Page 54 of Heartless

Grinning, she uncurled her shapely legs and got onto her bare feet.He followed suit.

With a soft smile, she said, “Thank you for today, Silas.”

“Anytime, sweetie.Thank you.”

His arms opened, and she blinked at him before looping hers around him.

How the fuck did that happen after one fucking day together?

She rounded the back of the couch, giving me a wide berth on her way to her quarters, and I slid my hands in my pockets.

“Hey, Sienna.”

“Hi, Jake.”

When the door of her quarters eased shut behind her, Sile sat back down.

I lowered onto the armchair.“You broke in with her.”

“She likes horror movies, and her commentary is the funniest clean shit I heard in a while.”He took a swig of his beer.“I apologized.She’s forgiving.And I like the girl.She asked about the bet.Told her what you won.She asked when we were going to set her free.Told her the truth.”He reached for the remote and switched the channel to ESPN.

“You’re pissed.”

His eyes slid to mine.“If anyone had said that shit to Bianc or Cam, I’d make it my mission to give them what they deserve after I’d broken every one of their teeth.I wish I’d fucking realized how far gone you were in that shit with Morrison.But that’s on me.”

“Won’t happen again, Sile.”

“No, it fucking won’t, brother.”

While we watched the screen in silence, my cell beeped.After reading the text, I got up.“Zook got news.”

Five minutes later, we were on our way to my truck to get some fucking answers.

****

Iveered into the undergroundparking of the low rising loft located in the north of the city.

In the converted freight elevator, Sile dropped his head.“Until the brink breaks.”

“Until it breaks, brother.”

After hoisting the upper part of the metal doors, we headed for the main room where Zook, settled in an armchair, waved us in.

Sile lowered himself onto the arm of the couch nearer the door with his arms crossed over his chest, and I sat in the armchair across from Zook.

My old mentor was swirling the ice in his tumbler full of Woodford Reserve bourbon, his drink of choice.One I’d adopted years ago.While pouring some bourbon in my glass, I glanced at the file on the wide coffee table between us.

Zook had given up his part in the crime family, and for reasons he’d never disclosed, they’d let him.But they were still family, and that meant everything to these guys.

He grunted.“Edo’s men reported the girl is at your house in the woods.What did she say about him?”

“Whatever he has in mind, he hasn’t shared it with her.But he wants her back.”

His jaw hardened.“He’s known she was his since she was fifteen.Had copies of her school reports and her mother’s medical records.Every fucking thing.”He shook his head.“The fucking rat let his girl struggle for years.”

When his gaze dropped to the circling ice cubes in his tumbler, I glanced at Sile, whose shoulders held as much tension as mine.

The man nicknamed ‘sugar’ because his amiable facade belied a cunning intelligence gulped down the rest of his drink and leaned back.“Morrison’s dying.”