Page 104 of Cohesion

Pure dumb luck. That left a bad taste in Jericho’s mouth. They couldn’t keep relying on that to get leads to find their men.

Peyton circled the car to the wide-open passenger door. He pulled the small light from his waist before clicking it on and looking inside, searching.

Jericho and Six went straight for the boot. If Spencer was stashed here, that’s where he would be. Six pursed his lips, and they shared a look. Neither of them wanted to open it. They’d known Spencer for years. Had worked closely with him ever since he’d appeared on their doorstep and never left. None of them knew what he’d done before them, but it hadn’t mattered. He’d simply been there one day, and he’d fit as if he’d always been there. He was family.

Either way, they needed to know.

“Pop the boot for us,” Jericho said.

The click was like a gunshot in the quiet night. Six slid Bianca out of her sheath and let her hang loosely at his side, keeping the edge of her blade from touching the grass under their feet.

Jericho hesitated, prepared himself for the worst, and then yanked the boot up in one swift move.

Jericho held tighter to the boot to keep himself upright as relief made him dizzy.It was empty. “He’s not here.”

It didn’t mean that he was alive, but until it was confirmed, and he saw it with his own eyes, Jericho chose to believe that he was okay. That they both were.

He quickly checked inside the boot, pulling the mat away and sliding his hand around to search for any hidden compartments or anything noteworthy.

Nothing.

“Clear,” Peyton said, slamming the door closed. “There’s nothing here. Was it too much to ask that they leave a calling card?”

Six snorted. He swung Bianca around in his palm, more habit than anything. “They switched cars here and dumped this one. Number plates left on the car. Could be sloppy or deliberate. They’ve been too smart so far; we’ll run them, but I doubt we’ll get a lead through them.” He used the sword to point at a track on the other side of the road. “They turned around here, went back into town. At least we know that it’s likely they’re still in Sydney.”

“That’s something, I guess,” Peyton muttered.

“It’s better than something,” Six said. “As long as he’s in the city, we have a chance. Once they take him away from here, our real problems start.”

“You don’t think they’ll do that?” Peyton asked.

“No,” Jericho said. “They won’t because it’s familiar hunting ground for them. Mulhall is using their expertise for his own shortcomings. That’s his first mistake.” If Jericho were going to take someone, he’d take them out of the city straightaway. Put them both on the same foot; unfamiliar, unpredictable ground. It wasn’t as hard to transport a person as people would be comfortable knowing. Too many people either didn’t pay enough attention or didn’t want to bring attention to themselves. Overlooked situations that looked bad or looked away even when they knew they shouldn’t.

They could have moved Sebastian trussed up, kicking and screaming, and people would look away, keep moving, not say a word or do anything. Head down, ignoring their surroundings and a cry for help.

The unfortunate truth was that their own safety was more important to them than someone else’s. Jericho couldn’t blame them. Not everyone had the means or skills to protect anyone,and getting involved had the potential to turn a bad situation worse for everyone.

“There’s nothing here,” Jericho said, resisting the urge to kick a tyre. “Let’s get back.”

Being this exposed made him twitchy. If they were going to be ambushed, this was the perfect place. Drop the car here, get Sebastian and Spencer to the next drop point, and then have someone lie in wait. They had at least one sniper in their employ; the shot at the lawyer’s house had been too perfect to be anything else.

Luckily, no one shot at them, they left the area with ease, and didn’t pick up a tail on their way back. It was the first lucky thing that had happened to them in a while, and Jericho would take it. Keep it in his pocket like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

He wouldn’t mind some leprechaun magic right then. Whatever he could get.

Too bad it hadn’t rained in a few weeks.

RILEY WAS GONE WHENthey got back, and Quinn was alone, standing by the island bench with a steaming mug in one hand as he hunched over.

“Riley’s gone back to the station,” Quinn said in greeting, not looking up. “And Hunter is sleeping.”

Peyton moved around the bench and cradled Quinn’s face, tipping it up so he could kiss him. Quinn clung to his shirt, opening his mouth and letting Peyton have whatever he wanted. Jericho’s throat closed up at the sight of them. Beauty and sadness wrapped together so tightly he couldn’t see where one began and the other ended.

Peyton closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Quinn’s. “We didn’t find anything except an empty car. They switched him to another vehicle, and all we know is that they came back into town.”

“It was a long shot,” Quinn said brokenly.

“Yeah,” Peyton breathed out. “I’m gonna go check on Will.”

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