“I will, darling.And I won’t be long.”
He watched her hair nod in the dark.
He kissed her nose.
Then he rolled out of bed and made sure the covers were overher before he moved to his walk-in closet.
He called Ronald from there and spoke to him quietly.
That done, he dressed.
Marcus walked into the warehouse, Brady at his back,Louie at his, Vince at his.Ronald was standing outside by the car.
The space was large.There was a couch in it, a foldingtable with two chairs, a deck of cards on it arrested in a game.Hiding acorner, there was some ripped, opaque-with-grime plastic sheeting hanging fromthe ceiling, a good deal of dust on the floor, and not much else.
However, the room was populated.
Darius Tucker was there, standing next to his aunt, ShirleenJackson.
Darius was a tall, lean black man with twists in his hairand a face that would be handsome if it wasn’t so cold.
Shirleen was a tall, full-figured black woman with a verylarge Afro.She was wearing purple and looked like she’d come to that warehousefrom choir practice at a church where all the women vied to be best dressed.
Standing opposite them, there was a man built like alinebacker.His dark hair was thick and wavy, his dark-brown eyes were alertand locked on Marcus.He was wearing jeans, brown boots, and a long-sleevedcargo shirt.
Lee Nightingale.
At his side was a man known on the streets as Stark.Hislast name.His first was Lucas but everyone called him Stark, unless you weresomeone he’d allow to call him Luke, and there weren’t many of those.He hadblack hair, dark-blue eyes, a full beard that was trimmed precisely along hisjaw, and he was wearing black cargo pants, a tight, black, wicking shirt, andblack combat boots.
And last, there was a man on his knees.His hands were notbound.But his head was bent forward and it looked like he was listing.
Shirleen and Darius had been playing.
Perhaps Nightingale and Stark, too.
Though, at a glance, Marcus noted it was only Stark who hadcut, bloody knuckles.
Marcus stopped and looked behind him.
Brady jerked up his chin but it was Louie who moved forward.
He went to the man on his knees, grasped him by his hair,and yanked his head back.
The man grunted but nothing else.However, he looked likehe’d keel over if Louie didn’t keep hold of him.
Although his face was blooded and very swollen, there was nomistaking he was the man Marcus saw in the video in Smithie’s security room.
The man who’d raped Daisy.
He nodded to Louie, who let him go.
He swayed so Marcus ordered, “Make him keep his knees.”
Louie dropped his eyes to the man.
Marcus looked to Shirleen but he said nothing.
“Figure that’s my invitation to take my leave,” shemuttered, shot him a grin, and said louder, “Time’s right, Marcus,Shirleen’llbewantin’ to meetyour girl.”
