Page 70 of Izzy
Jude turned the computer around and there was a mugshot of Cain. He wore a suit and his dark hair was slicked back as if he had used grease on it.
“His real name is Thaddeus Nickols and he’s a real asshole. Rape, murder, hits for the mob family. You name it, he’s done it.”
Daruss’s jaw muscles jumped. “So taking Izzy’s boys was revenge for shutting down their operation.”
“Who’s the other guy he was with?”
“His name is Roy Latronica. He’s the head guy of the Gianelli crime family. As of four months ago. We made him look bad, which will probably get him killed if he doesn’t fix it.” Jonik explained. He tightened his hold on Wren, his mate. It was the only outward sign he was affected by what had happened.
Nash spoke up. “Izzy’s boys were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I mean, how could Cain, or Thaddeus what the fuck ever, and Latronica know they’d go to the bathroom when they did. They probably wanted as many of us as possible. Maybe they even targeted the people we’ve saved like Ulises.”
“The fuckers probably wanted to kill us after they rendered us unconscious.”
Gavin spoke up. “We found another bottle of that shit. But it was unopened.”
“So they wanted to put just enough of that stuff into the building to grab all the unconscious people they could sell into sex slavery and kill the rest of us.” Daruss growled then partially shifted. “They planned this thing out. And I left us vulnerable by charging strangers at the door.”
“They don’t know we’re shifters,” Izzy said. It gave them leverage. The element of surprise always did. “They thought the chemicals would affect us like it did humans.”
Seryn and Mitchell came into the club. They’d left the front door open to air out the building. The back door was open as well. Seryn’s eyebrows drew together as he eyed the door. It wasn’t usual for it to be unlocked. As soon as they stepped inside, Mitchell cursed and held his nose.
But Seryn walked into the middle of the room. He closed his eyes and said something in a different language. A yellow cloud formed around him and then he seemed to push the cloud out of the door.
When he opened his eyes again, he smiled and walked to Mitchell. He never said a word to anyone. It was Mitchell who said, “It’s safe now. The poison is outside.”
“Thank you, Seryn,” Daruss said.
Seryn nodded. “We need to find out where Ulises and Todd are.”
“We’re working on it,” Daruss explained.
“Whoever took them will pay.” Seryn never lost his smile.
“The Gianelli crime family.”
“Let me make a few calls. I’ll find out where they are.” Seryn pulled Mitchell along as he walked into the back room where Landry tattooed the club members.
Izzy began pacing. So far, they were talking and not taking action. It made him restless. He’d lose it soon. He could feel the rage building inside him. “I should have never let them out of my sight. I knew those fuckers were tailing Ulises.”
By pointing Ulises out to Cain, he had put him on Cain’s radar.
“It’s not your fault. Put the blame where it’s supposed to be so you can focus on save them and make those fuckers pay.” Daruss kissed Jude’s forehead. Jude hadn’t stopped searching the internet. “Take a break and get dressed, boy.”
Jude nodded and shut the computer. He met Izzy’s gaze with an empathetic one of his own.
Izzy nodded to him in thanks, but he couldn’t muster more than that.
If something happens to Todd and Ulises, he wouldn’t be able to make it out of the grief.I love you. I’m coming to get you.
His boys didn’t answer.
Chapter Thirty-One
Coming back to reality was a lesson in controlling his fear, not that Ulises could. First of all, he wasn’t sure what had happened. One minute he’d been trying to take a piss and embracing himself with his need to sayeverysingle thing on his mind and the next he was…where the hell was he?
He could understand why his head hurt so much. He’d drank enough of Ronin’s hooch to pickle several parts of his body. He might as well have put himself in a jar of vinegar and salt. It probably would have felt about the same.
Another thing he noticed was his need to puke. Like, right that second.
