Page 51

Soon after he hung up and just as his coffee finished brewing, his phone vibrated again. This time, the caller was unknown.
After swallowing a sip of caffeine, Toth answered. “Hello?”
“Nash asked me to take over,” said a sullen voice.
“’Preciate it.” Toth took another swig. Jesus, the sun wasn’t even fully up and he’d already had enough stressful conversations for the week.
“Well, don’t.” He sighed. “Nash said there’s a possibility Lionsgate’s making a resurgence. That’s the only reason I allowed myself to get roped into this.”
“Noted,” Toth countered. He quickly filled in Cole on what was happening.
“Does Savannah have any information regarding her father’s dealings with Lionsgate?”
Toth drank the last of his coffee then placed the mug in the sink. “Sorta. Danny’s got a tight history with a guy named Jace. I don’t have his last name. He led Lionsgate’s drug division, but Danny offed him three years ago. No idea if someone’s taken over his position. It’s possible that sector died when you and Nash started taking them down.”
Cole let out a low sigh of irritation. “I fucking hate this,” he breathed.
The blood buzzed at Toth’s temples. He wasn’t a fucking charity case. Wouldn’t stand for any bullshit from this asshole who wouldn’t accept him. “Look. I never asked for your help. We can end this here.” He pulled his phone away from his ear, ready to hang up.
“I wasn’t talking about you, shitdick,” Cole snapped. “I hate this goddamn lifestyle. I thought Lionsgate was dead. I’ve got a family now. One that was almost killed by these fuckers. I can’t—Iwon’tput them at risk. Which means I can’t not be involved in this. Got it?” Fury laced his words.
“All right.”
“I’m going to look into Jace’s death and go from there. You said three years ago?”
“Yup. Wish I had his last name.” He could ask Savannah, but he didn’t want to chance bringing up any more trauma.
“Sophia will find it. She’s got enough connections from when she was a detective that I’m sure we’ll have some answers by the end of the day. Keep your phone close and I’ll be in touch.”
“’Kay.” A beat passed. “Cole?”
Silence.
“Thanks.”
A few seconds later the line went dead.
Toth slipped his phone into his pocket, but as soon as the device hit his thigh, an alarm blasted from its speaker. He yanked it out and checked the screen. The security system was set to alert him to any intruders on the property, even if his phone’s ringer was off.
Tension amped up his pulse as he tapped the app and stared at the video footage of his property. A vehicle sat at the end of his driveway, near the road. Two men dressed in black exited the car. Each carried a gun. They entered the forest surrounding his house.
Fuck.
Thank god the house was so far from the road. It was the whole reason he’d bought this place. It’d take the intruders a good thirty minutes to cross the terrain and reach them. In a perfect world, he and Savannah would be long gone by then. Problem was, there was only one road in and out of here. He crossed the kitchen to the living room.
“Savannah!” he bellowed, as he pulled a shirt over his head and stepped into a pair of jeans. The loud ring to his voice shattered the serene feeling of the dark, quiet house. After grabbing his gun, he tucked it into his waistband.
She didn’t reply. Dropping his phone in his pocket, he jogged to the staircase and then took the steps two at a time. “Savannah,” he called again, entering the loft.
She stirred beneath the blankets. “What’s wrong?” She scrubbed a hand over her bleary eyes.
“We’ve been found. Get dressed. We gotta move.”
She bolted into a sitting position, tossed back the covers, and leaped from the bed. “Who?How?”
Her questions were the same ones that’d been fissuring his mind ever since the alert went off. No one knew about this property. Someone must have tracked them. But they didn’t have time to discuss.
Savannah stepped into pants then yanked a hoodie over her head. “How long do we have?” She fit socks onto her feet and then raced to stuff her belongings into her bag.