Page 82 of Fixate

I didn’t need him to tell me who he was referencing. We both understood Pharrell and Ricardo were a package deal these days. You couldn’t protect one without the other.

“They’re secure. Well, I have eyes on both.” I winced.

“What do you mean? What’s wrong? Tell me!”

I’d never heard him so flustered. While part of me hated it, I also enjoyed knowing he was more than the robot he tried to be. Pushing the knowledge away, I explained to him how I found Ricardo stabbed and on the floor. I also mentioned that Pharrell was worrying over him.

“Paramedics should be here soon.”

“And what about the bomb?! They need to get out.”

I laughed, then said, “The bomb has been handled. I took care of it first. If I hadn’t, then maybe he wouldn’t have been stabbed. But then again, it would be blowing up soon, so there’s that.”

Henri was surprisingly quiet for a minute before mumbling, “He deactivated a fucking bomb. Jesus Christ!”

“Pip.” Pharrell’s voice drew me from the amusement Henri brought out.

I looked down at his crouched form. He was covered in blood, likely from trying to see if there were any more wounds on his partner.

“Yes, Boss,” I answered. Henri was silent, likely because he was also listening.

“We’re going to get him to the hospital, then we’re going to go hunting.”

I smiled wide at that.

“My kind of hunting?”

Pharrell’s expression turned the darkest I’d seen yet. I reveled in the horror it would bring.

“Yes, Pip. Your kind of hunting. I’m going to tear this fucking city to shreds until I find who did this.”

“Sign me up. I love a good hunt.”

Henri groaned before ending the call. Poor thing. One day, he’d learn how to have a good time with some maiming and torture like the rest of us.

CHAPTER 28

Pharrell

The minute Ricardo’shand slipped from mine, I knew something was wrong.

With the flow of bodies, there was no reason for anyone to cut across us. And then I turned, only to find he wasn’t there. Tons of unfamiliar faces surrounded me, yet the only fucking person I cared about had disappeared.

I went a bit mad trying to find him after that. If not for Pip, I would have probably pulled out my gun and started making threats until someone helped me get answers.

As it were, when I did finally find him, it wasn’t in the condition I hoped for.

My boy had been stabbed.

And on my fucking property.

Whoever this was, they were well organized and bold. The bomb threat distraction might have been a bit much, but they were more than successful at getting my attention.

They’d see how much could change once my sights were set on them.

With Ricardo in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, Henri came in to take over handling the casino’s operation. Dario joined him since Pip needed to drive me. I was in no condition to get behind the wheel.

“I disabled the bomb, boss. So that’s taken care of. I made sure to leave as much of it as it was so the cops could look into it. But I already have a few ideas of who it could have been.”