Page 231 of The Silent Note

And so am I.

Chapter Sixty-One

ZANE

I slam my sticks on the snare, beating out a rhythm that would make the dead rise. It’s still too clumsy. Just a little off-beat.

I can’t play like I used to with these special drumsticks and they’re not the sexiest-looking devices in the world, but hell, I don’t need my wrist to use the kick or the cymbal. So I make use of both, giving energy to the song.

Finn is at my right, thumping out a funky riff on his bass. His head is turned down toward his guitar, dark eyes hidden from sight.

But I know he’s not fully here with us.

“Finn, you good, man?” I yell, crashing my sticks into the cymbals. “You’re fumbling more than me and I’m the one re-learning how to play from scratch.”

“Sorry.” Finn runs a hand through his hair. “I can’t seem to concentrate.”

“You can’t seem to play without wincing either.” Dutch grabs Finn’s wrist and lifts it.

Finn pulls his hands back.

I push the drumsticks off and swing my legs over the stool. Walking to my brothers, I inspect Finn’s hand and cringe when I see the raw skin of his knuckles. “You’re either hitting your hand into a brick wall or into someone’s face.” I twist the hand around. “Make that many people’s faces.”

Dutch glowers. “You sure everything’s okay?”

“Yeah.”

“What does your dad have you doing?”

Finn glances away.

Dutch and I exchange looks.

Whatever Finn’s training is, it’s not pretty.

“Finn, let’s change the plan,” I say. “We’ll come up with a new way to get you out of it?—”

“Joining the yakuza keeps everyone safe,” Finn answers sharply. “Don’t pretend otherwise.”

I frown.

Dutch scowls.

Finn releases a sharp breath. “I should go.”

Neither of us ask where he’s going. In that sense, Finn is as mysterious as he’s always been. But there’s something different about his continuous disappearances now. Even if I don’t knowwherehe’s going, I know who he’s goingtoand that terrifies the crap out of me.

“We should find a way to free him. Soon,” Dutch says.

“Sure. Let’s just walk up to the yakuza and tell them to leave our brother alone. That’ll go over well.”

“We can’t donothing,” Dutch growls.

I stare at his fingers tightening into fists. Dutch has always been the type who wants to fix things, who wants to protect us. I get why sending Finn to the wolves puts him on edge, but even I know that our hands are tied.

“Finn is right. He’s doing this for us. Dad’s backed off. Grey is safe. And so is Cadey. We’re protected on the basis that Finnbelongs to the Kurosakis, not the Crosses. We need a hell of a plan before we go poking at that ants’ nest.”

My twin grits his teeth and glances away.

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