Page 174 of Ruthless Legacy

Michael’s absence hasn’t gone unnoticed. I’ve heard through the rumor mill that he’s still hospitalized. Igutted him, gutted him. Intestines ripped to shreds, falling outside of his body. If he survives, I know he’ll tell everyone it was me. If he hasn’t already.

He could have blabbed on the way to the hospital, or someone could’ve seen something. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up, and I don’t know where to start.

I lost the knife I used. If the cops recover it, my prints are all over it. And I don’t know who the guy was that dropped me off at the hospital. He could’ve driven Michael there, too.

So, it all comes down to whether or not he survives. That’s the difference between a murder rap and aggravated assault.

There’s one person I can ask to look into what’s going on, but I don’t want to drag Wolfe into this. I’ve involved him in enough stuff to jeopardize his job, with our relationship, and forcing him to be my mentor.

My phone rings, with a number I recognize. It’s a former contact that I never gave this new number to. If he went through the trouble of tracking me down… this is a call I can’t ignore. I step away from the table before answering.

“Yeah?”

“He wants to see you.”

“Time and place?”

The level of distrust this man has rivals mine. The location he’s picked is perfect for our meeting. If he suspects a setup, it’ll be easy for him to get lost in the crowd.

I give the evil eye to the guy walking up to frisk me. I pull my knife out and lift my shirt so they can see I’m not wired. Turning back to the man of the hour, I say, “Okay, Saint, you got me here. What’s up?”

He pushes away from the car he’s leaning against. “Let’s go look at some cars.”

I fall into step beside him. We check out a few cars, then he reaches behind him, pulling a package from underneath his shirt. “This showed up at the club, addressed to you.”

“Opening other people’s mail is a federal offense.”

“It would be stupid not to know what’s being dropped off at my place of business. Have you ever known me to be stupid?”

Inside the envelope is my twin blade. Cleaned of all traces of what I did with it. “There’s no return address.” I say, flipping over the envelope.

“And nobody saw who left it.”

A girl calls his name as we check out the next car. He walks over to her with a smile and leans forward, kissing her cheek. “Hey darlin’, you having fun?”

I roll my eyes when she tells him it could be more fun if she was hanging out with him.

“Come by the club after. We’ll see what kind of trouble we can get up to.”

She preens at the invite. Poor thing doesn’t know that’ll be the same line he gives to every other girl he encounters today.

We’ve made it to the end of this row of cars when he says, “Look Tink, I don’t know what you’re into, but you know better than to involve my club.”

“I didn’t send this to myself, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“Okay. Then why did someone think I’d be the perfect middle man for you?”

“That’s a good question. Why would anyone even think we knew each other? Someone in your circle been running their mouth, Saint?”

“Are you suggesting my guys aren’t loyal?”

“I’m saying I moved to a new town, left our business dealings behind. Every time you and I have breathed the same air, it’s because you sought me out. Someone must think that means something.”

“That’s some really creative deflection.”

I stare at him. There’s a reason the Inferno Skullz, and I did business for as long as we did.

“Fine. Then, how about this? You’ve used up a favor.”

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