“He’s a good fighter and he’s trustworthy. He’ll have a position in the Company for a long time.” Sloan quirked his lips and it was analmostsmile. “Consider this a lesson for him. He needs to know when he’s injured enough that he can’t handle important jobs.”
I smiled at him. “I appreciate that, Boss.”
Sloan nodded just as someone knocked on the door. “Enter.”
The door opened and Ardan stepped through, dressed in a black suit with a red tie. His dark hair was slightly curlier than usual and the shadow of his beard thicker than the last time we’d seen him. He bowed his head slightly as he entered and stopped beside Sloan’s desk. “Boss, I got that information you wanted.”
“You could’ve called,” Sloan drawled with a smirk.
Ardan grinned, flashing white teeth at Sloan. It wasn’t often his mouth moved in anything but a sneer, but he and Sloan went way back. “I decided it would be better to deliver the news in person. I was in the area.”
Sloan waved his hand. “What do you have?”
“I got in contact with Franco—you know, Boss, I now owe him a favor. I hate owing anyone a favor.” Ardan raised his dark brows, the skin around the bridge of his nose creasing, and Sloan sighed.
“I’ll handle it. He’ll be paid a hefty sum for his help.”
“Thank you.” Ardan never glanced at us; it was as though we weren’t in the room, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary for him. Everything he did, he did for Sloan. “So, Franco did his magic and found that Reyes never left San Diego. No airline tickets. Recent credit card purchases suggest he stayed in the SoCal area.”
“Of course the twit didn’t. He’s not thick. He doesn’t wanna give the boss a reason to think he was involved.” Cillian crossed his arms and glared at Ardan.
“Exactly.” Ardan stared down his narrow nose at Cillian and his smile disappeared, as though Cillian was dogshit beneath his shoe. His attention returned to Sloan and his expression changed again. “So, Franco ran the faces of the people who came into New York City and left the same day. If the Reyes Cartel did the bombing, they’d want to be in and out, especially since our little prodigy and his boyfriend fought two of them.”
Sloan hummed. “And?”
“No names associated with the Reyes Cartel.” Ardan pressed his tongue into the side of his mouth smugly. “But, two men by the name of Marshall Snyder and Victor Ramirez flew into JFK this morning and left this afternoon. Men who, according to our friendly Society nerd, are physical matches for Pedro Cortez and Jorge Aguilar Ortíz—associatesof Thiago Reyes. Marshall and Victor are aliases.” Ardan sent Sloan a proud smile and turned to me, unlocking his phone and flashing it toward me. “Are those the men who you and Maher fought with on the rooftop?”
“Yes.” My jaw clenched and I had the urge to reach through the phone and strangle them. “That’s them.”
“Hm.” Ardan flipped his attention back to Sloan. “They are part of the Reyes Cartel and belong to Thiago.”
“And the bomb?” Sloan straightened, eyes flashing dangerously.
Some of Ardan’s pride left him and he exhaled. “There’s no way I could get close enough to the crime scene to study it. They brought in Homeland Security.”
“Why?” Sloan stood, arms crossed. He was taller with bigger shoulders and made Ardan look small.
“Because it’s a bomb in New York City. Since September eleventh, anything that resembles a bomb is locked down and investigated.”
Rowen frowned beside me and stepped forward. “It wasn’t in a significant area with a huge population. That doesn’t shout terrorist.”
Ardan shrugged. “It’s the feds. I guess they have to justify their budget somehow.” He stared at Rowen with more respect than he had Cillian. I had a feeling he’d never liked Cillian, but not many people in the Company did. “They’re taking no chances.”
“Our contacts?” Sloan asked, voice rising in anger.
Ardan pursed his lips. “They’ve gone radio silent. My guess is with the feds involved they’re shitting themselves.”
“Get them on the phone, Ardan.” Sloan’s jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists. “If they don’t play ball, pay them a visit. I want to know the specifics of that bomb so I can nail Reyes’s balls to the wall. Literally.”
Ardan straightened and bowed again. “Understood, sir. Gabe and I are on it.”
“Good. I trust you to find me answers.” Sloan waved his hand, and Ardan left as quickly as he’d entered.
Once he was gone, Sloan turned his attention back to us. He retook his seat and rolled the chair forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “If this turns out to be Reyes, I expect you all to be ready for a fight. I will not tolerate an attack on my business. It’s time to show him why I’m in charge of the East Coast.”
“Aye, sir,” Cillian said, excitement flashing across his face. He sat forward in his chair, barely able to contain his leg from bouncing. “We’d be happy to show him the proper way to blow shite up. That bomb was piss-weak.”
Sloan nodded but didn’t seem as enthusiastic as Cillian. “Right. It’s time for me to relax. Check on my pet and take a shower. I’ve made sure you’ve been set up in the same bedroom as your last stay. Let my staff know if you need anything.” He stood and we all did the same.
