Page 58

Story: Duncan

A phone ringing on the bar top caught my attention. When I moved closer, Bellamy slid between me and the bar, grabbing the phone and holding it to her chest.

Suddenly Sal’s assumption that it was someone other than Sean rang true, and I glared at Bellamy.

“Who’s calling you?”

“I-I don’t know.”

Bellamy stood there, paralyzed in fear. It was clear she knew who was calling.

“Answer it,” Mac growled.

Bellamy swallowed down her fear and looked Mac in the eye as she lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

She looked at Sal and held the phone out. “He wants to talk to you.”

Mac took the phone and put it on speaker.

“You finally figured it out, huh?”

“Where’s Sean?” Sal asked, his voice tight but even, giving away nothing.

“Good old Sean. Well, see, he can’t come to the phone right now. He’s a little tied up.”

I looked over at Bellamy, and her hands twisted in front of her. She looked scared, but I didn’t think it was us she was afraid of.

“What’s your plan here, Ty? What’s the endgame?”

“If I told you that, it would take away all my fun.”

“You have no endgame. Your floundering, Ty. Just come home. We’ll work this out.”

Tyran’s bold laughter rang through the phone. “You know, Sal, I think that’s the first time you’ve ever lied to me. So goddamn trusting.”

“Too bad I can’t say the same,” Sal replied. “How long, Ty?”

“You have to be a bit more specific than that.”

Sal ground his teeth. His hands clenched at his sides. He took a deep breath before asking his next question.

“How long have you been working for Kelley?”

“I don’t work for that pussy. He works for me.”

Sal and I looked at each other. Tyran wasn’t smart enough to run the show. Which meant someone else was pulling his strings. If not Kelley, then who?

“How long has Kelley been working for you?”

Ty laughed again. “You think you’re so fuckin’ smart? All of you. Who do you think brought Kelley in? He wasn’t too keen on your sister, but with a little encouragement, he saw the benefit of fuckin’ her.”

Cian moved toward the phone, and Mac stopped him by holding a finger over his mouth. Cian stomped away, his hands grabbing at his hair.

“How does it feel, Ci?” Mac dropped his head, knowing Cian would never stay silent now. “Knowing you could have prevented all this shit. If you had just grown a pair of balls and took what you wanted. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

“I’ll fuckin’ kill you, you bastard,” Cian snarled. He knew we were here. No point in keeping quiet.

“And you, Dunc.” My head snapped up. “Find your sister yet? Baby brother did. Too bad he was too late. That was Duane, though. Always a day late and a dollar short.”

“Where is she?” I asked through clenched teeth. My jaw would hurt tomorrow, but it was the only thing reining me in at the moment.