Page 49 of Killer Confections (Syndicate Killers #1)
Atlas
“How the fuck is she missing , Rowan?” I growl loudly as Loxley sobs into my shoulder.
My brother, dressed in his standard white T-shirt and jeans, stands behind the coffee table in our living room. His hands are tucked into his pockets and he looks guilty enough, but something is off about him. Like he isn’t telling me the whole fucking story.
I see it in the way he shifts from foot to foot. The way he doesn’t look Loxley directly in the eyes.
Like he can’t look at her without giving something away.
Dale, another assassin on the compound and the owner of the bar, stands beside him.
He’s dressed in some ridiculous cargo shorts and a short-sleeve button-down.
He’s been out gathering intel about the South syndicate with another team and has yet to announce his news.
Seeing the look in his eyes as he takes in my distraught wife, whatever information he’s brought, isn’t pleasant.
“We were at a rest stop,” Rowan sniffs. “I told her not to get out of the car and she did. She ran for the woods and one of the South guys intercepted her before I could find her.”
Loxley whips around to him, tears streaming down her cheeks as she shouts. “WHY WOULD SHE RUN AWAY FROM YOU? WHAT DID YOU DO?”
My heart feels like someone is ripping it right out of my chest as I smooth a hand over her back. “Well? Fucking answer her, Rowan. ”
My brother’s jaw rolls and I register his reactions as strange. He shrugs. “I tried to tell her about the syndicate before bringing her here and she freaked out.”
Our eyes connect and I see it clear as fucking day.
He’s lying.
To. My. Wife.
My fists clench and I nearly pull Rowan to the garage to discuss this further until Dale steps forward and nods toward the back door.
“Can I speak with you? Rowan too.”
My brother and I exchange a look, and Loxley throws her hands up. “Why am I being excluded? My fucking best friend is missing!”
I hold her tightly, hating how broken she sounds. I hate the sight of her tears even more. “Hey, we’re gonna find her, Short Stack. Rowan already sent a search party out for her. She’ll be back before you know it.”
She looks at me, her bottom lip wobbling, and I just want to kiss the hurt away. “But what if they hurt her, Atlas? She’s my best friend—”
I shush her, tucking her head into my chest as I speak low in her ear. “We’re gonna find her, okay? I’ll make sure our best guys are on it. Dale has some news about the search for Kai, so we may have a lead. They won’t hurt her if they’re wanting to use her as a bargaining chip.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Dale says carefully. “If they have her friend, Kai’s men will be more inclined to use Addison as bait rather than hurt her.”
Loxley seems to relax. It’s only a fraction, but it’s better than her sobbing. I can’t take it anymore. It physically pains me to know she’s hurting and I can’t ease it somehow.
“That’s a good thing, right?” Loxley asks hopefully.
We all exchange a look before Rowan sighs and finally looks at her. His expression softens, but there’s something else there. Regret . “We have about forty-eight hours until her chances of survival drop. We need to find her. Soon. ”
Loxley takes a ragged breath, nodding. My brave girl.
“Okay,” she mumbles, looking tired. “Do what you have to. Is there anything you need from me?”
Dale clears his throat. “Have you gotten any texts or calls from unknown numbers?”
My wife frowns. “No.”
He nods. “If you do, bring them straight to Alana so she can try to get an address. Kai has a hideout somewhere around here.”
“Okay,” she mutters. “I need to lay down…”
I kiss her temple. “Go to bed, baby. I’ll be there in just a minute.”
She nods before giving the others a little wave and heading for the bedroom. She looks like a zombie and a rage I’m not used to has me shooting up from my seat the moment our bedroom door closes.
I point a finger at Rowan’s chest, getting in his face as my lips draw back. “You fucking lied to her! What are you hiding?”
He stares at me blankly, his expression so impassive it’s robotic. “I didn’t lie. Addison is gone.”
I shake my head. “You better hope whatever the fuck you’re doing doesn’t hurt my wife anymore. I will burn you alive. Blood be damned.”
