Page 22 of Crave Me

“And that’s why you’ve come to me?”

He gestured at the targets in the distance. “You possess the necessary skillset, your ability with a blade being only one aspect. There’s also your connections to this particular lead.”

“What connection?”

“Raze.”

Oh shit. “How does he factor into this?”

“I was able to pull very hard to obtain video footage at the intersect point Caspian identified. It was at this location where the kidnappers switched vehicles into two unmarked transport trucks. It was also at this point that they entered a vast area devoid of any sort of surveillance for us to access—no businesses, no traffic light cams, nothing. However, I was able to trace the seemingly untraceable transport trucks back to Raze. He provided them to what’s left of Elijah’s people.”

“Of course he had. He’s so desperate for his club to make it big, he’ll grab any opportunity, no matter how unsavory it is, even crossing paths with the likes of Elijah Bane.”

“Indeed. Those transport trucks are outfitted with tracers.”

“Oh my God,” I breathed, as the implication became clear. “This could be the lead to finding them.”

“If we can gain access to that information, which Raze keeps highly-protected, given that his transport trucks are used to move illicit materials.”

“You’re telling me that only he has access?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Information that you could force him to release to us with the threat of the Mancini Syndicate coming down on him. King, too.”

“Should we do that, we risk Raze alerting Elijah and him subsequently moving Caleb and Sebastian. You, on the other hand, have the means to convince him to release the intel and to keep it quiet.”

I squared my shoulders. “Where is he?”

“His usual haunt.”

He reached into his coat. “In case he gives you any trouble, or tries to toy with you, this may prove useful,” he said, as he pulled out a little envelope.

I took it as he handed it to me, opening it to find a bunch of photos.

I choked as I took them in.

They depicted a man—or what was left of him—bound to a chair and burned beyond recognition, his flesh basically melted.

“Is this… did Caspian do this?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck. This is… beyond brutal.”

“Now you can see why I want to do whatever it takes to avoid him committing an act like this again. It isn’t who he is, but his grief and desperation have taken the wheel.”

“Hence you going behind his back now and coming to me.”

“I’m sure you can see that there is no other choice.”

I tucked the photos back into the envelope, then slid it into my inside pocket.

“Get me passage out of King Manor and keep it off Caspian’s radar, and I’ll take care of it.”

“Consider it done.”

6

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