Page 88 of Loco

He started typing furiously, pulling up names of known associates, checking tax records, and matching linked addresses. The mayor, his family, his staff, and his new security detail could all be tied into this deeper than we’d guessed.

“Send it all to Kapono,” Judd said without looking up. “Make sure he doesn’t hit them alone.”

We were still in the thick of it when Judd’s phone rang. He stepped away to take it, his posture going stiff the moment he answered. The call didn’t last long, and when he returned, his expression had shifted—more puzzled than worried but not relaxed either.

“That was the hospital.” He held the phone in his hand like it was about to give him another answer. “Topper’s still alive in intensive care, but barely. They ran labs, it’s Hantavirus.”

Everyone stilled.

“Hantavirus?” Keir echoed. “Isn’t that?—”

“A virus carried by rodents,” Judd confirmed, pulling up a page on his phone. “Transmitted through urine, feces, and saliva. It can cause hemorrhagic fever, respiratory failure, and even death.” He read the symptoms aloud: severe fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, abdominal pain, then coughing and shortness of breath. “He’s showing most of them.”

“But there weren’t any signs of rats at Topper’s place,” Kai said, frowning. “Hell, the place was too clean. It smelled like bleach and ammonia the minute we walked in.”

“Exactly,” Judd agreed, his brow furrowing. “It wastooclean like someone scrubbed it hard before we arrived.”

“Which makes sense,” Imogen added quietly, “if someone wanted to cover their tracks, but maybe they missed something.”

“You think someonegavehim the virus?” Kai asked, his voice low.

“I think someone wanted him out of the way,” Judd sighed. “And they didn’t care how slow or painful it would be.”

The room fell quiet again until the sharp buzz of my phone cut through the room like a blade, making me jump. I didn’t recognize the number on the screen, it was local but unfamiliar. My gut twisted as I stared at it. It could only be one of two things: another lead or the bastards who took Sayla and the kids.

I braced myself, jaw tight, and answered curtly, “Roque.”

To my surprise, the voice on the other end wasn’t Russo’s or some disguised threat—it was Ned again.

“Roque,” he greeted, his voice low but clear. “My security team and I have been digging a little into your mayor, Walter Griggs.”

I straightened instinctively, shifting my weight as the others in the kitchen looked up.

“He was only elected a year ago,” Ned continued, “after the last mayor was exposed for his… alternate ambitions. Looks like Palmerstown has a habit of choosing the wrong kind of men for the position. We found something we thought you’d want to know about. There’s an old, decommissioned government property about ten minutes out of town that’s been abandoned and forgotten. I’m sending you the address now to add to your list.”

My phone buzzed with the incoming message before I could even respond. I exhaled, the tension in my chest momentarily giving way to a sharp focus. “Thanks,” I said. “Really. If they’reanywherenear there, I’ll bring them home.”

“You do that,” Ned ordered, his tone turning razor-sharp. “And once they’re safe, I’ll help you burn every last one of these bastards to the ground.”

I hesitated, then asked, “Does that include cops?” I explained briefly what we’d uncovered: the names on our board, the ignored red flags, and the buried disciplinary records.

“Especially if it includes those cops,” he confirmed without hesitation. “If your badge protects corruption instead of people, you shouldn’t wear it.”

I hung up and immediately dialed Kapono, my thumb bouncing impatiently against the edge of the phone.

The line rang once, twice, then went dead, so I tried again.

Still nothing.

I cursed under my breath, copied the address from Ned’s message, and shot it through in a text to Kapono. The “read” notification popped up a moment later, but there was no reply.

Imogen looked up from her laptop. “Maybe he’s scoping the place. If people are nearby, he might not want to risk answering.”

Judd and I locked eyes across the kitchen, both of us thinking the same thing— something didn’t feel right.

“I can’t just sit here and wait,” I growled, pushing away from the counter. “I need to move.”

Before anyone could stop me, I grabbed my keys and stepped onto the porch, already heading for my SUV. I slid into the driver’s seat, heart thudding, mind locked in overdrive, when my phone rang again.

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