“What can we do?”
“I’m heading to the hospital with them. I’m sure that’s where he’s headed. Ya and Cole can ride with me if ye want.”
“Oh, I have a bottle of whiskey I’ve been saving for LaSalle. I meant to stop at the bar to pick it up. We’ll meet ya at the hospital, yeah?”
“Aye, see ye there.”
***
“This is goingto be quick. You don’t have to come inside with me. I’ll be right back,” I say as Cole pulls up to the bar.
“If it will be quick, we can both be in and out. The place is closed. I’d feel better if I went with you.”
I purse my lips and give him a pointed look. Just as I get ready to tell him I can more than handle myself, his phone rings. He looks at the incoming call and curses.
“Fuck, I need to take this. Hold on.”
I roll my eyes because by the time he takes his call, I could be in and out. This is Cole. I should know better. He’s always my protector.
He’s been extra protective this week as Blair and Callum have been away for a little bit. I’ll admit, I do feel strange knowing they’re not lurking somewhere nearby. I’ve grown used to having them around at all times.
“Hey, man. What’s up?”
“I’m right behind you. This shouldn’t be said over an open line,” Czar says right as high beams flash behind us.
Cole sighs. “All right.”
He cuts the call and leans across the console to kiss me. “Go on in. I’ll be right out here talking to Czar. Get what ya came for and bring your ass right back out.”
“Aye, aye,” I say with a teasing smile.
He pulls a face that tells me he thinks I’m a smart-ass. His annoying smart-ass, whom he loves. I wink at him then turn to run across the street to the pub.
Brooklyn
Czar toldme earlier that we needed to talk. No one was expecting Tasha to go into labor. We all took off to support LaSalle and Tasha.
We had been pulling out when DJ asked me to bring her here to pick something up for LaSalle. I guess Czar took notice that I wasn’t heading for the hospital using the same route as everyone else.
Whatever he needs to talk about must be pretty important. I step out of the car and walk to meet him in front of his SUV. The first thing I note is the concern in his blue eyes.
“What’s up? What’s that look about?”
“Remember that body you asked me to look into about a year or so ago when those cops came sniffing around?”
“Aye, you said nothing came up. Just some lowlife.”
“Yeah, at first glance, that would be true. I came by as you asked about a week ago. There was a guy sort of lurking around. I didn’t think anything of it at first.
“He was old enough to be my dad. I took him to be harmless. However, this other dude showed up, and he started taking pictures of the pub. The first dude sees him and drags him out of the car.
“You told us not to make ourselves known or obvious when we come around, so I held back and watched. He dragged the guy into the alley and beat the shit out of him, then threw his body in his own trunk and drove off.
“I shrugged it off since you did tell me she has bodyguards, I thought maybe they were back. Then Andrei gets a visit from your NYPD boys while I’m there. They were asking after one of his guys and they mentioned the dead guy you had me look into.
“They think the two murders were connected because—get this—body number one had just started working for Andrei the day before he was killed; body number two had only been with him for two weeks,” he explains.
“You’re just telling me this?”
