She swallowed. “All of them?”
“Yep.” I took her hand in mine and led her outside to where my brothers waited.
Her breath hitched at the sight of them. Her shoulders stiffened and she took a step back like her feet wanted to bolt but she was too stubborn to let them. “Uh… hey,” she said in a soft voice that was trying to hide her fear.
My hand went to the small of her back on instinct, always there to steady her and ground her. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “You’re safe here.”
She nodded but my words did nothing to ease her tension.
“They need to know everything.”
Slate moved closer, laptop in his hand as he looked up. “Start with names, first and last if you have them. Also aliases. Business names. I can start looking while you talk.”
There was something about the calm, methodical tone of Slate’s request that seemed to steady Macy. She nodded, exhaling a shaky breath before licking her lips and rattling off a bunch of names. “I didn’t know much of anything at first,” shebegan, her voice soft but even. “Lewis, that’s my boss,wasmy boss, he handled the meeting with Diego and everybody else. I mostly kept up with the books for the business while he took care of all the accounting. I knew he wasn’t on the up and up because he just has this criminal air about him.”
“What does that mean?” Rebel’s question came out harsh but that was just who he was.
She trembled under my hand. “It means that he was smarmy and greasy, cocky as fuck,” she began. “But he also had more money than a small-time entrepreneur should have. I don’t know, okay? I’ve spent time around lots of criminals and he fits right in.”
Diesel nodded. “Got it. Vandal said the guy liked you?”
She nodded, body growing tighter with tension. “I tried to shut it down, politely at first but that only encouraged him. He must’ve thought I was playing hard to get so I got firmer, and he got more insistent. And then angrier.”
My fists clenched so tight my knuckles popped.
Macy continued in a robotic voice. “I didn’t realize he was anything more than a low level criminal until after he kidnapped me. I heard a few conversations through the walls, conversations aboutjefeand then I heard the name, Sombra Negra. Everybody knows that name down there and that’s when I realized how serious things were.” Her eyes slammed shut and a shaky breath escaped. “There was a… tattoo.”
“This one?” Slate asked, turning the monitor to face her.
Macy nodded. “Yeah, that was one,” she said and pointed to the screen. “This one too. They were all… under his clothes. Black ink. Something with a skull and smoke—like itwas dissolving into shadows. And words in Spanish I didn’t understand.” She looked away as her eyes fell shut.
That’s when it hit me, what he’d actually done to her. My vision narrowed to a pinpoint and my blood turned to ice in my veins. Every muscle tensed, ready for battle.
He didn’t know it yet, but Diego Ruiz was a fucking dead man walking.
“You remember anything else?” Rocky asked, his voice softer than usual.
She nodded, rattling off more business names, a nonprofit that was probably laundering money, and a few other long-ass Spanish sounding names. “Detective Halloran is one of those businesses. I’m not sure which one but he came into the office once a month to get his check and we never cut any in his actual name.”
Slate nodded. “I’ll find it all,” he said with a tight smile. “Anything else you remember, addresses or anything, just text me. It’ll help, I promise.”
Macy nodded. “I don’t have a phone, Ruiz took it. I had a burner, but after Halloran found me the last time, I tossed it in case they were tracking me.”
“I’ll get you one,” he answered.
“That’s not necessary.” She took a step back and shook her head. “This seems like a lot, and it feels like I’m about to put more people in danger.”
“That’s for us to worry about,” Diesel assured her. “This isn’t our first dance with a cartel.” His gaze flicked to mine. “She’ll stay with you?” he asked me.
I nodded without hesitation. “Wherever I am, she will be until further notice.”
“Okay, then.” Diesel nodded, his hands on his hips. “Macy, we need you to trust us. We’ll keep you safe. You’re family to Vandal which means you’re family to us.” His stare was intense, but Macy didn’t look away, she held it firm and unwavering. “Can you do that?”
Macy said nothing for a long time as if she was really considering the answer. “All I can promise is that I’ll try.”
Rocky smacked his hands together and smiled. “Good enough.”
“Come on,” I whispered. “Let’s go home.” Damn, it felt good to say those words to her again.