He remains stoic, only nodding to acknowledge my words.
Dale clears his throat, gaining our attention. “I hate to break this up, but I’ve got something to show you.”
He pulls out his phone before flipping to a gallery of photos. In the pictures, I can make out everything that made up Loxley’s apartment. The brightly colored couch and cushions, the pink duvet, and the kitchen full of baking pans.
Except everything is trashed. The couches have been ripped to shreds and white stuffing litters the floor.
All the pots and pans in the kitchen look like they’ve had a bat taken to them.
They’re all dented and bent beyond saving.
Loxley’s bed looks like some sick fuck started a fire directly in the center.
The sheets and covers burned to a black crisp.
But the most eye-catching act of vandalism is the crimson blood smeared across the walls in a message.
An eye for an eye—K. Hayes
My jaw ticks. When I speak, my voice sounds deathly quiet. “And how did he get past us? Who was able to dismantle the security system without it alerting me?”
Dale shakes his head. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be here right now. I would be out looking to recruit the fucker for our branch.”
There were a few techs for the South branch with basic knowledge, but nothing extraordinary. Whoever this is, they were recruited from the outside…
“Figure out who it is and dispatch several other units,” I command, not sparing my brother a glance.
When it comes to Loxley’s safety, I don’t give a flying fuck about our hierarchy.
But the strangest part is that Rowan doesn’t even stop me.
He stays silent, his arms crossed over his chest as I bark orders.
“I want a team of two on Loxley at all times. Send the twins on Addison’s trail.
Have them backtrack to the rest stop and start the investigation from there. ”
Rowan tenses. “I already told you I have a team—”
“I don’t fucking trust your judgment right now.” I snap. “You lied to my wife. You’re dead to me.”
He shakes his head, mood sour. “You’re so fucking dramatic.”
“Tell me what you did.” I press.
When he looks away, jaw ticking, I know he won’t say a word. Something is up, but he’s locked up tight.
Dale looks between us, his eyes ping-ponging with the argument. “You boys plan on fighting it out in the front yard for old time’s sake?”
Rowan’s eye twitches and my fists clench. “No,” we both grit .
If Dale weren’t such a crucial part of the Syndicate, I would break his jaw for dredging up the trauma of our pasts like it isn’t something Rowan almost drank himself into oblivion over and the very reason I lost myself for such a long time.
Anytime Rowan and I got into a disagreement, dad would force us to fight it out in the front yard.
We couldn’t walk away until someone was knocked out.
We didn’t want to hurt each other, but it was fight until one of us lost consciousness or get thrown into the cellar with whatever kill of the week was decaying away while strapped to a chair.
Rowan got his fair share of wins, and so did I. The image of my older brother on top of me, teeth clenched and fists flying as he hisses at me to give up so he could stop, still rattles me awake sometimes.
It isn’t a fond memory, and Dale must realize that as he clears his throat. “I’ll…leave you two to it. If you need anything, you know how to reach me.”
“Progress reports,” I remind him.
He waves over his shoulder at me. “Got it.”
When it’s just Rowan and me, he opens his mouth to speak, but I beat him to the punch.
“Get the fuck out of my house,” I dismiss as I walk to the bedroom.
“Prick,” he mutters before he turns in the opposite direction and storms from the property. The front door slams behind him and I shake my head.
I soften my features before pushing the door open and am greeted by darkness. Loxley shifts on the bed and I hear a quiet sniffle in the dark that makes my chest clench.
I pad over to her, leaning down and finding her face before swiping my thumbs over her cheeks. “No more crying, Short Stack. It’s going to be okay.”
She nods against my hands. “Can you hold me?” Her voice sounds small— meek —in the open space.
I shush her as I shuffle out of my clothes before sliding in behind her. I wrap an arm around her waist before tucking her into me. “We’re gonna find her. I promise.”
She remains quiet, her shoulders shaking with her tears. I hold her tightly until her breath finally evens out and drifts off to sleep.