“Mmhm.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I’ll give Mary a few more minutes before I go down there.”
“Down where?”
“To the site.”
“Negative.”
“Connor didn’t just disappear.” Was this how my brother felt when we lost contact after the Massio mission?
“That is exactly what they’ll expect. You. They want the pair of you dead so they can take over your father’s legacy. Should this happen, we’re all going down. Not just us, many others too. There will be a regional war.”
Bile rises in my throat, and I swallow it down. Nope. I bend to hack it out. Wiping my mouth, I peek over the cars to see if anyone heard me. Not now, but the cop I knocked out should be waking up soon.
“Do you think your brother is alive?” my uncle asks quietly.
“I don’t know.”
“Sure you do.”
“Then yes, I think so.”
“Good. Then he’s alive. What do you have on you?”
“I’ve got the clothes on my back and my pistols. I can steal a car.”
I glance at the cop. “I have an idea.”
“Me too. I’m on my way.”
“Negative,” I say. “I work alone.” I wait for acknowledgment. “Hello?” Nothing. Damn it.
Even though Connor thinks he inherited everything from our father, he takes after Endo. They’re fiercely loyal to the people they consider family.
Chapter 33
Old wounds burn
Declan
At the gas pump, a big bearded man wearing work pants and a dirty shirt leans against a white pickup truck as it refuels. A construction worker, probably on his way home. Once done, he walks up to the kiosk, and I slide into his truck and peel off.
Oh, hey, he left a sandwich on the seat next to a baseball cap.
I should probably eat, but I can’t. Besides, the big guy might be hungry. I just need to borrow his truck, not eat his food. Hopefully, he’ll find the truck where I park it once I get near the hospital, because the cops are too busy with emergencies to deal with vehicle theft right now.
As I approach the site, men in uniforms swarm the streets, moving back and forth through the rubble. I park on the side street behind a green dumpster, a little way away, and observe the situation.
The hair salon collapsed in on itself. It’s just a pile of rubble now. A guy from forensics photographs a piece of metal that I think might be a part of an engine lying in the middleof the street. There are cameras everywhere. News reporters. Helicopters above. People in the buildings nearby, filming with their phones.
While the area was blocked off, whoever lived here stayed here.
The rescue crew walks toward me, moving away from the carnage. I can’t figure out why. I need to get in there and find out what’s going on.
I’m wearing the uniform I stripped off the cop. Now, I secure the cop’s hat low over my forehead to cover my eyes and walk up to the group of actual cops smoking and chatting nearby.
