Page 450 of Sticks and Stones
Just yesterday he growled when the news said crime was on the rise, and he’d cursed at the person on the TV, telling them to burn in Hell.
And it was the national news, not even the local news.
That told him all he needed to know about Gene’s mood, and his obsession with finding Landry. This turn-around worried him.
“Thanks anyway,” Corbin said. “Any news on Landry?” he asked.
It was the same question that Corbin asked every morning for the last four days. He asked it after lunch, and he asked it before bed.
And it was always the same answer—which just fed into Gene’s anger because he couldn’t answer that for Corbin, to make him feel safe.
“No, Corby. He’ll be found,” Gene said this time. “Have faith.”
Normally, it was Ethan who said that—minus the‘faith’part.
It was question-and-answer time.
“Where did you go this morning?” Ethan asked, sipping his coffee as he watched his man.
They hadn’t had sex the last four days because someone was cranky. The last thing he expected was for Gene to be out wandering the city.
“Church,” he said. “I went to morning Mass, and lit a candle.”
Honestly, he wasn’t sure if Gene was lying or not. That fit. He tended to go to Mass when something was bothering him.
“Okay,” he said.
Only, Ethan couldn’t shake it.
Something was off. Blackhawk’s bullshit meter was chirping away.
Now, he needed to get to the bottom of it.
When Ethan’s phone rang, he saw the blocked number, and he knew who it was going to be.
“It’s Gabe,” he said, taking the call but touching his lips so the other two men didn’t have to leave the room.
It might be about Landry.
“Blackhawk,” he said.
Their boss was on the other end.
“I have news,” he said. “It seems that Landry Mahoney was found this morning.”
Corbin’s eyes got huge, and Will hugged him, as they both waited to hear the rest.
Gabe continued.
“He was found in a field not far from the local park,” he stated.
Ethan was curious, but apparently, Gene was even more curious.
“Did he off himself?” Gene asked.
Gabe shared the information.
“No, someone found his body and called it in. It appears that he was found beaten to death.”
