Page 15 of Marked

Chapter 9

Cain

“One of our contacts went silent.”

Kyle drops the news on me like a bomb, deep lines crossing his forehead as his gaze catches mine.

“What do you mean?” I stalk closer, clenching my fists as I process his statement.

He looks intimidated, tilting his head back to look up at me as I approach him, my fists still curled up, ready for a fight that won’t happen.

“The Scivola guy who was supposed to have eyes on Charlie these past two days,” Kyle elaborates. “He’s supposed to give me a report every three hours, or if anything noteworthy happens. I haven’t heard from him in more than six hours.”

“Six hours!” I roar. “And you’re telling me this only now? Why didn’t you come to me earlier? What happened?”

Kyle shrugs, only aggravating me further. “He has been late before, especially in the morning. I didn’t think much of it, but it’s starting to worry me now.”

“Have you tried to contact him?”

“Of course I have,” he retorts, giving me an indignant look. “Did they say anything? You were talking to the Scivolas just now, weren’t you?”

I nod, raking my fingers through my hair as my eyes turn to the ground. Those fucking idiots. I always had my doubts about working with a family like the Scivolas. Even among the syndicate and other families in the area, they aren’t exactly known as reliable partners. They have lost a lot during the past few years, and it seems every time they try to get out of the hole they’ve been thrown in, they only dig in deeper instead of finding their way back to the top.

“You think they got caught?” Kyle suggests, voicing the same thought that’s been bouncing against my skull ever since he shared his news.

“They had better not have,” I growl. “Even the Scivolas can’t be that stupid and careless.”

“But they didn’t mention anything?” Kyle probes, widening his eyes. “On the phone just now, I mean. They didn’t say anything about a change of plans, or Matteo?”

I shake my head, unsure whether I’m lying to him right now. Ivo didn’t say he’d withdrawn one of our main contacts, and he didn’t mention anything about a change of course.

He did, however, threaten to do such a thing, at least indirectly.

“You still rely on us. Remember that.”

Was this his way of reminding me?

“What about Jack’s contact?” I want to know. “Is he still good?”

Kyle nods. “Yeah, guess so. As far as I know.”

That’s good enough for now. No matter what happened to Kyle’s contact, the signs are clear. We don’t have much time to complete this mission, at least not if I want it to be done the right way.

No matter how I feel about her or this dirty business I dragged her into, I need to get Riley ready as soon as possible and minimize the risk of more complications.

Even if the thought of it eats me up inside.

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