Tsiklauri, Salonen, Melvin, and Dirkse have all gone dark. I have call logs placing them at the same place at the same time tonight, and then they’re moving as a unit to the airfield.
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but one of them fleeing the city is bad luck, FIVE of them fleeing in a single day, and four of them catching the same fucking flight, makes me suspicious.
Seems they know they’re being hunted.
Which means we have a fucking leak!
Shaking my head, I set Minka’s phone down and dig my hand into my pocket instead, taking out my own, since reading and responding to her texts in our current tense climate is probably stepping over a line. Instead, I unlock mine and move to my texts. But first, I take a fucking picture of the box by my arm, add it to my message, and send it off.
Me:
What the fuck is this, Sophia?
Instantly, my phone vibrates with an incoming call,unknown numberflashing across the screen.We both know that’s a lie. Rolling my eyes, I bring the device to my ear. “I’d like to see the FDA approval documents for these pills, Ace. Immediately.
Cautious, she merely breathes. And listens. Waits… considers. “You and Minka good again?”
“Minka’s asleep and has no clue I’m here. Let’s discuss the pills.”
“Let’s discuss your marriage,” she viciously bites back. “Not sure if you noticed, Malone, but my sister was abducted and murdered when she was fifteen years old… or so I thought. I wasn’t even a legal adult yet, but I turned my ass around and began a crusade to hunt those fuckers down and do to them what was done to her. I did that for my baby sister, and I’m willing to do the same for Minka. So now we find ourselves in this awkward position where I kinda like you and your family, but for tonight, for this week, you’ve gone and done the stupidest shit known to man. You shattered a good heart.”
“Soph—”
“But since I’m a generous woman, and we shared that road trip one time, I figure I can be a little more indulgent. Leniencymeans you get to choose; would you prefer to name the time and place I rip your fucking throat out and gift wrap it for the chief, or are you more of asurprisekinda guy? I don’t mind making my move when you least expect it.”
I lay my head back and close my eyes, and because I’m feeling a little extra daring, I set my hand on Minka’s leg. For a minute tonight, I can pretend everything is okay.
“You’re pissed.” I lick my parched lips. “Got it.”
“My husband leaving his socks on the floorpissesme off. Ellie pushing her OBGYN appointment back because her husband was busy and she didn’t want to attend without himpissesme off. The shit you’ve pulled with Minka this week? Pissed doesn’t even come close. So… surprise death?”
“If you’d taken care of Agosti on your own, none of this would be a problem. My wife wouldn’t be caught up in Cordoza’s bullshit, she wouldn’t have had to lie to me about what you were doing Saturday night, she wouldn’t have had to autopsy a man she’d rather cut her hands off than touch, and that massive fight that led us here, tothis shit I’ve pulled, never would have happened. If you wanna go toe-to-toe with me, I’m game. I’m fighting with everyone else, so why the fuck shouldn’t I get to swing at you, too?”
“Ifyou’dtold Minka what he was, I wouldn’t have had to. Your first mistake was not sharing the things you knew, because when I told her about Agosti, she wanted to put holes in him on the dance floor. It’s because of me we took things off-site and kept it clean, and it was because of me she was able to regain her composure and end that prick’s life in a way that wouldn’t turn up smelling of homicide. Look inside yourself, Malone, and try to explain to me why Cordoza brought Agostianyway? They weren’t friends. It’s not like Agosti is pals with Tim or Aubree either, and the wedding was on the other side of the damn country, so this wasn’t some last-minute tag-along of convenience.”
“What do you…” My brows pinch closer together. “What?”
“EllieswearsCordoza adores her, that he thinks of her as a daughter, but ya know what, Detective? I have daughters, and I assure you, I wouldneverput them in the same room as a man like Anthony Agosti, and I absolutely would not put them anywhere near a man who already attempted to fuck them over.”
I open my eyes and bring my head up, straightening my neck and peeking at Minka to ensure she’s still asleep. “You don’t trust him?”
“Not even a little bit. That old man who manages Minka’s apartment?”
“What? Steve?”
“Yeah. Wouldheforce Minka to associate with someone he knows damn well scraped themselves off the bottom of a fucking sewer pipe?”
“No. He…” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “No. I don’t believe he would.”
“So why would Cordoza cart Anthony Agosti across the country, parade him around in front of his quasi-daughter, and then act surprised when that piece of shit turns up dead?”
“Well—”
“And the girls? The seventeen we pried out of Agosti’s hands? Youcannotconvince me Cordoza didn’t know about them. He’s the all-seeing, all-powerful fucking don, but hedidn’t know Anthony was making moves right under his nose? Bullshit.”
“So what are you saying?” I snarl. “Cordoza’s in the skin trade? He was setting your sister up to… what? Snitch to you, all so you and Minka would head out on a little wrist-slitting adventure?” I drop my hand and shake my head. “If he wanted to profit from Anthony’s business dealings, he would’ve kept himawayfrom that wedding. Far, far away. Instead, he delivered the prick and…” My heart comes to a dead fucking standstill. It thumps and stops, dropping to the base of my stomach. “CordozawantedAgosti dead?”
“That’s what I’m saying,” she grunts. “And even being head bitch of New York City, the rules apply to him, too. One family cannot attack another.”
