Page 18 of The One

“He'll have safe houses. Brent and Becky are going to stay close to the city.”

“How do you know?” I ask. I’d be in the wind if I was them. His father is missing, and now Matteo Cattaneo is on his trail, but the kid may not know that.

“Brent has an obsession. An uncontrollable one.”

“Where did you find this?” I’d dug into Brent for a few days. It’s how I gathered up all the information I had on him.

“He has a type.”

“Of girls he targets?” I shuffled through the missing girls. A few had some similarities.

“When it’s his pick, yes.” Isn’t that fucking sweet? Ken and Barbie take turns picking their next victim. “You put it together yet, Church?” He picked half of the girls. It clicks.

“No.” Dark hair with green eyes. Tiny little things. Just like my Angel.

“Yes.”

“What the fuck?” Nikolai waits to be filled in.

“He’s got a hard-on for his sister,” Matteo informs him.

“Oh gross.” Nikolai runs his hand down his face. “That means Becky wanted Riley. That cunt.”

“How sure are you?” I ask. I thought there might be a chance to get out of killing her twin. That might make things easier for her and me. My phone goes off. I take it out and see that Zero has sent me some pictures. “I’ll kill him.” An anger like no other I’ve ever felt courses through my veins.

The little shit had a room dedicated solely to his sister. There are pictures of her taken over the years, as well as a few missing girlswho resembled her. He'd even dressed them up like her. Sick motherfucker. I could discern that some of these pictures had been taken without her knowledge. She is in her own bedroom and bathroom.

I think Nikolai was right; I am unhinged when it comes to my Angel. Because the thoughts of what I’m going to do to Brent are far darker than anything I’ve ever considered in the past. Brent hadn’t really been my concern before this. Sure, I didn’t care for what he was doing, but it hadn’t really affected me personally. But after seeing how he violated my sweet Angel, he is enemy number one. And no matter what Matteo or anyone else says, I will be the one to send him to meet his maker.

“Well shit,” Nikolai mutters next to me, along with a few words in Russian. “He got a better collection of pictures than you?”

He jumps back as I swing, barely missing him. He's damn lucky, because it would have rattled a few teeth loose. Nikolai holds up his hands again, fighting a smile. As if the little fuck has room to talk.

“I find it really hard to believe that the father didn’t know about any of this.” I speak my thoughts.

“He did.” Matteo confirms my suspicions. "I think he used her to try to keep him in check to some extent. I don’t know for sure, but the more I dig, the worse shit gets.”

“What is your plan here? You let that little fucker go for some damn reason.” I’m trying to keep it together and respect Matteo.

"Senators and their children cannot simply disappear, Church. I have pull, but not that much pull. All eyes would be on us from everywhere.”

“Then, what?” Tension is filling my body, and I need to release it. “It’s only a matter of time before people notice the senator isn’t at home.”

“We need the kid. Then, I’ll do the rest.”

“All right.” That’s all I need to know. I head toward the box. I hear Nikolai follow behind me down the stairs. I enter the code for the thick lock loudly when it flips over.

When I enter the room, Rothschild's head rises, his eyes wide with fear. Blood has dried at the corner of his mouth. He lets out a whimper.

“Fucking hate that smell,” Nikolai mutters. The smell of piss can come with this job.

It’s about to get a whole lot worse.

12

ANGEL

“How are you holding up?” Riley asks.

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