Page 20

Chapter Twenty

Shae

I couldn’t stay still. Grandad would have said I had too many thoughts in my head, then handed me a piece of wood to smooth. Shown me how to bring out the grain and what to shape it into. I missed him just then with a passion that surprised me.

Mom had been great, but she’d worked a lot of nights, so I spent more time with my gran as I got older, and then my mom had died just as I went to middle school. Then Gran. It wasn’t fair that my dad had gotten away with everything. He should have been the one to die, not them.

Kane had set up a small toddler bed in my room for Tammy, and she was sleeping with Maxie curled up at the bottom. I had a feeling he wouldn’t be going back to his basket any time soon, if ever .

I gave up after tossing from side to side for another hour and not getting any messages from Drake, only to shoot out of bed when I heard the apartment door open. I was in shorts and a tee, so I let myself out of the bedroom to see Diesel had come in and it looked like he was alone.

He glanced up. “Tammy?”

“Asleep.” I followed him into the kitchen and nodded when he lifted an empty coffee cup to me.

“Ringo shouldn’t be long. He wanted to check on Moira and Albert one last time before he left.”

“He’s definitely coming here?” Then I flushed under Diesel’s steady gaze because I’d sounded so eager.

“Yep, he said he was coming to grovel.” He made the coffee while I stood and squirmed, but then he brought both mugs to the table and sat down, so I slid into the other chair. “He’s never going to be easy, you know.”

I scoffed. “And I am?” I might still have a fucked-up heart, and I was also responsible for a three-year-old sister.

“He’s a stubborn ass, but then, so are most people I seem to know.”

I arched an eyebrow pointedly, because pot meet kettle , as Gran would have said, and Diesel had the grace to look slightly sheepish. I warmed my hands on the mug. “He doesn’t seem to know what he wants.”

“Oh, he knows,” Diesel said. “He just thinks he isn’t allowed to have it.”

“It’s just, I’m a lot, and now there’s Tammy.”

“A lot how?” Diesel asked.

“Well,” I waved a general hand in my direction. Diesel was silent for a minute.

“Does his overprotectiveness drive you up the wall?”

I clutched the mug tighter, then took a sip to give myself a minute. “Does it make me pathetic if I say no?” I asked, almost in a whisper. It was the ridiculous jealousy that had pissed me off, but I still shouldn’t have threatened to leave when we fought. “So long as it is overprotectiveness and him not just being a dick,” I added.

Diesel chuckled. “Pink said I drove her nuts.” He sobered a little. “I think when you’ve seen the worst of what humanity is capable of, you expect it, and want to shield those you love from it.”

I hitched in a breath. Love? Diesel had never shared much of his life, but then there hadn’t been time. I looked up as I heard a door open, then tried not to be disappointed when Danny wandered in, heading for the kettle. “Okay?” Diesel asked.

“I’ve been doing some digging and I can’t make any sense of this.” Diesel nodded to the chairs and took over making Danny’s tea.

“What, tonight, or all of it?” I asked, because he wasn’t the only one.

“I’ve got links,” Danny said, sitting down, “or I’m pretty sure of connections between Dodson, Ringo’s dad, Dunne, Bruin, and obviously Ryan Connaught, but I can’t find anything to indicate he’s desperate enough to employ a hit team.”

Diesel put down Danny’s tea, and he carried on. “Tulip Homes or Dearden might make sweet with the zoning committee, bribe even, but I’ve got evidence to prove they’ve walked away from deals they couldn’t persuade the owner into that would have made them a lot of money. No one’s died, and if Ryan paid for last night, there would be a trail. Something.”

“Baby,” Kane appeared, looking concerned at Danny. “I thought you were done.”

Rawlings looked down at his phone when he got a text. Then he called a number and put it on speaker. “Jay, you’re on speaker with Shae, Danny, and Kane.”

“I just want to know what you want me to do, Diesel.”

“About?”

My stomach dropped. I didn’t know why, but it did.

“Ringo went to check on Albert and Moira while we did another perimeter sweep over an hour ago. He’s not answering his phone and his truck’s still here.”

I got to my feet, and Diesel’s eyes turned to me. “Did you try the alert?” He was asking Danny, but I knew what that was. I’d seen Drake respond before. It overrode any silent notifications, and Drake always responded.

