Page 3 of Crown of Smoke

“Did you know there have been countless murders in this alley since it opened back in the early 1900s?”

That unsettling prickle of fear slides up my spine again. “I didn’t know that.”

“Many of them were asking too many questions.”

I spin around. Connor blocks the alley's entrance, flanked by two others. Their faces are hard, predatory. Danny tosses his cigarette down, extinguishing it under his shoe. That eager gleam in his eyes is replaced by something colder.

Connor steps forward. "Some stories ain't meant to be told."

My back hits rough brick. Four men. No witnesses. No cameras. My throat closes up as the reality of my situation crashes down.

They move like wolves closing in on prey, spreading out to cut off any escape route. My hands shake as I reach for my phone.

Danny snatches it away, tsking. "Can't have you calling for help now."

"Please." My voice cracks.

The circle tightens. My heart races. I can barely breathe.Stupid. So stupid to follow a stranger into a dark alley. I know better. Or at least I should.

“She’s hot. Maybe we can have a little taste of her first,” Cut-Knuckle Guy says.

Danny nods. “Yeah. Me first. I’m the one that got her out here.”

I close my eyes, not sure what I fear the most, the violation they’re planning or my death.

2

FLINT

I’m the youngest in my family. Even my twin brother is older by a few minutes. But I wasn’t raised as a coddled and spoiled youngest child, growing up to be a wimpy asshole. No. I’m focused, controlled, disciplined. I’m not a man easily led by his dick. So it’s fucking annoying that the woman at the bar, Lucy, has derailed my mission. All because I couldn’t stop from interfering in whatever crazy scheme she’s got going.

For the last two weeks, I’ve seen her at the bar. She stands out like a sore thumb. It’s not the blazer or even the wholesome appearance that makes her not belong. Most men probably only see the blonde hair and perky tits and don’t notice that she doesn’t fit in. Sure, I’ve noticed her looks and wouldn’t mind getting a closer look at those tits, but I’m on a mission and it’s not to get laid. Nor is it to find out what she’s doing here, and yet…

She thinks she’s subtle, but she’s not. She’s here for the same reason I am. The Kean Crew. Why she’s watching them, I have no idea. I’m sure she doesn’t realize just how dangerous they are.

When she dismisses me and my warning, I shrug her off. It’s her life. But now she’s following Danny O’Brian out the back. Every muscle in my body tenses. The predatory glint in O’Brian's eyes sets off warning bells. I've seen that look before and it never ends well for the other person, in this case Lucy. In a day or so, the media will be reporting her missing.

"Just stay put," I mutter to myself. "Not your problem."

But my feet shift beneath me, ready to move. The mission hinges on maintaining my cover, on infiltrating the Kean ranks through underground fights. It’s why they think I’m Flynn Tine, not Flint Infrinn. I need to keep it that way because one wrong move could blow everything my brothers and I have worked toward.

Lucy's blonde head disappears through the door, and O’Brian's buddies rise from their table to follow. Three of them, including Connor, the baddest-ass of the group. My jaw clenches.

"Damn it." I set down my whiskey and slide off my stool, keeping to the shadows as I track their movement. Unlike Lucy, I fit in. Jeans, black T-shirt, tattoos, they all help me blend with the regular crowd here. No one gives me a second glance.

The door creaks as I ease it open. Cool night air hits my face, carrying Lucy's voice from the alley.

"Please."

“She’s hot. Maybe we can have a little taste of her first,” Jonny, one of the goons I’ve been trying to befriend to get in with the group, says.

Danny nods. “Yeah. Me first. I’m the one that got her out here.”

My blood runs cold. Every protective instinct roars to life, warring with years of careful planning. Exposure means death. For me and my brothers. For any chance of justice. But I can't walk away. Not from this.

I flex my hands, feeling the familiar itch for violence beneath my skin. Cover be damned.

I step out the door. O’Brian presses Lucy against the brick wall, his hand over her mouth while his buddies egg him on. Her eyes are wide with fear, but there's still that spark of defiance I noticed earlier.

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