Page 22 of Dangerous Command

“So he passes the test, but not Uncle Ray?”

“Why do you care about Uncle Ray?”

She dragged her hands across one of the metal shelves. “I’m trying to understand, that’s all. Where’s Ethan now?”

“Making his way back to Sage City.” Ethan had stayed away to protect his wife from Muro, but now that Muro didn’t have anything left, it was safe for them to come back.

And yet Muro was still around. There was a chance we would need Ethan to help take him down.

“Why’d he leave?” Maddie asked.

“He wanted to keep his wife safe.” It was as simple and as complicated as that.

“But they want to come back?”

“His wife’s best friend owns the Dahlia District,” I said. “Apparently, she misses her.”

“Huh,” Maddie said to herself. Did Maddie have any best friends, like Ethan’s wife did? It seemed strange; I knew more about Ethan’s wife than I did about Maddie, and for a long time, I had seen Maddie multiple times a week. She sat up. “What about them as suspects?”

“Them?” I laughed. “Teagen has no interest in the mafia life. And Ethan has no reason to kill our father.”

“Why not? He could kill your family. Take over.”

“He would have killedme.”

“Hmm,” she lifted her shoulders. “I guess that’s a good point.”

We came upon a desk covered in papers. We each took a handful and browsed through them.

“Wait,” Maddie said. “Look at this. It’s an entry log.”

She handed me a paper with sets of columns, listing by initial who had entered and left the building. We had already gone through Muro’s old computers, but this looked different, as if it was only in print. I scanned the paper, looking forMM. The last time he had been to the warehouse was a week before we destroyed his headquarters, which meant some of Wil’s men very well could have come into contact with him.

Was Uncle Ray one of them?

“What have you guys been doing with this place?” Maddie asked.

“Stripped it for now,” I said, glancing around.

“It seems like a waste to leave it here like this.”

“Wil put it up for sale, but no one seems interested.” It was tainted with Muro.

Maddie paused, then turned toward me. “And Muro never came forward about it?”

“Not a word. Until Gerard.”

Though the lights were at full power above us, it still seemed dark in the warehouse, stuffed behind the shelves and flattened boxes. If we raised our voices, they carried through the space, getting lost inside of the emptiness.

“It’s kind of weird, right?” Maddie said, her voice suddenly quiet. “Besides Uncle Ray, this place has been empty. And it’sstillempty.” She fidgeted, rubbing her hands along her arms. “You would think someone would have been here by now. Posting shop. Selling. I don’t know.”

“Axe has men check the place every day.”

She tilted her head. “Not Uncle Ray?”

“He’s on deliveries.”

She let out a breath. “Still. You’ve had people down here every day, and yetnothinghas happened here? No one has given you trouble?”