Page 68 of Captive Audience

“Niall made money for the Beasts hand overfist. He saw opportunities where others didn’t and found ways to make our income sources legitimate. The power that came with the financial position Niall put us in is what got us to the top. Aidan and I, we’re the muscle—a necessary part of our business—but none of us can do what Niall did.”

I took Asha’s food from the microwave and handed it to her, along with fresh cutlery.

“Thanks,” she said. “Did your brother have any grudges? Anyone he’d upset?”

“He never mentioned anything. He was rarely involved in the messy side of business, so there was no reason for anyone to have a personal vendetta against him.”

Asha held my stare. “The way he was killed feels pretty personal.”

I gritted my teeth. “Aye.”

“Would it be all right to look over Niall’s finances?”

“To look for what?”

Asha shrugged. “Anything unusual. I’d also like details of his vehicle registrations, any assets he owned, phone records, previous relationships. Anything that might give me insight into his day-to-day dealings and movements. It’s part of my process. Sometimes I learn more from the victim than the crime. Then, it’s a matter of piecing it all together.”

Digging up the past might get uncomfortable, but if it helped Asha with the case, I’d face those ghosts. “I can get you everything you need.”

We ate in a heavy silence for a while until Asha swallowed and asked, “Can you tell me about Niall?”

“What do you want to know?”

She shrugged. “Anything, really.”

“He was never supposed to join a gang; that’s for damn sure. He was smart. Like proper genius-level smart with numbers. One year, he came home from college for the holidays. I’d gotten involved with the Beasts, and he begged to tag along with me to a meeting. The crazy bastard was half nerd, half adrenaline junkie. He got off on the thrill of danger. Fearless, same as me.

“I thought it would be harmless. He’d go back to college and forget all about that shite. But one of the senior Beasts clockedhow clever Niall was and asked him to run their books, find new ways to launder their cash and the like. That turned into helping them grow their finances and make business decisions. Soon, he was making them more money than they’d ever seen. The Beasts’ golden boy. I tried to convince him to return to college, but he wouldn’t hear it. Not that Conor, the boss back in Ireland, would’ve let him go. He’d become too valuable.”

Asha nodded and shifted food around with her fork.

“Fast forward a few years,” I continued. “The Wolf Street Mafia collapsed and Philly became a free-for-all. The Beasts already had a crew here—Torin and Aidan had been running guns and other business—so Conor saw his shot. He sent Niall and a few others from Belfast to shore up Torin’s crew. That’s how Philly became the Beasts’ stronghold in the States. With Torin’s power, Aidan’s connections, and Niall’s brains, they were unstoppable. Until we were all blindsided by Niall’s murder.”

She poked at her food. “And you blame yourself.”

I shrugged. “Niall wouldn’t have joined if it weren’t for me. He was destined for better things, you know? A different life. He was the first person in our family to go to college. Got a free ride with a fancy scholarship and all. Niall was more at ease in front of a computer than holding a weapon. Which is why I should’ve been here to protect him. Instead, I was halfway across the world when he needed me. Now, I’ve brought you into this world, too. You belong here as much as Niall did. That’s why I’m keeping you close. I can’t have another soul on my conscience.”

She looked up then, and a flash of something like pity crossed her features. Not sympathy, exactly, but recognition that the man opposite her was stitched from a thousand messy mistakes and more losses than one person ought to endure.

Asha sighed and dropped her fork. “Rook.”

“No.” I held up a palm. “I’ve done a shitty thing to you. I know that. I don’t expect you to feel bad for me, and I don’t expect you to make my life easier. But I need you, Asha. There’s no other way to get to the bottom of this. No one else I can trust.”

She stared at me, weighing me up, as if every answer to tonight’s questions had been some kind of test.

Her fingers curled into loose fists on the table. “Goddammit, gangster. All right, I’ll help you. Don’t make me regret it.”

It sounded like a warning, but I heard the promise hidden beneath.

Asha would try to find the Soul Collector.Willingly.

And after everything I’d done, that was more than I deserved.

30

ASHA

After dinner, Rook disappeared into his home office to gather the information I’d asked for on his brother. I was eager to dig into it tomorrow and learn more about Niall.