They lay there in the silence for a long time when Levi’s phone dinged. He picked it up and frowned.
Meet us at the tunnel entrance at midnight. Bring Shiloh. Head on a swivel, though. Micah has eyes on your apartment and the garage.
“Fuck.”
“What?” Shiloh said, already dozing beneath him.
“The Mulvaneys want a meeting.”
“When?”
Levi groaned, burying his face in Shiloh’s neck. “Tonight.”
Shiloh gave a pouty whine. “I’m so sleepy.”
“I know, baby. But we have a few hours,” Levi said. “We can power nap.”
“Okay,” Shiloh said. “Don’t forget to text Nico and Mal.”
“About?”
“The meeting. They’ll never let us go alone,” he said, already drifting.
Shiloh was right. Fuck. “I’ll take care of it, baby. Just go to sleep.”
Shiloh was out before Levi had even pulled up Nico’s phone number.
Shiloh shrunk back against Levi as they exited the van. Levi wrapped his arms around him from behind, eyes traveling up the outside of the white-washed brick building caked in layers of dirt and grime, frowning at a rusted red shoot that connected one building to another. It would have been ominous in the light of day, but at night, lit by one flickering streetlight and a handful of yellowish security lights, it was fucking terrifying.
“Where are we?” Shiloh whispered.
It was Mal who answered. “Looks like a slaughterhouse,” he said, pointing to the faded logo painted on the steel metal doors.
G & J Meats.Great.
“A slaughterhouse?” Shiloh asked, voice wavering. “Levi, why is the murder family taking us to a slaughterhouse?”
Noah appeared in front of them, a grin on his handsome freckled face. “We own it. It’s just easier to talk here. Not eventhe meth heads will try to break in here. The smell of blood and rotting meat chases them away. That way we can control all the variables.”
Shiloh looked like he might vomit, but Noah was in his element. It was clear he loved this shit. He came alive when he coordinated these little missions for Thomas. Sometimes, it was hard to remember he hadn’t been born into the Mulvaney family but married into it.
“Variables?” Shiloh echoed, scanning the empty surroundings.
Despite the numerous industrial buildings, there wasn’t a soul for miles. And it wasn’t because it was after midnight—the whole commerce park was abandoned, a mini-ghost town.
“Mulvaney Holdings owns the commerce park and the marina. That way, we control who comes in and goes out. We also control the security measures.”
Noah looked up and waved at a camera tucked into the corner of the building, not hidden but not immediately noticeable either.
Levi’s brow went up as the camera shook back and forth like it was acknowledging his wave. “Calliope?”
Noah shrugged. “Or Lola. Or Arlo. Or Dimitri. They alternate monitoring now. Lola insists on it. Something about work-life balance?”
Nico threw his arm over Noah’s shoulders, voice falsely chipper as always. “Can we get inside now? All this emptiness is giving me the creeps.”
Noah laughed. “I don’t think you’ll find it any better inside.” To Shiloh, he said, “Don’t be scared. We’re here to help you.”
Shiloh didn’t respond, but some of the tension left him as he sank against Levi’s chest. Noah led them to the large iron door. A screeching sound cut through the silence as the hinges on the heavy door protested.
