Page 63 of Bozo

BOZO

“Is Gráinne okay?” Jerry asks as I enter Pyro’s office.

I glare at Jerry, my anger barely contained. "No, she's not fucking okay. She's been beaten, threatened, and is terrified. And you knew about it."

Jerry has the decency to look ashamed. "I wanted to tell you, Bozo. But she begged me not to. Said she didn't want to put you in danger."

"That wasn't your call to make," I growl, stepping closer to him. "She's my woman. It's my job to protect her."

"Your woman?" Jerry raises an eyebrow. "Last I heard, you two weren't together."

I clench my fists, fighting the urge to punch him. "Things change. Now, tell me everything you know about what happened to her."

Jerry sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know much more than what she's probably told you. She called me after the first incident at the hospital, scared out of her mind. I increased security at her place, but..."

"But it wasn't enough," I finish for him, my voice hard.

He nods, looking defeated. "I'm sorry, Bozo. I should have pushed harder, should have made her tell you."

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Getting angry at Jerry won't help Gráinne. "What have you found out about The Revenant since the card game?"

Jerry's eyes widen slightly. "The Revenant? What do they have to do with this?"

"Everything, apparently," I say. “Those two fuckers at the card game?” I say and watch him nod, his eyes narrowed. “Yeah, those fucks were at the hospital and it was the blonde one who hurt Grá.”

Jerry's face pales at my words. "Jesus Christ," he mutters. "This is worse than I thought."

"No shit," I growl. "Now, what do you know?"

He takes a deep breath, composing himself. "Not much, unfortunately. The Revenant keeps their operations tight. But I've heard whispers. They're expanding their territory, pushing into areas that were previously neutral ground."

I lean against Pyro's desk, my mind racing. "And what about this Dragomir character? Gráinne overheard them mention his name."

Jerry's eyes widen. "Dragomir? Are you sure?"

I nod, watching him carefully. "Yeah, why? You know something?"

He runs a hand over his face, looking suddenly exhausted. "Dragomir Popescu. He's a big player in the European underworld. Romanian, I think. If he's involved with The Revenant, this is fucking huge. It means that the Revenant spans the entirety of Europe and who fucking knows how much further."

"Fuck," I mutter, the gravity of the situation hitting me hard. "How the hell did Gráinne get caught up in this?"

Jerry shakes his head. "Wrong place, wrong time. But now that they know she overheard something, they won't stop until they're sure she can't talk."

My blood runs cold at his words. The thought of those bastards coming after Gráinne again makes me want to tear the world apart.

"That's not going to happen," I growl, my voice low and dangerous. "I'll die before I let them touch her again."

Jerry nods, his face grim. "I believe you. But, Bozo, this isn’t as easy as finding these two fucking bastards. We're talking about an international criminal organization. We need to be smart about this."

I push off from the desk, pacing the small office. "What do you suggest?"

Jerry takes a deep breath. "We need more information. About The Revenant, about Dragomir, about their operations here. Without that, we're flying blind."

"And how do you propose we get that information?" I ask, my patience wearing thin. “No one fucking talks about them.”

"Then it’s time to make them," Jerry says. "We have a whole fucking lot of power behind us. It’s time to use it."

"Time is something we don't have," I interrupt. "Every minute we wait is another minute those bastards could be planning their next move."

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