothes, but it was the wrong one. And the right one... got away.
“There’s still a chance, Gen. The real rat knew you were talking to them. I bet they’ll run. Whoever doesn’t show up for work is our guy.”
“There isn’t a chance.” A dull emptiness leeched into her tone. “A lot of people aren’t going to show up for work, Kenzie. A gun-toting maniac scared the piss out of them. They’re not stepping into that building until the guards have machine guns and there’s a security camera up everyone’s ass. My only leverage got away. They got away,” she whispered.
“You’re not giving up, are you? That’s not the Genny I love and loathe in equal measure.” I thought that would get me a chuckle. She didn’t twitch a facial muscle. “We’re not out yet. We’ll come up with another plan. Just trust me.”
Silence came from her end of the car.
Genny parked the likely stolen cab in front of the Fairfield and climbed out. I trailed behind her, determined to get her to open up and talk to me. Something was wrong, I could feel it.
Headlights lit us up. We twisted as squealing tires cut above the city sounds.
“Genevieve! Mackenzie!” Thatcher shouted. “Inside now!”
The car jumped the curb, barreling right at us. My brain screamed for me to run, but it was too late.
The car swerved around and something hurled at our feet. The driver raced off—clipping the cab coming off the curb.
I looked down at what they threw, and screamed.
“Bugsy? Bugsy, no!” Genny fell on the body, brushing away hair that was sticky with blood. “Fuuuccckkk!” she screamed, clutching her second-in-command to her chest, and doing something I’d never seen her do.
Cry.
Chapter Ten
Late that night, Sunny held me in bed and I held Laurel. The baby was fast asleep in my arms—the envy of everyone in the building. She was the only one who’d have sweet dreams that night.
“How’d they even get to her?” Sunny’s voice sounded far away. “Did they find a way to get trackers into their clothes? Maybe they have for all our gangs. I didn’t go around sprinkling Caddell on people like candy, but we’re all wearing something. The Brotherhood could’ve found another way.”
I slowly shook my head. “You had Ryker, Makai, and the guys check after we found out their little trick. They found nothing.”
“They could’ve used a different trick. There are lots of places to put trackers,” he said, kissing a line down my throat.
It both soothed and saddened me. Genny didn’t have anyone to comfort her like this. After Bugsy’s body was taken away, she went up to her apartment and slammed the door in our faces.
“Bugsy was one of the toughest women around. If they can get to her...” Sunny trailed off, but I filled the rest in for myself.
If the Brotherhood could get to her, no one in their gangs was safe. The war had finally gone beyond the family.
“To dump her like trash at our feet...” Tears prickled behind my eyes. “The kind of hate these men must have in their hearts, I don’t understand it. What could Adeline or Sinjin or Killian or any of your parents have done to someone that they’d create an organization of monsters?”