Diesel frowned and glanced at Danny. “Have you got any video out by Albert and Moira’s?”

Danny shook his head. “There’s nothing to piggyback onto. It’s all farmland at the back. He glanced at his watch. “Gael’s going to kill me.” But then he dialed and put it on speaker.

“Yo.” It was Jake.

“Sorry. I need Gael.”

We all heard Jake mutter “It’s your other boyfriend,” and Gael’s snort.

“Everything okay?”

Danny briefly described what had happened and Gael whistled. “The hell?”

“We don’t have any CCTV out there as it’s farmland.”

“Hang on. Let me see if Thor knows anyone.”

I shot an incredulous look at Kane and Diesel, but they were both hyper focused on Danny.

It took a while and I was getting antsy. I tried calling Drake again but it went straight to voicemail.

“Okay,” Gael said. “They’ve got one of those doorbell cameras. Sending you the feed now. It’s old and there’s no audio.”

“Thank you,” I gasped out before anyone else had a chance to.

Gael’s voice softened. “You’re entirely welcome. Call me if there’s anything else.”

“There’s six recordings from this evening,” Danny pointed to the screen. It wasn’t great quality and only showed the door, but it was better than nothing. “Albert takes the dog out then comes back,” Danny murmured and moved to the third one.

“The fuck?” Diesel snapped out as we saw one man knock and then the door must have opened. What looked like another three men rushed in, slamming the door behind them. “What’s the timing with the SUV’s?”

“Seconds after the shots started,” Danny said grimly, and my heart threatened to break my ribs.

Danny noted the time. “That’s Alec,” Diesel said unnecessarily as we saw him try the locked door, then step away. “They must be still in there.”

“There’s a patio door around the back into the family room,” I said.

Then the fourth video started and we all recognized Drake knock, then wait, walk away but then come back and knock again. We could see his mouth move but I was no lip reader, and then the door opened because Drake smiled and started talking, then froze. I clenched my fists as we saw a man appear from nowhere behind Drake and pressed a gun against the back of his head.

“It was a diversion,” Diesel snapped out. “That was the reason for the SUVs. Fuck,” Diesel spat. “Alert everyone but tell them to keep their distance. We don’t know who we’re dealing with.”

But we did, and I stood slowly and met Diesel’s gaze, knowing he did too. It all made sense. The petty stuff could be linked to Ryan, but tonight’s raid, as everybody agreed, was beyond him. This had to be Garcia. Diesel noticed me getting to my feet. “Shae, we need to know what we’re walking into. I can’t—”

“I’m not asking,” I said. “You know I’m the only one capable of getting in there and disarming them so quickly they won’t know what happened.”

“Not a good idea to go in on your own,” Diesel said firmly.

“And I’m the only one that can’t be seen. None of the others can move fast enough.”

“Shit,” Diesel spat out. “He’s gonna have my balls in a vise.”

“Maybe,” I acknowledged and looked at Kane. “Tammy’s asleep. She’s your responsibility unless you can get Pink here by helicopter.” I didn’t acknowledge the smirk and the half-assed salute from Kane. I glanced at Danny. “I need a way of contacting you.”

Danny jumped up, shot out of the kitchen, and came back with an earpiece. “This should pick up everything, but only when you stop.” He grinned at me sheepishly because I knew it was an endless source of frustration for Danny that no trackers could pick me up when I traveled at speed.

“Shae,” Diesel choked out, and I turned to him. “Never mind what Ringo will do to me. You know my life will be over if Pink finds out.”

I knew what he was saying, but I had no choice. I went back into the bedroom and kissed a sleeping little girl and her puppy.

“It will pick up everything you say,” Danny promised quietly, as I came out. “Diesel is warning the guys to stay back and not alert anyone there might be something wrong. We’ll follow you.”

But I just said, “I know,” and ran, leaving the apartment in a whisper of sound and a slight breeze.

I barely blinked and I was at Albert’s place. Realization hit me. I hadn’t travelled this fast before. I was generally aware of traveling distance, and of my surroundings for safety so I didn’t smack into a wall or a car. But this time I’d taken a breath, and I was here.

