The burner we'd been tracking.
They held it there for a moment, then dropped it on the pavement and drove away.
“GO!” Luka shouted.
Dmitri hit the gas. We jumped the curb, fishtailed back onto the road, and the motorcycle was already two blocks ahead, weaving through traffic with a reckless control, taking turns that shouldn't have worked and cutting gaps that barely existed. Always far enough ahead that we couldn't close the distance, never so far that we lost sight.
They weren't trying to escape. They were playing with us.
My phone rang. Unknown number.
“Hello, Troy.” The voice was processed through a modulator, completely unrecognizable. “Enjoying the chase?”
“Who is this?”
“You know who this is.” A pause. “Though you've been too stubborn to admit it.”
“Fuck you.”
They laughed. “Such hostility. And here I thought we were having fun.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because you need to learn about consequences. About what happens when you interfere with things that don't concern you.” The voice went cold. “And because hurting you hurts the people I actually want to hurt. Which makes this efficient.”
“If you want me, come get me directly. Stop hiding behind the hired muscle.”
“Oh, I'm not hiding. I'm right here.” Another pause. “And so is Declan. At the recovery center. Working late. Alone except for the security that won't save him if I decide he needs to die tonight.”
My blood turned to ice. “You touch him and I'll?—”
“You'll what? Kill me?” They laughed again. “You'd have to find me first. And you're terrible at that. Been chasing your own tail for weeks while I've been right in front of you the entire time.”
The call ended.
I dialed Declan immediately. It rang twice and he picked up.
“Troy—”
“Stay inside. Lock the door. Don't go near the windows.” My voice came out harder than I intended. “Do it now, Declan.”
A beat of silence. “What's happening?”
“Just do it.”
My phone buzzed before he could answer. Text from an unknown number. A photo attached.
Declan, visible through the front window of the house, phone pressed to his ear.
Taken from the street. Taken right now.
And below it:
Unknown
Tick tock, Troy. How fast can you run?
“Dmitri, get back to the house. Now.” I was already pulling up the security team's number. “They've got eyes on him. He's inside but they're right outside.”
