Page 67 of Ruthless Vengeance

“Yeah, and we didn’t plan on leaving anyone alive either. Only difference is we wouldn’t have created some bullshit false war. Where’s the fucking fun in that? I’ll look every one of those cunts in the eye as I take their last breath.”

Holy fuck!

I try to ignore the fire that ignites between my thighs at Maddox’s words and steer my brain back to the matter at hand.

I see Mitch shaking his head, but there’s no disapproval on his face at listening to Maddox rant about murdering a shit load of people.

Zak obviously having seen my reaction, pipes up, “Save the dirty talk for later, Mad.”

“Okay, that’s enough. I don’t need to hear that shit about my…about Roxy,” Mitch barks, as I swipe Zak round the head.

“What are you saying, Roxy?” Mitch asks, ignoring the elephant in the room.

“Laskin wasn’t interested in taking sides or starting a war with you, or even Theo for that matter, but why? My guess is that Laskin and Theo either had some truce going on that no one knew about or a mutual goal. Maybe a bit of both.”

“Does this have something to do with Eva and her sister?” Maddox asks.

The question throws me for a moment, and I look to Mitch the only other person in this house that knows of my interest in Eva and her sister. He offers nothing but a shrug.

“Fine, yes, it has to do with Eva and her sister. I’ve never been able to make the connection before, but I think that Rogers killed Eva’s mum, or was involved in some way, and then took Eva’s sister the same way he did Star. There are too many similarities for that not to be the case.”

“And you think that Laskin and Theo could have joined together to get rid of Rogers?” Zak asks.

“Yes. It would explain why he tipped you off, and why you’ve always maintained a reasonable relationship with him, even after Theo’s death.”

“Right, but it doesn’t explain why he was meeting Noah. If anything, that’s a red fucking flag right there,” Maddox grits out, his jaw clenched tight.

I understand his venomous attitude towards Noah because I feel that way too after he arrested me, betrayed me. I’m almost certain that if he were to walk in here right now, I’d shoot him dead in a second.

Zak and Maddox continue talking theories and thinking up ways to torture Noah when they get hold of him, even Mitch wades in on it. But I tune them out as my eyes focus on a piece of paper on the coffee table.

It blurs in and out of focus as my brain becomes a washing machine on a spin cycle. Churning up all the information, twisting it round, trying to make sense of it and hoping the right piece will jump out at me.

I don’t believe for one second that Theo went to his grave without someone else knowing who his informant is.

Unable to figure it out, I have Maddox call Laskin and set up the meet for later tonight.

“What’s the deal with the bell foundry?” Zak ask when he finds out the location.

“Mickey owns it. He bought it under the guise of developing it, but he doesn’t plan to bulldoze it like some think. There’s a conservation group attempting to block him, but what people don’t know is that Mickey funds that group.

“Why the fuck would Mickey want the Whitechapel Bell Foundry?” Maddox asks, a frown marring his brow.

“That I actually don’t know the answer to.”

“Okay, but how do you know all of this, and why are you so fucking friendly with him?” This time Maddox’s words are laced with intrigue and that hint of the green-eyed monster I saw earlier.

I hold his gaze for a moment or two, then drop it, but I can’t help the surreptitious glance I throw Mitch’s way. Of course, Zak doesn’t miss it.

“What was that? What are you not telling us?” Zak demands.

I shrug and mouth a sorry to Mitch who rubs a hand over his chin.

“Fuck’s sake. This stays in this room,” he says pointedly, eyeing both the guys, who each give a nod. “Mickey is Simone’s brother.”

As soon as the words leave his mouth, there is an explosion of questions and cursing.

“Hold it, hold it. Jesus! It’s not that big of a de—”

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