Finley’s chuckle flooded the enclosed space.
“Probably for the best. Otherwise, I’d put money on someone getting shanked within ten minutes.” He shot me a wink. “Carwynn doing the shanking, of course.”
A shoulder tensed at my side, making me wonder how Pogue survived in Luckland without a better sense of humor.
“Why,shankyou very much!” I cheekily replied.
I was rewarded with Finley’s laugh. He always did appreciate my cheesy humor.
A sudden thought came to mind, spinning me back around.
“Question—how’d you get mixed up with this lot?” I asked, swirling a finger to indicate the Luckmen around us.
For a moment, I thought Pogue was going to ignore me, but then his eyes met mine in the dark.
“I own the Lost Souls Nightclub. When I heard of a new product in town that’denhancepatron experiences and bring in more revenue—I wanted in.”
Of course, he did . . .
“He handles processing and transport of our products. Though lately, he’s dipped intoformulation. Developed our most recent success: Arcadia Leaf,” Lochlainn said in his best businessman-like tone.
“Bettering the world one step at a time, eh?” I said sarcastically. “Curious—does the Lord of Luckland know his streets are riddled with drugs?”
Lochlainn’s voice sharpened at the mention of the Lord.
“As long as people do Lord Faelad’s bidding and leave him the fuck alone, he’s happy to turn a blind eye.”
I’d always figured his family connection was the reason he and his men got to run rampant in the city without consequence. But it also made me wonder what kind of personal relationship he had with his uncle.
My body jerked to the left as the carriage came to an abrupt stop. I tried to brace myself, but Lochlainn’s strong grip held my shoulder to steady me before I toppled over.
“Easy does it. We’re here,” Lochlainn muttered quietly as he reached to open the door.
His grip was firm as he helped me down from the carriage.
The moment my foot hit the damp ground, I felt it. Myinkling,my gut sixth sense—it surged through my system, shocking my nerves like I’d taken a fucking hit from a stun gun.
Something was terribly wrong.
That’s when the voices started. Soft mumblings that quickly escalated into a crescendo of screams.
Help us!
Ahhhhhh!
Help!
Free us! Free us! Free us! Free us!
He’s coming! He’s coming!
Trapped!
He’s coming!
It’s a trap!
Run!
