“I know what you’re doing, Carlyle, and it doesn’t seem likeit now, but everyone in this room is here to help,” Dutch told him.
“You don’t know dick and I don’t need your help,” Carlyleretorted.
“He saw you, didn’t he?The guy who shot your dad.”
Carlyle’s eyes told the truth even as the kid himself shutup.
Georgiana crouched beside him.
“Hi, Carlyle, I’m Georgie.”
“Don’t give a shit who you are,” Carlyle replied.
“I can imagine,” she murmured.“But you know, uh, so we canget this situation taken care of as fast as possible, we have pictures we wantyou to look at so you can let us know if one of them is the guy you saw thatnight.”
That caught his attention.“What pictures?”
“From Jessica, your neighbor’s Facebook.”
“Bitch, you think I didn’t look there first?”he sniped.
Okay, the line was far for Dutch that Carlyle couldn’tcross.
But he’d just leaped over it.
“You don’t know me,” Dutch said low.“And I get you don’twannaknow me.But know this, you do not call my woman abitch.Are youfeelin’ me right now?”
Carlyle’s eyes shot to Dutch, and he didn’t even look at themen who had gathered at Dutch’s back at hearing his tone.
The kid he really was, the kid his father raised, came outand he looked wrecked for a beat before he hid it.
But Dutch zeroed in.
“That’s your father’s son, do not lose what you’ve got leftof him by losing hold on that.”
“You don’t know dick about my father,” Carlyle spat.
“You’re very wrong.A few seconds ago, I was looking himright in the eye.”
Carlyle’s entire big body shuddered before he closed hiseyes tight and turned his head away.
Dutch knew that feeling.
He’d felt it just that morning.
And his father had been dead for twenty-three years.
“Now, we’repickin’ up GaryBronson, and we’regonnabetalkin’to him,” Dutch shared, and Carlyle looked back, too young, or too broken, to beable to hide his shock.“And we’ve got men on Jessica, and we’regonnabewatchin’ every move shemakes.And we know where the warehouse is, and we’regonnabe on that too.You got more for us, we’ll be all over that.In the meantime,we got a safe place for you to stay with a roof, a bed, food to eat and goodpeople who’ll look out for you.And if you’ll let me, I’ll go to your ma andshare you’re good, you’re safe, and I can bring her and your sister to you sowe can prove that to her.But she’ll be safe the way I do it.And then youleave this to me, to my brothers, to the men who’ve waded into this, because wegot you.”
“I got there before he was down.”
It came out beyond his control.
Shit, shit, shit, shit,shit.
“Cut him free,” Georgie whispered urgently.
Carlyle’s eyes were locked to Dutch.
