Page 24 of Blood Ties
"To see Isaiah and to pay a visit to Marcus." I shift on the couch, unable to stay still.
"You mean—"
"I'm well aware he's alive. You could only keep it from me for so long."
His face strains as his eyes meet mine again. "He made us promise. He said he'd tell you when he was ready."
"Looks like he chose to show me first." I grit my teeth, my pants bunching between my clenching fists.
"You're saying the order that was laced with fentanyl was Marcus?"
"And the fire in the field that happened right before I left,” I add.
"You're sure?" He scoots closer to the edge of his chair.
"He admitted it to me in the back of his car after he kidnapped me from a club."
Gabriel laughs. "You two really were made for one another. You couldn't have picked a more perfect time to have a fight, huh?"
"You understand now why yesterday's incident isn't related to the others?"
"Yes. Marcus wouldn't have threatened Mateo. He may hate you right now, but he wouldn't hurt you in this way and he wouldn't hurt me either. If it isn't him and it isn't the men leaving behind the brass, then who is it?"
"There was nothing left behind at all?'
He shakes his head, glancing at the floor. "We've torn the place apart and came up empty handed."
"And Mateo? Does he remember what the men looked like?"
"They all had on masks except for one. He said he'd never seen the guy before, but definitely won't be forgetting his face now. Mateo said they did keep mentioning a name."
I perk up in my seat. "What was it?"
"Del Rae."
My jaw tightens. "It was only a matter of time before he came after me. Santana probably let him know who was involved in sabotaging his delivery before she died. It pissed off many of his customers, ruining his reputation. No doubt he suffered lots of backlash for it."
Del Rae had owned Club Peaches and all the other clubs in Florida where illegal brothels were being held. Most men and women who worked in them weren’t there willingly. The oneswho were, only did it to pay off a debt they probably would never get paid. Promises that come from men like Del Rae were never to be trusted. Once he had you and you brought him money, he’d never let you go.
Gabriel sighs, pulling out his phone. “I’ll call Carlos and see what all he can find on Del Rae and his whereabouts. If he is working with these others then—”
“He may not be. Del Rae prefers to do things on his own terms. He doesn’t care about anyone else not getting their merchandise. He only cares when his own dealings are affected. He made promises to his top clients at the clubs he runs and wasn’t able to deliver. No telling what kind of threats he received. I’m sure he lost plenty of money too.”
“He’s about to lose a whole lot more for fucking with the wrong family. We will find him and if we can’t, we will burn down each of his clubs until he comes out from hiding.”
“Good. One thing I know for certain, is no man can sit back and watch his whole livelihood burn around him without trying to save it.”
“He can try all he wants, but he will fail. They all will.”
Gabriel’s phone buzzes in his hand and his smile grows wicked. “Carlos says they got Mr. Williams.”
I scoot closer to the edge of the chair. “That was fast. These assholes make it way too easy.”
“Looks like there will be a few more visits from some of Mr. Williams's friends soon. A few of them have been spotted near Wichita. Carlos says they could use more reinforcements. I would go, but I need to stay here and be with Mateo until he’s fully back on his feet again.”
“I guess I’m heading back to Kansa City.”
Chapter 12
