“Why?” I ask anyway.Dumbass.
“My mom is sick, and I needed the money for medical bills and her medicine.”
My heart drops to my feet. Why did I have to ask?! I know I can’ttrust him for shit, but what if he’s telling the truth, and I sign his mom’s death warrant when I take him out?
My phone starts buzzing in my pocket, so I pull it out to see Holden’s name flashing across the display.
“Hello?”
“Oh, thank fuck,” he breathes out. “No one was answering, and I saw blue lights flashing all over the cameras.”
I wince. “Sorry. It’s been crazy. We’re okay, though. I promise.”I’m a horrible girlfriend.“I need you to run something for me. Xander King’s living relatives and if they’re being treated for anything.”
“It’s okay, Bright eyes; I’m just glad to hear your voice. I’m running it now.”
I smile. “We will see you in a bit.”
“I lov…” he pauses. “I’ll see you later,” he says, disconnecting the call. I stare at the screen, confused. Was Holden getting ready to say I love you? What would I have said if he did? I shake my head, deciding to cross that bridge when the time comes.
Two minutes later, I get the text I need.
Holden
No living relatives.
I laugh, but it’s not one full of humor. “You lying motherfucker,” I growl, shoving my gun back in his face. “You think I wouldn’t check that?”
I see the moment Xander knows he’s done. I would kill him, or Viktor would for ratting him out. He bows his head. “Please take care of my son.”
“You don’t have any kids. No living relatives,” I repeat what Holden told me.
He shakes his head. “I’m not listed as his father. He’s in foster care.”
“Which one?” I ask.
“The one up the street from the garage,” he answers.
Ryder jerks Xander’s head back by his hair to snarl in his face. “You left your son in that shit hole?”
“I didn’t have a choice,” he says hoarsely. “His mom kept him from me. She told me after she went to jail.”
“How old is he?” I don’t know why I’m asking questions, except kids always pull at my heartstrings. Heartstrings I can’t afford to have right now with a brewing war.
“Nine months.”
“I knew you were a piece of shit, Xander, but I didn’t realize how much until just now.” I chamber a round and pull the trigger.
“Damn it, Les,” Ryder says, looking down at the blood on his jeans, which splattered from the hole in the back of Xander’s head.
“Oops,” I laugh, holstering my gun. “Call Mani and tell him we need a cleanup crew.” He fake glares, jerking his phone out of his pocket. He dials the number and walks away.
“You could have warned him,” Dex says with a chuckle.
“That’s no fun,” I laugh, walking over to the Mustang. Dex unlocks the trunk, and we both just stand there and stare at all the product. “What the hell do we do with this?”
“That depends on what kind of message you want to send to Viktor,” he answers.
That I don’t know yet. “We can stash it in one of the shipping containers until we figure it out.”