Not that I had time to think about it, because I’d stopped and was wishing I could pass through walls. I needed to get into that house. To hear what was going on. So Danny and the others could hear what was going on. I closed my eyes in frustration and took a step nearer the door, but my stomach seemed to hollow out like a breeze passed through me and when I opened them…

I was inside the house. Inside the fucking house. How the hell was that even possible? I heard voices immediately and carefully crept to the doorway from the kitchen into their living room.

And listened.

“Mister Starr,” a man with a Hispanic accent purred. “Or may I call you Ringo?”

I stiffened, knowing exactly who this must be.

“You stupid prick,” Drake snarled. “What the fuck did you do?”

My breath caught because what the hell was Drake doing aggravating a drug lord? But then I heard low laughter. “Sí, por favor, Mr. Connaught, explica lo estúpido que eres.”

Ryan? It was Ryan? How the hell was Ryan involved with the cartel?

I heard a whimper and knew Ryan was being persuaded. Not that he deserved sympathy, and I understood Ryan was who Drake had been speaking to, not Garcia.

Then I heard a sigh, and a sound of disgust, and the Hispanic man spoke again. “I’m afraid you realize, of course, that I can’t have any witnesses tonight, but because we still need time for things to settle down outside, I will explain before it is time to call my driver back.”

I knew what that meant, which meant I had to get the guns. “Albert Davis, or Albert Dagger, is, I’m afraid, someone who had a very bad papá who betrayed me and spent money that wasn’t his. Albert, however, murdered my son, and I have spent many years looking for him to avenge that death.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Albert said quietly. “Dad gave me a gun, and the DEA agent raised his. It was a mess, and I panicked. I didn’t even realize the gun had gone off. I shot the agent but your son got nicked by it as well. One of the agents pressed a gun to my head and then took the gun I was still holding. He said I couldn’t tell anyone I’d fired it or I would get the needle.”

“So he didn’t hand the gun in after he disarmed you?” Drake asked.

What the hell? One of the agents took the gun? Which meant they knew Albert had shot their colleague. Why on earth would they hide that?

Garcia clucked his tongue. “Because el cabrón needed an innocent witness that the defense couldn’t say had been promised freedom in return for a statement. I am assuming you did whatever he told you?” Garcia grunted. “I saw the agent you looked to in court. He was the second agent that met death, along with his son. His son for my son.”

I was stunned, but I wasn’t surprised. They wanted Garcia and they didn’t care how that happened. If they’d arrested Albert for the murder of an agent, the defense could argue he’d been offered freedom for his testimony, which is why the agent lied. Maybe he wanted a bad guy out of the way, or maybe he wanted the glory of an arrest.

“My wife knows nothing—”

“She knows who you are,” Garcia interrupted, “and unfortunately, she now knows who I am.” He must have nodded at Moira.

“And Ryan?” Drake asked mildly, like he believed Garcia wasn’t going to have him shot.

“Well, Mr. Connaught?” Garcia asked and I caught another whimper. “I think you need to explain.” The whimper turned into a shriek, and then a sob. Garcia tutted again. “You have another nine fingers. Please don’t waste my time.”

“I-I,” Ryan stammered, his breath hitching. “No, no,” his voice rose, and I assumed one of Garcia’s men had threatened him with the knife again.

“Cover it,” Garcia snapped. “I don’t want him to bleed out quite yet.”

“What were you looking for when you broke into my house?” Drake asked, still quietly, but with a thread of disgust running through every word.

“I—Okay, okay,” Ryan shrieked again. “I overheard my mom once talking to Moira. She said after all this time, surely Albert would be safe. That Garcia was locked up for the rest of his life. I was curious, and I asked her about it. She made me promise never to repeat what I’d heard, and I didn’t, but then…”

He moaned, cried a little, then gasped and rushed out his next words. “Albert hated me. Moira thought I should be at home like some sort of unpaid servant to care for Dad when they should both have been in a fucking nursing home,” he snarled. “And you ,” he spat . “Cozying up to them. Making out like you were their son. I knew you were just after the money.” He was clearly talking to Drake. “And you weren’t any better,” he yelled. “I know you turned my mom against me.”

“No son,” Albert said sorrowfully in reply “You did that all on your own.”

“Why would you think your mom and dad were hiding anything, though?” Drake asked.

“Because I can use my brain ,” Ryan sneered again. “It wasn’t hard to find out when the farm was split. I saw the dates and narrowed it down. I had the name Garcia and knew a gun was missing from the reports. There was a chance Mom had it.”

