Page 69 of Lost Kingdom

“I dunno. I guess I gotta figure out who is shooting at Booth before I can choose my next steps. If it’s one of his own men, then I’ll leave it alone and let them sort themselves out. If it’s someone else, I’m gonna figure out who the fuck they are and what their end goal is. And if Duane continues to make a mess of himself, I might put him on a plane to Jamaica. I’ll includethe cement shoes and have him pen a letter to his sister first, letting her know he’s okay and not to call him.”

“Your marriage sounds healthy and long lasting. Way to go, man. You’re a pro.”

“Shut the fuck up and mind your business. Don’t tell Fletch this shit, either. The less people who know before Aubree, the safer the secret.”

“Sorry, bud.” Fletch laughs on Archer’s side of the line. “I already know your business. Mazel Tov. And don’t tell her. It’ll break her heart. Just marry her again and pretend it’s the real one.”

“Thanks for the advice,” I roll my eyes. “You, especially, have a vested interest in putting Booth in a cage. Why haven’t you done it yet?”

“Because there are rules about cops picking on guys without cause. I don’t have a case against the prick, and I already have a harassment complaint in my file because I was, quote-unquote,stalking him at his private residence.”

I move through the bar’s front door and emerge into the sludging snow. “You went to his house?”

He chuckles. “I was there to talk, seeing as how he and his men put my ex-wife in the hospital and are now, I suspect, keeping her drug addled and in their spare bedroom. But he called it harassment, and I can’t search his home without a warrant. Now the captain thinks I’m a troublemaker and hates me more than he hates the mafioso’s son turned cop. And I gotta say, that was a pretty high bar to jump.”

“He won’t say anything to Aubree,” Archer cuts in. “But you gotta take care of your business soon. Because these things have a way of getting out.”

“How can it get out if three of the four people who know are on this phone call?” I demand. “Cordoza isn’t gonna say anything, and I trust you two to shut your mouths.”

“I made no promises,” Fletch quips. “She’s my friend, and I care that she’s happy. Make things right or I’ll blab all over the place. You’re on the clock.”

“You’re a fuckin’ dick, too.” I drag the phone from my ear and kill the call, only to look up and find myself on the sidewalk. Buses and cars putter by on my right. People coming and going, but none really paying attention to me. Loads of those who walk by are in cop uniforms, or sharp suits as they head toward court. EMTs. Nurses.

Most are oblivious to the fact they stride around a man who was born to lay scourge on their city. Rule it, or burn it. They’re clueless to how close they are to the destiny my father wished for me.

And they have no fucking clue how hard I fight, day after day, not to give in to the one thing I was born for.

Every man wants power. Most bathe in it and swell fat with how good it makes them feel.

But if I allow myself even an inch, just a single day of sitting on the throne I was bred for, I’m terrified I might like it.

My legacy will be to spite my namesake. Not become him. But there are days like today, where those lines blur and I’m not sure which direction I should go.

“Fuck.” I bring a hand up and glance to my left.Where do I go next?

22

AUBREE

TRUTH OR DARE

“I’m clocking out.” I duck my head through Minka’s door and wait for her too-tired eyes to drag up to mine. It’s infusion night for her, and she’s working herself to death… again. Which means Archer will be by soon to scoop her up and get her home. “I packed my DBs away, and emailed you the preliminary reports. I found nothing we didn’t expect to find.”

“Ballistics?”

“I sent the bullets off a couple of hours ago. Ballistics officer acknowledged receipt and said we can head over to the precinct in a few weeks when he can clear his schedule to test them.”

“Tox?”

“I sent requests to the lab, since this is homicide. But Raquel is backed up and will take a while to get to them. Cases have been pended. Yours?”

She plops her elbows onto her desk and rests her chin in her hands. “Same. Everything you just said: same. Doctor Flynn wrapped hers up, too, which means we’re essentially done as far as that case goes. It’ll take months for everything else to come back, so we just…” She blinks. Slowly. Sleepily. “We move on.”

“You need to go home and medicate before you fall on your ass. What time is Archer getting here?”

“Soon.” She tilts her head and checks the time on her computer screen. Then she repeats, “Soon. You wanna wait for us?”

“Nah. I’m meeting Tim at the bar, and my stomach is rumbling already. I’ll text him when I walk outside, so he can start my dinner. By the time I sit down, my plate should be waiting for me.”

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