Page 93 of Fighting a Riot

Yak just barely kept himself in check at the surprise of hearing Turk use his real name. The officer nodded at Turk. “You can go, but come right back. I’d like to ask both of you questions about tonight. This gives me the chance to start with Noah, first.”

Over two hours later, the police were gone, along with the fucking news crews, Ava and Prime were at the hospital, and all the dancers had gone home with each one calling Yak or Turk to say that they had made it inside their homes safe.

Now, Volt, Blood, Turk, and Yak were sitting in the office sipping Jack Daniel’s, Volt’s drink of choice.

Blood polished off the whiskey in his highball glass. “Okay, so… We don’t suspect Tundra anymore. After tonight, I’m thinking Prime’s out, too.”

Yak had taken three sips of his liquor. “You’re probably right,” he muttered.

“Probably?” Blood demanded, and Yak realized the booze was hitting Blood harder for some reason.

Yak lifted a hand in the air in semi-surrender. “I’ve ruled no one out entirely, but I damn sure won’t accuse anyone without irrefutable proof.”

“Irrefutable,” Blood slurred.

Along with Volt and Turk, Yak glared at Blood.

“How are you drunk right now?” Volt asked.

Blood shrugged. “I had a couple shots down at the bar. Can’t fuckin’ stand seein’ any woman get hurt like that. Fuck. We should be at the hospital right fuckin’ now, but we gotta figure out security feeds and shit.”

“She’s gonna be all right, though. That’s what the EMT told Tundra,” Turk said.

Volt tossed back the rest of his drink and refilled it from the bottle on the table between them. “Yeah. We’ll hear more about Ava in a couple hours. We know Prime’s gonna be okay. Hell, I had to tell him four times to stay in the hospital overnight like they ordered. Didn’t realize he was such a stubborn motherfucker.”

“That leaves us with Punc and Evict, doesn’t it?” Turk asked.

“Or maybe a prospect who’s eavesdropping or some shit,” Yak suggested.

“No,” Volt said. “That’s too far. We keep them busy as hell. The Devil Lancers could be staking us out and there is no traitor.”

Blood and Turk nodded. It made sense to Yak, which made him feel that much worse for accusing anyone.

They pulled up the security feed for the office. A man wearing dark clothes had slipped into the office, but kept his head down - aware that cameras were installed.

“Whoever that was is too short to be Punc and not burly enough to be Tundra. We know it isn’t Prime because he was busy walking Ava out to her car.”

The person who attacked Prime knew the placement of the outdoor cameras and kept his back to them.

“Are you sure it wasn’t Ghost you chased after?” Volt asked.

Yak tilted his head side to side to stretch his neck and alleviate the building stress. “My gut says it wasn’t. Ghost isn’t nimble enough to scale a fence as fast as this fucker did, and Ghost is taller than that asshole was.”

Blood’s eyebrows arched. “Your mind could be fucking with you. Letting you see what you want to see.”

“Maybe,” he said, sipping his whiskey and enjoying the loose feeling he had. “Punc ever find his phone?” he asked without thinking, compliments of Jack Daniel’s.

All three men stared at him.

“He lost his cell?” Turk asked.

Yak nodded. “Day before yesterday. It’s a pre-paid phone, so I guess he gave up on it.”

Blood bit his lip. “That seems suspect, even for Puncture.”

Yak nodded. “That’s what I thought, too.”

Turk cleared his throat. “No, he’s always used phones like that.”

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