Oh yeah, because that would have been such a great idea.

“But they arrested me,” Albert said. “How would I have gotten it here?”

“Like you said, the DEA were probably dirty,” Ryan spat out. “Guns don’t just disappear. I knew someone had to have had it, and Mom and Dad were stupid enough to hide it for you.”

“So, all this was greed with a side of revenge?” Drake said. “You couldn’t get them to sell the farm, so you thought if Albert and I were out of the picture, Moira would cave, and you’d get your millions? You poisoned the dogs, you tried to shoot me, you tried to burn the house, but then you found out who Albert was and because none of your pathetic intimidation was working on me, you thought you’d bring in help?” Drake paused. “Are you really such a fucking idiot, you thought the leader of Los Reyes del Silencio would let you live?”

“I—” but Ryan’s breath was cut off with a grunt, but then I heard two of the guards swear and the sound of a door opening. “Estaba escuchando fuera.”

Which I didn’t know what it meant, but my heart took another dive at the voice I recognized.

“Get your fucking hands of me,” my father roared.

I barely breathed.

“And you are?” Garcia asked. The sounds of a brief scuffle, then my dad cried out, “okay, Okay. The fucker owes me money. I wanted to know what he was up to and followed him to where y’all met.” My dad laughed, his voice rising. “I didn’t see anything. I didn’t hear anything.”

Garcia tutted. “And yet my man found you outside trying to listen.”

“But—” the click of a gun cut off dad’s words.

“Does this man work for you, Mr. Connaught?”

“He’s crazy,” Ryan said. “He had his ex-girlfriend killed because she asked him for child-support payments.”

I pressed a hand to my mouth to stop the gasp. But I’d known.

“His girlfriend?” Garcia pressed.

“She was training to be a nurse,” Ryan whispered. “I used Turner for…well, persuasion sometimes. Sometimes idiots didn’t want to move even though I offered them good money.”

This was the connection Gray had meant. Tying up loose ends.

“Let me see if I have this correct,” Garcia said and I wondered if my dad could hear the lethal thread running through the purr in Garcia’s voice. “You got a girl pregnant. She in turn works hard to support herself, una enfermera. But instead of stepping up like a man with honor you deprive una nina of her mama because of a few dollars?”

The gun shot was only loud because of the accompanying shriek from Ryan. But I didn’t have even a few seconds to absorb my dad was dead before I heard Garcia chuckle. “Sí,” he said quietly. “Well, as satisfying as this has been, I’m afraid I am a busy man, and so—”

“Albert!” Drake yelled and before I’d registered that I knew they were going to shoot him, I moved and felt an odd breeze move through me a second before the sound registered. I had guns yanked out of hands before they were even aware of me taking them, and then I stilled. Before I got the chance to turn, I registered the sound of a familiar grunt and the noise of a body as it fell. The outside door burst open, and Gray, Jay, and Alec were there, wrestling the men to the ground.

But all I saw was the body on the floor, a rapidly widening crimson stain spreading over his chest, and I fell to my knees. Pain like nothing in my life ripped through me, but not because of my heart, because I knew I’d been darting so fast I’d moved faster than the bullet aimed for Albert. The one that had passed through me and hit Drake.

Diesel charged in and practically pushed me out of the way, snapping out orders, ripping open Drake’s shirt and pressing his palms over Drake’s chest.

But I knew he was dying. He was dying .

“Where’s Danny?” Diesel boomed, as Danny rushed into the room and started tearing apart a bag he carried with huge gauze pads falling out. “He needs an ambulance,” Diesel shouted.

“He won’t fucking make it,” Danny snarled back, and something in me snapped. The speed was nothing, but I had no idea how I managed to lift Drake. Barely a few seconds later, I came to a stop in the ER and yelled my head off until we were both swarmed by white coats and then Drake was taken away.

I just stood, dazed, in the middle of what seemed like a bubble of agony away from the sound of running steps and shouted orders. People were backing away like I was poison, and I looked down, saw the blood covering my tee, my hands, my soul .

All that blood. I’d thought I was clever and hadn’t waited for Diesel. I’d told Diesel only I could do this, even though he warned me.

I thought that my ability was mending my heart.

But in mending my own heart, I had broken his.