Page 88 of His Passerotta

“He will,” Settimo assures him.

Nikita throws a murderous look his way before pacing again.

I can’t blame him for being furious. The Lost Boys showed up at the Irish compound at the same time three of Nikita’s men were there to lay out the situation. And by show up, I mean they ambushed the compound, setting off a bomb they must’ve already planted then open firing before anyone could get their bearings.

No one predicted they would be so bold. Until today, they seemed content letting us tear each other apart. Something obviously changed, and it cost at least five lives, four Irish soldiers and one Russian soldier. That isn’t what has Nikita pissed. In addition to killing his soldier, they took Maksim, one of his best lieutenants.

“He better,” Cormac, the Irish boss, says, standing with his arms crossed. His advisor stands beside him, looking equally pissed.

Hey, at least we’re all friends again, right?

Lorenzo gives me a look I can’t decipher, and I walk the few feet to him, tilting my ear to hear when he speaks low.

“Is there anyone else’s phone Glitch should check?” he asks, the meaning clear in his tone.

Bailey.

I shake my head immediately, certain she wouldn’t be careless enough to be with the gang, not after our conversation. If she’s lucky, she got her brother the hell out of here.

“You’re sure?”

Something about the way he says it makes me question myself.

Yes, I’m sure. Of course I’m sure. It isn’t as if Bailey is in the gang. She wouldn’t be with them. The leader wouldn’t allow outsiders to squat with them even if she tried, it’d be too dangerous for him.

But if Corey was there… If she didn’t get to him in time, and she tried to go to him…

“I’m sure,” I say before stepping back. Beads of sweat break out on my forehead, and my hands start to feel clammy.

I lied. I’m not sure.

When Glitch’s fingers stop typing, all eyes point his way. He scans the screen, and when he sees something, he perks up.

“Got it.”

Nikita storms to him, and the others gravitate that way. I stay back, using the opportunity to pull out my phone and shoot a quick text to Bailey.

You out of Vegas?

“Six months ago, this guy,” Glitch points to the screen and turns it for all to see. It’s a photo of Oakland Ryan, the man we’ve identified as the Lost Boys’ leader. He looks more like a generic Captain Hook—mustache and all—than a kingpin. “He got a fine for trespassing at a farmhouse thirty miles outside of Vegas. The owner claimed the guy tried to buy the home with cash, but he wouldn’t sell. He felt threatened and called the police when he spotted the guy later that night.”

“So what?” Cormac asks, sounding annoyed.

Glitch turns to Cormac, pushing his black-rimmed glasses up his nose. “The owner of the house was shot a month later, and it’s been vacant ever since.”

“A safe house,” Settimo says, slowly uncrossing his arms.

“Those little shits think they’re prepared.” Nikita laughs, so much evil infused that it grates my ears. “Let’s go.”

He starts toward the door, his cane echoing menacingly off the walls. In thirty years, when gray hair and wrinkled skin have set in, that limp is going to make him look weak, but as it stands in his late-thirties, it only adds to the villainous look.

Everyone follows except me. I look down at my phone and stare at the unanswered text.

If she isn’t answering because her phone is off, that’s smart. Maybe she doesn’t even have it on her. Maybe it’s at the bottom of a lake.

“You okay?”

I jump at Lorenzo’s voice, darting my eyes to see him staring at my leg. My fingers tapping against my thigh come into my consciousness, and I curl my hand into a fist to stop them.

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