When I pull into our driveway, I barely put my car in park before I climb out and run up the stairs.
I’m panting when I push into the office, but I hurry overto the desk where Dominic, Carter, Kai, and Gavin are congregated.
And wish I hadn’t.
On the desk is an opened box, with a finger nestled in the middle like a fucking gift. A finger with a familiar tattoo on the first knuckle.
My knees almost give out when I see it, bile rising in my throat. “I know who sent it,” I force out as I keep my eyes locked on the digit that should still be attached to Declan’s hand. “I know who it is.”
All heads whip over to me. With shaky hands—and eyes blurring as they stare at the index finger—I hand over the bullshit letter Donny wrote.
Someone takes it from my hand and reads it aloud.
Carter,
I’m sorry about what I done. It wasn’t right. He made me believe someone had to get revenge for what happened to them. They spun a good web. But I know now we went too far. You and your family have always been fair to me. I should have told you what he was planning before it went down, but he promised me half the money. With six kids and an expensive wife, I needed everything he was offering.
I sent my family out of town, but please don’t hurt them. They got nothin to do with this.
I don’t know where Declan is, but I can tell you who did it so you can find him.
It was Austin.
I’msorry.
Donny
Honestly,I don’t give a fuck if Carter and Dominic find this fucker’s family and kills them all. He should have thought about the risks when he got in bed with a snake like Austin.
Dominic lets out a sharp roar and swipes all of the items off Carter’s desk, including Declan’s finger. I watch it hit the floor and I want to deck Dominic for being careless.
But that finger isn’t Declan.
I bury my anger and sit down, trying to think of what needs to be done. If Austin is sending pieces, he’s not fucking around. He wants the money he’s asking for—up to ten million since Declan was taken—and he wants it now.
Carter drops heavily onto the floor, his face a mask of pain. “I’ll pay. I’ll give them whatever they want.”
Dominic grunts, though I don’t know if he agrees or not.
“Tell them?—”
“Not yet,” I say, surprising myself. “Just…hold off.”
Carter glares at me. He gets off his feet and strides over to me. I stand up before he can knock me out of my chair. Still, his hands go to my chest, shoving me hard. “They’re cutting off pieces of my brother! You saw the fucking box!”
“You don’t think I fucking saw?! But what do you think will happen if you give them the money? You think Austin is going to hand Declan over? You think he’ll say ‘Okay, here, take your brother back after I mutilated him’?” Carter’s face crumples. “I’m not trying to be an asshole, but you gotta use your head.” I smile briefly. “Something I always tell Declan. Think. If you send that money, what will happen?”
He blows out a hard breath and closes his eyes. After a few seconds he opens them and they look clear, focused. “They’ll kill him.”
“Exactly. Give me twenty-four hours. Let me try to find him. Please.”
Surprising me, he leans his head against my shoulder and lets out another long breath. “Okay. Twenty-four hours. Then I’m going to do what I have to so I can get my brother back.”
“I’ll do what I can to return him to you. I swear it.”
CHAPTER 26
DECLAN
