Page 22 of Murder & Mayhem
The conversation was enough for me to open my eyes and turn in their direction. They werestanding by the door, Dominic loaded down with way more takeout bags than seemed necessary for two of us.
Next to him, and facing me, was a man who was practically half Dominic’s size. His light brown eyes were striking against his dark brown skin. His braids fell in neat rows down to his chin. The frames of his glasses were bright pink and matched the heavy-banded bracelets that covered his left arm. He was wearing a white T-shirt, despite the colder weather, that showed off slim arms, black jeans, and heavy boots with a studded strap across the fronts. He was hot as fuck. Different than Dominic, but I couldn’t deny the man’s attractiveness.
There was very little space between the two of them, and he leaned into Dominic with a familiarity that made my skin itch. Which, what the fuck was that about?
Dominic noticed I was awake and smiled at me, making the itchiness disappear.
“Oh good, you’re up. Just in time. Jamie, this is my brother, Ari. He dropped off our dinner and has some news for us.”
I took the other man in. Brother? They looked nothing alike.
Ari laughed at my reaction. “Not biological brothers. We were in foster care together but became like brothers.”
“We all have the same last name too,” Dominic added.
I stood and slowly walked to the men. My legs felt like Jell-O, but I somehow managed to make it without falling on my face. “Your other brother too?”
“Gideon?” Dominic asked, and I nodded. “Yeah, him too. Wait till you meet him. He’s a fucking ginger Viking. We always get a kick outta people’s reactions when we say we’re brothers.”
Yeah, I bet. Dominic put the food down on the kitchen island and started to dig through the bags. “I hope you’rehungry. We didn’t know what you liked, so we ordered a little of everything.”
My stomach rumbled in response, causing both brothers to chuckle. “I’m gonna take my food to go,” Ari told us. “I got to get back to work. I only wanted to let you two know of some recent developments.”
“What’d you find?” Dominic asked.
“Flame, the leader of this chapter of the Wraiths, the crew that O’Malley runs with, is asking questions. Apparently, O’Malley was supposed to show up with the kid hours ago, but he never did. They went to Byrne’s house and found it empty and spotless. Then they found the body in O’Malley’s place.”
My stomach dropped, but Dominic kept dealing with the food like that meant nothing, though he did curse quietly under his breath. “You think O’Malley went rogue?”
“It seems that way.”
He nodded, thinking. “And the body? What did the crew think?”
“Not sure. I don’t know if they think it’s a regular OD or that O’Malley’s responsible. You’re nowhere near their radar now, and obviously they didn’t call the cops, so we’re good.”
“And Jamie?”
Ari sighed. “They’re looking for him, but I’m not totally sure why. I don’t know if they think he’s involved with everyone disappearing, they want information, or they’re looking for a replacement. Regardless, it’s best you keep your head down until you get out of the city.” He addressed that last part to me.
“What about what that guy said, about taking my brother to the docks?” I asked.
“I’m still working on verifying that. If that’s true, I don’t think Flame or anyone in the crew knowsabout it. I can’t find any recent correspondence between Flame and anyone named Slash or about them taking anyone over there. It seems like Flame was expecting O’Malley to drop Bailey at their clubhouse here in the city.”
“Is that good or bad? That O’Malley probably took him?”
The brothers looked at each other, having a silent conversation. I fucking hated it. Finally, Ari turned to me. “I don’t know. It adds another element at least.”
That . . . was not helpful. But I didn’t get a chance to ask any more questions. Ari grabbed one of the plastic bags full of food. “I gotta get back. I have too many programs running, and I need to check on everything.”
Dominic fixed his brother with a serious look that made my toes curl. “Don’t overdo it, A. You need sleep too.”
Ari rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Nicky. I get plenty of sleep.” Dominic didn’t seem convinced, and judging by the dark circles under Ari’s eyes on his otherwise flawless skin, he had reason to worry.
Ari addressed me. “Try not to worry too much. I’ll find Bailey, and Nicky will keep you safe. Just don’t let him get away with anything. He can be an overbearing motherfucker when he starts to care about someone.”
The glare Dominic gave Ari would send most men cowering, but Ari laughed. “I’m leaving. I’ll update both of you later.” He scampered out before Dominic could grab at him.
He looked a little sheepish once the door closed on Ari. “Sorry about that. Though, it’s better that you met him before Gid.” He laughed to himself and shook his head. “That’ll be interesting. Anyway, let’s eat.”
