Page 20 of The Devil We Know

Tony quirks a brow at me mockingly. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

That fucking bastard.

I take a step toward him, jabbing him in the chest with my index finger. “Let me be clear here, bucko. I do what I want, and if you don’t like it, you can get the fuck out of my way and go fuck yourself.”

I open my mouth with another biting retort, but Antoinette clears her throat, effectively interrupting our exchange. I turn my gaze to her amused one as she says, “If you really want to find Matt, you’re going to have to be prepared to do anything.”

I straighten, taking a calming breath and then exhaling it before saying firmly, “I’ll do what has to be done. Matt would do the same for me.”

“Yes,” Darius interjects. “But Matt has been in this life for a long time. He’s been trained and conditioned to do what has to be done.”

I lift a shoulder dismissively as I reply, “Then teach me. Condition whatever you gotta condition in the short time we have available. Because I’m going to go get him.”

Darius gives me the same assessing look Tony did a few moments ago, and somehow, I manage not to squirm under his stern assessment. After a few moments, he says, “You won’t be able to go in with any weapons.”

I snort and roll my eyes a bit as I snark, “Didn’t have one last time, either.”

Antoinette laughs, moving closer to me and putting an arm over my shoulder as she says, “That’s right. Bludgeoned that motherfucker to death. It must have been beautiful.”

Carolina joins in with her giggles and adds, “That must have been a sight to see. I bet you he was still running his fucking mouth, too, and then you shut it up.”

I can’t help but laugh a bit, though I’m sure it comes out rather awkward. If anybody deserved the violent end they got, it was Bobby Schmidt. I know without a doubt that I’d do it again if I had to.

“We don’t have a lot of time to prepare, so we better get our shit together. We don’t really have any idea what’s going on. He may be there of his own free will, he may be there under duress, he may be a prisoner. We won’t have any of those answers until you set eyes on him.”

“And what do I do when I find him?”

Now, Tony shrugs. “That will depend on how you find him. If he’s a prisoner, you’ll have to try to find a way to get him out.”

I nod but then ask, “And if he’s not a prisoner? If he’s in that place of his own volition?”

They all look between each other for a few moments, uncertainty written on all their faces, and then finally, Darius looks at me and replies, “I guess you’ll have to cross that path when you get to it.”

I frown as I say, “And if he’s turned into the enemy? Is that a possibility?”

Again, they all look at each other, the uncertainty even sharper on their features, and then Tony walks closer to me and stops in front of me, stooping over a bit so he can meet my eyes. “Then you get the fuck out of there, and you leave it to me.”

He doesn’t wait for me to answer; he just turns on his heel and stalks across the room, slamming the door on the other side of the room.

Carolina sighs, giving me a reassuring smile. She pats me on the arm and then follows him out of the room.

I look at Dare and then Antoinette nervously, and it’s Darius who replies, “If you get in there and you find out that Matt has switched teams—if he truly is the enemy—we will have to deal with it.”

Antoinette smiles sadly, walking over to Darius and resting her hand on his arm as she says, “You know that isn’t going to happen. Matt wouldn’t do that.”

Dare sighs and shakes his head as he says quietly, “I don’t know fucking anything anymore.”

She steps in even closer to him, forcing him to meet her gaze as she says firmly, “No.No.”

Declan, who has remained silent this entire time, interjects, “If somehow hell has frozen over and Matt has switched sides, then we will all come together and deal with it. But I’m with Antoinette on this. There’s no way.”

Dare gives a curt nod, and then Antoinette steps back, turns to me, and asks, “Are you ready to do this?”

I nod. It’s not like I really have any choice otherwise.

She smiles, and I know what she’s going to say before it even leaves her mouth. “Fuck around time.”

8

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