“Mom’s keeping Nora company, so you got me instead,” Ember said. “What can I do?”
“These kids have the information I need, but they need food, clean clothes, and probably a room for the night. Can you take care of that and anything else I’m overlooking?”
“Of course,” she said. “I’ll be right back with drinks and snacks. Then I’ll make you something to eat in the kitchen.”
“Hey, Dad,” Blaze said, entering the room with Raven by her side. “You wanted to see us?”
“This is Tripp Reynolds, Calvin’s younger brother. He was at the party, and he just told us you two were there to see if a guy named Jason was cheating on Payton.”
I watched as it came back to them at the same time.
“That’s right!” Blaze yelled.
“The bastard!” Raven shouted.
“Care to share?” I asked impatiently.
“We didn’t go because Payton thought Jason was cheating. They weren’t even dating. She matched with him on an app, and they had been talking online. He wanted to meet in person and invited her to the party. When she said she wasn’t sure, he got pushy and made her uncomfortable. We went to the party because we wanted to see what the big deal was,” Blaze explained.
“And Jason?” I asked.
“He gave us the drinks!” they said at the same time.
“That has been bugging the shit out of me,” Blaze said. “I couldn’t figure outhowit happened.”
“But we opened the bottles,” Raven said as her forehead wrinkled. “He handed them to us, and we opened them.”
“Then you poured it into a blue cup,” Tripp said knowingly.
“Yes!” they said in unison.
Tripp’s lips curled in disgust as he nodded. “They use blue cups to hide whatever they use. They put it in the bottom of the cups before the party. That’s also how they know which girls are there for payments.”
“Payments? Did you fucking say payments?” I asked harshly.
Tripp flinched and moved back in his seat before nodding. “My brother and his friends sell drugs for my dad. Every so often, they have parties for clients who need help with debt. They call themPay with Pussyparties.”
Ember returned as Tripp was talking and nearly dropped the tray of drinks and chips. She recovered and served the kids with a smile before she leaned close to me and whispered harshly, “If you don’t fucking kill them this time, I will.”
“I will,” I promised as my phone rang with Dice’s name on the screen. He started talking as soon as I accepted the call.
“Fuck!”
28
DICE
Iwas the first one to arrive at the gas station after Phoenix redirected us, so I was practically foaming at the mouth waiting for the brothers and the dogs to arrive. It was the first and only time I couldn’t get myself under control to obey orders. As soon as Edge handed Ink’s shirt to me, I commanded Diablo to search and didn’t look back.
Ink had been my best friend since we were teenagers. He was my brother,my family. We’d been through the worst and the best together. He was there when I met Daphne, and he was there when London came into our lives. He had just found his happily ever after, and I’d be damned if some little fuckwad wannabe drug lord took it from him.No. I was going to find my brother, and then I was going to skin that little shit stain alive.
Diablo and I were on the same page. He understood the urgency of the situation and tracked Ink’s scent faster than he’d ever tracked one before. I was struggling to keep up with him, but I had zero complaints about it.
“Fucking hell,” Edge panted from behind me, startling me.
“Not waiting for anyone, man,” I said.
“I get it,” he said as he finally caught up with me.
