Page 51 of King of Tides

“What happened?” I ask Kendrick as we appear in his office at the same time.

“The hunters were at Taylor’s workplace. She wasn’t harmed, but we believe we should begin to train the women in combat along with their magic.”

“Did Bradan kill them?”

“No, getting Taylor to safety was his priority.”

“Makes sense.” I nod.

“Listen, I wanted to ask you something.”

Kendrick moves behind his desk and props his feet up. I move to take one of the chairs before it. Once I’m seated, he nods for me to continue.

“Have you noticed anything siren-like about Ray?”

“Yes, Reilly, Bradan, and I pointed it out yesterday. Why?”

“The little titans pointed it out and it clicked that Billy’s voice has the appeal of a siren. I’m noticing that while similar, each of our mates are unique. I’m just paying attention to what’s different and what’s alike.” I shrug.

“Not a bad idea.”

“The boys seemed to like her even after sensing she might be some type of siren. I found that interesting.”

“I heard they were here. How are they? Have there been any incidents?”

“None lately. Speaking of which. Billy had a vision while at a crime scene. She let me in to view it with her. Bardo was with Ricci,” I say the last few words tightly.

“You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

“No. Saw it with my own eyes. Seems like Candido is using him for muscle.”

“How the fuck did that happen when we couldn’t even locate the bastard for the last year?”

“I had the same question. I’m gonna put him to ground when I get my hands on him.”

“You’ll get no pushback from me. Anything else you need me to know?”

“Nothing I don’t have under control. I sent Kai with the boys for now. Rock has been at the warehouse helping Ocean.

“Amadeus is away, so I haven’t been able to get in touch with him yet. Other than that, the books are sovereign. All dues are in order and earnings have been high.”

“I’m not going to hold you, brother. I know you want to get back to your mate as much as I do. Let me know what you need to finally nail Bardo down, if anything.

“He shouldn’t be running loose. If I were you, I’d start with the assassin’s network. See if Kenji can give you any information.

“If Bardo is dealing with Ricci, that’s most likely where they met up. I want to deal with whoever made that connection happen,” Kendrick says.

“Should we go see Ricci about this?”

“I will kill Ricci if I see him again. He is barking up all the wrong trees. I say we allow him to hang himself on one.”

I snort and nod, although I want to be the one doing the hanging. However, Kendrick is right. At this rate, Candido is going to get himself killed.

There are reasons we bridged the gap between him and our world. We had to do his bidding and couldn’t harm him. All others, especially those in the underworld, will have no such obligation or hesitance when it comes to taking his life.

His problem, not ours.

“Good night, brother.”

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