My man doesn’t miss a beat when he gives his answer, “Matteo Carroza.”
Aidan and I exchange a look. He’s telling the truth; it’s the reason we targeted this warehouse in the first place. Matteo is the Italian’s consigliere, second-in-command to Cole DeLuca. Have the Italians finally expanded their business into the skin trade? My money had been on the Russians. Especially considering the Russian-manufactured guns we’d found inside some of the crates stacked up by the entrance.
My brother straightens, holstering his gun. The Italian visibly deflates, missing how my brother reaches instead for the baseball bat Liam’s holding. He must have found it lying around somewhere.
“Wait, wait!!” The goon panics. His eyes flash between the three of us and the bat in Aidan’s hands. “I have more—more information, please!” Aidan swings the bat casually in his hands, and the man’s pants darken as he pisses himself.
“I’m waiting…”
The Italian looks between my brothers, a pained expression on his face.
“Time’s up,” Aidan grins, winding up the bat one last time.
“No!” the man screeches, struggling violently in the chair. “I know who ordered the hit on Declan O’Rourke!”
Everything stops.Our father.Information we’ve been chasing formonthsnow. Aidan’s bat freezes.
“It was the Lion, the Russian Lion—Adrik—Adrik Kostalov.” He nods furiously, eagerly. “He put the hit out that left old Dec’ dead.”
I don’t bat an eye when a second later, Aidan buries the bat in the pisser’s face.
“Fucking hell,” Liam mutters, looking over the mess.
Movement in the far corner has me drawing my gun, but I lower it immediately at the sight of Alex coming through another path in the crates surrounding us.
“There’s got to be thirty girls back there. Did you call for back up?”
“Garrett, Mac, and Jace are on their way,” Liam confirms.
“Keep the girls back there,” I order, remembering where we are and what needs to be done to keep everyone protected.
“Ace.”
There’s nothing short of devastation on Aidan’s face when he looks my way, but we’ve got a job to do.
“Put your fucking mask back on.” I don’t drop my gaze until that black balaclava is back over his face, hood pulled up, before I turn my attention to Liam.
“The guards?”
“All dead.” A muscle in my jaw ticks. That leaves no one else to interrogate. Aidan should’ve left the Italian alive, so we could get more information out of him. But at least that means no witnesses, except…
The girl.
I turn slowly back around to face her. Even if Aidan hadn’t pulled off his mask, she’s already recognized me. She was quickly becoming a problem. Anothercomplicationwe can’t afford. Worse, considering when I turn around, the girl isgone.
The ropes and zip ties I cut away lie strewn about the floor, stained red with her blood, but there’s no sign ofher. My eyes dart to the opening in the crates, the one Liam and Alex came through earlier. The one no one had eyes on a few minutes ago.
I take off at a run.
The narrow path cuts haphazardly through the warehouse. Wooden crates are just thrown about, no sense of order.
“Fucking Italians,” I mutter under my breath. The path only forks once and I cut left, praying my instincts are correct. They lead me to a side door. A glowing red exit sign sits high above it.
Not good. Not fucking good.
I barrel through it. Finding myself on the docks. Theemptydocks.
Fuck.
