I like that she’s casually unconventional, refreshingly outspoken, and doesn’t care much what others think.It’s the kind of easy confidence you might expect from a veteran of the music industry, but despite her colorful background, she’s really embraced her new chosen life in Silence.Her desire to invest in the community is evidence of that, and I really look forward to collaborating with her.
While I’m on the phone with Phil, I notice Hugo and Savvy having a quiet conversation in the background.
Just as I end my call, I catch the last few words of something Savvy is saying.
“…bring him in on murder charges.”
“Murder?”I gasp, grabbing on to the front of my sweater as my chest feels tight.
Savvy winces as she and Hugo exchange a look.Then they turn to me, but my focus is on Hugo, who is wearing a look of guilt.
“What murder?”
“Remember I asked you about the owner of the vehicle they found that was seen behind Clem’s shop around the time of the fire?Victor Zhang?”
I nod.
“I didn’t want to mention to you we found him in the trunk of his car.Dead.”
“Killed,” I clarify, my blood running cold through my veins.
“Execution style,” Hugo confirms.
“Because he torched the wrong place,” I guess, feeling the oppressive weight of fear press down on me.
Oh, I was scared before—I’m all too familiar with the kind of violence the Squad can wield—but the execution of this Victor Zhang, and stuffing him in the trunk of his vehicle to be found, is a clear message.Shane Lee is dead serious about his revenge and not in the mood to entertain explanations, and that doesn’t bode well for my brother or me.
“First we find your brother, then we’ll find them,” Savvy says encouragingly.“We’ve got the cooperation of the FBI, and we’re throwing every resource we have at it.”
My smile of gratitude in her direction is a little weak.As much as I value their investigative talents and appreciate the effort they’re putting in, I’m not so sure they’ll be able to get to Shane Lee, who is the head of the snake in the Lotus Squad.It’s been tried before, but he’s a slippery eel and a charismatic leader; he’ll have plenty of minions like my brother willing to take the fall for him.
I remember sitting in the courtroom when my brother was led in.My abject disbelief when he chose to plead guilty, not even putting up a fight to charges I knew for a fact could not be attributed to him.I’d come prepared to fight for him, but he didn’t even bother putting up any kind of defense for himself.
After he was convicted and sentenced, I’d gone to visit him in prison, wanting an explanation.That’s when he told me what he’d done, and why I could not breathe a word of it.
I didn’t, unlike my brother, who unburdened to someone he thought he could trust.Hugo and Savvy have given me absolutely no reason not to trust them, but still I have not breathed a word.Doing so would sign my brother’s fate, as well as my own.
But I’m not sure how long I can hold on.
“Well, I should be heading out,” Savvy announces as she gets to her feet.“Nate was planning to get the firepit going outside, and Tatum offered to make some hot chocolate.But I’ll see you two in the morning.”
She walks over to me and grabs me in a firm hug.
“Hang in there,” she whispers by my ear.“Hugo will look after you if you let him.”
I don’t know if he heard what she said, but as he walks back in after showing Savvy out, he’s got a smirk on his lips.
“What?”
He shrugs his shoulders but continues coming my way until we’re toe to toe.
“Will you?Let me look after you?Although, the way I’ve been wanting to look after you all night is probably not what Savvy meant.”
The sexy rumble of his voice and the heat in his eyes directly translate to a warm dampening of my panties.
The rush of fear I felt earlier is already fading.We’re locked up tight behind a security system Battaglia Security is monitoring, a team of Roy’s men are patrolling the neighborhood, and the dog has been fed and walked.
So when this man I’ve been lusting after for longer than I care to admit offers to look after me in that tone of voice, I’m eager to find out how.
