Page 65 of Little Bird (Advantage Play 3)

My fists ache, and my knuckles swell from the abuse, but it doesn’t stop me from taking another swing. Crimson-stained saliva spews from his mouth before his head rolls forward, and his chin drops to his chest.

“F-fine,” Dominic grunts in defeat. “Fine. J-just…stop.”

“I stop when you start talking,” I tell him.

“W-what….” He groans in pain. “What do you want to know?”

“We want to know who you’re working for.”

His eyes roll back in his head, but Stefan steps closer and squeezes his neck in warning. “Don’t pass out, Dominic. You won’t like how we wake you up.”

Heavy lids snapping open, Dominic tries to concentrate and answer the question. “I’ve never met him. I-I don’t know his name. He, uh…he reached out to me. Offered a shitton of money. All I had to do was contact Sei or Dex.”

“Sei’s in custody,” I correct him.

Shaking his head back and forth, Dominic argues, “No. He wasn’t picked up with everyone else. Thank God I had the flu and couldn’t attend, either, or I’d have been screwed like the rest of them. Then again, I think that’s why the guy contacted me in the first place. He knew we ran in the same circle. That I could reach you.”

“Stefan,” Kingston barks. “Ask Leo to confirm Sei’s whereabouts.” Turning to Dominic, he continues his interrogation. “What did he want you to contact Dex about?”

“The blonde who slipped through the cracks.”

“He wants her?”

Dominic’s head drops forward in an exaggerated nod.

“What does your boss want with the girl?” Kingston growls.

“H-he didn’t say.”

“And you’ve never met him?”

His attempt at shaking his head is quickly followed by a grimace, confirming my suspicion that I gifted him with a minor concussion. “No.”

“Then how the hell did he give you his orders?” I interject.

As a bit of blood-stained saliva dribbles down Dominic’s chin, he mumbles, “M-my phone.”

“And where is your phone?” Kingston prods.

“F-front pocket.”

Kingston raises his chin at me, and I retrieve the cell before tossing it back at him.

“He probably used a burner,” I add as Kingston catches the only lead we have.

“Yeah, but Leo might be able to give us a location by tracking the cell towers he used to contact Dominic,” Kingston counters. “And who knows? The bastard might still have the phone on him.”

“If they communicated through text, we might be able to convince him to meet up, too,” I return.

Turning back to our almost unconscious friend, Kingston asks, “What’s your passcode?”

Deep wrinkles line Dominic’s forehead, showcasing his pain, but he doesn’t respond.

“Now,” Kingston orders in a frigid tone.

“4-3-6….” With another groan, he squeezes his eyes shut and repeats, “4-3-6-5-2-0.”

“Stefan!” Kingston calls out. “Take this to Leo. See what he can find.”