This will be over soon, he said, hoping to mollify his furious wolf. If it all worked out, Garret McCall would be dead by the end of the night.
Eli had been zig-zagging across New Hampshire and Vermont when he’d gotten the call. The number was unknown, but he recognized the voice. “Eli. It’s Mickey. Don’t hang up.”
“Give me a reason not to.”
“I’ve got a lead on Garret. A solid one.”
“From who?”
“One of my guys. Someone who saw him. But he says he won’t talk to anyone but you. In person.”
“Why not?”
“I dunno. Look, believe me or not, I don’t care. I don’t got beef with your old man. Just wanted to help you out.”
Eli chewed on his inner cheek. “Fine. How do I meet this guy?”
“Tomorrow, midnight. Ronan’s old office at the docks.”
Eli should have ignored it. He’d been on a wild goose chase all these months. But, he’d already chased leads even thinner than this. At least this time, someone had actually seen Garret with their own eyes. So, he drove to Boston. The docks hadn’t changed. Everything was the same, from the rusted shipping containers to the salt-and-diesel smell. He stalked down the familiar narrow alley leading to the warehouse that Ronan had used as his base of operations. The office door was ajar, and he went inside.
“Hello, Eli.”
Mickey was inside, sitting behind Ronan’s old desk. Danny McGill leaned against the wall to his left. Neither of them looked surprised to see him.
“Where’s this guy of yours?”
“Patience.” Mickey said. “We need to talk first.”
“I didn’t come here to talk to you.”
“No, you came here because you’re out of options.” The corner of Mickey’s mouth turned up into a malicious smile. “Three months chasing your old man and you’ve got nothing. I’m guessing you haven’t slept or eaten properly in weeks.”
The hair on Eli’s nape stood up. His wolf, despite its silent treatment, stirred as the sound of footsteps came closer behind him. Four men filed in through the door he’d come through, spreading out to block the exit. He didn’t recognize any of them, and they certainly weren’t Lycans, but from his experience with Ronan, he knew exactly what they were. Hired muscle. One of them closed the door behind the group.
“Mickey.” Eli turned back to the desk. “What’s going on?”
Mickey’s only answer was to nod at somewhere behind Eli, toward a door at the back of the office. It opened, and a figure stepped through.
Sean O’Grady.
He was exactly as Eli remembered, though he noticed a burn scar that ran from his elbows to his knuckles that hadn’t been there before. But the mean little eyes were the same, and so was the smile that never quite made it to his eyes.
“Hey, Eli.” O’Grady spread his arms. “Miss me?”
Eli’s blood froze in his veins. “You’re dead.”
“Obviously not.” O’Grady strode over to Ronan’s old desk. Mickey was already on his feet and gestured to the chair so O’Grady could sit down. He sat, bounced once, as if testing its weight, then leaned back, the light behind him casting an ominous shadow on his face. “The reports of my death, asthey say, have been exaggerated. Or in this case, completely manufactured by me.” He held up his scarred arm. “Got this little souvenir when I torched that poor bastard in my Cadillac, but you gotta do what you gotta do, am I right?”
“Why?”
“Because your daddy was coming for me.” O’Grady’s smile thinned. “A couple days before Ronan got collared, I took care of a problem for him. A Lycan girl who was asking too many questions. I knew the risk, but I took it anyway.” His teeth gnashed together. “I thought this was it; he was bringing me into the inner circle. But no, he sent his executioner to tie up loose ends. I wasn’t about to sit around and wait for that. So, I made myself disappear.”
As he processed the information, Eli let his mind work, trying to figure out how he was going to survive this. The exit was blocked. Four hired men plus Mickey and Danny made six. O’Grady made seven. This was not going to be easy.
“Unlucky me, Ronan and Garret were nabbed the same night. Coulda saved myself the trouble.” He rolled his scarred wrist. “But then, you know what they say, when life gives you lemons.” O’Grady nodded at Mickey and Danny. “I reached out to my friends and we came up with a plan to rebuild. The crew, the territory, all of it, with the three of us becoming the new kings of Boston. It was all gonna work out, too, until you and Sloane showed up.”
“Me and Sloane?” Eli asked, puzzled.
