Page 75 of A Game of Secrets

“We need to ring Silas,” I say, wincing at the pain through my knuckles as I flex out my fingers.

“No. What we need to do is find that double crossing piece of shit you call dad and his little whore and slit their fucking throats,” Cole spits, grabbing the bottle of Scotch from the bar and necking it straight from the bottle.

It doesn’t bother me at all the way he speaks of murdering my father because I will gladly be the one to take his last breath but this is not all on him, we should have known. I should have known sooner. I knew something was off with him but this was un-fucking-precedented.

As I reach for my phone to call Silas, it begins to ring in my hand and with some weird twist of fate Silas’s number blinks across the screen. I answer immediately but before I can speak Silas’s deep voice penetrates my soul. “Are you with Cole?” he asks and instantly I know something is wrong.

“Yes.”

“Put me on speaker,” he demands.

I look over to Cole who is stood watching me as I lower the phone and put it on loudspeaker. “We’re here, what is it?” I ask tentatively.

“Boys, we need to go hunting.”

Cole huffs out a small laugh. “Are we not already hunting, brother?” he shouts across the room, still clutching the scotch bottle in his hand.

What happens next happens so slowly but seems so fast all at the same time. We hear a scuffle from the phone and Silas breaks it with a sharp whisper, “Vinny took Teddy from Costello’s house. The place looks like a fucking bloodbath.” The words pierce the room and the bottle that Cole was holding flies through the air, shattering as it collides with the wall and he leans forward holding his head in his hands. “He left a note for her,” he continues and I lean forward myself, barely containing the pure red burning anger I feel inside when I hear Lucille’s heavy sobs in the background. Fuck, this is all my fault.

“I’m taking her to the safe house boys. She’s a mess. She shouldn’t have seen this place the way it is.”

Cole snaps up straight. “Where’s the fucking Irish!?” he bellows.

“No sign of him here but there’s enough blood to let me know it’s not looking good,” Silas says, lowering his voice at the end so I assume Lucille doesn’t hear him.

“Brother, we know who’s behind this.” I say, catching eyes with Cole and he nods with a tight grimace on his face. “My father and Roxi have betrayed us. They contacted Lucille’s husband and told him about her and the boy. Planned to get rid of her and you by the sounds of it.”

“You know this for sure?” Silas asks and I hesitate for a split second remembering the look on Crystal’s face when she told us both. She would have no reason to lie about it and she knew information nobody else does.

“Yes we’re sure,” I say.

“Then you know what to do,” he says in a stern voice.

“Take care of our girl, brother,” I say then hang up.

“Let’s go,” I say to Cole as I get up and leave the room.

“Where?” he asks, already hot on my heels.

“You heard Silas. We’re going hunting.” I snarl, heading down to the basement where we keep our back up weapons. We both strip out of our suits and change into black cargo pants, strap on a bullet proof vest and cover it in a black t-shirt and hoodie. We grab as much ammunition as we can manage and even then we fill a duffel bag with extras in case we need them. We’re heading into the unknown here and though I highly doubt Roxi knows how to hold a gun, let alone shoot one I am no idiot to what my father can do. I holster my gun and strap another around my back then strap a knife around each thigh and slip one into my sock. I watch as Cole does the same, and sheaths his lucky knife into his belt and makes sure it’s securely in place.

“You good?” I ask, slinging the duffel over my shoulder.

Cole laughs and shakes his head. “I’ll be better when I’ve spilled some blood,” he grins salaciously.

Cole persuaded me to let him drive, saying he knows the way to Roxi’s house so he’ll get us there quicker. If I’m honest, I think he just needs to keep his mind busy to save from the distraction, because as I sit in the passenger seat while he drifts us wildly around street corners, all I can think about is Lucille and Teddy. I hope to fucking god Teddy is OK, I’ll never be able to forgive myself if he isn’t and I swear I love this woman more than sense so to see her hurt would break my fucking heart that I’ve tried so hard to protect.

“Fuck, Cole, I’m sorry,” I sigh, sagging my head forwards.

“Don’t you dare fucking apologize,” he shouts, slamming his hand onto the steering wheel.

“He’s my father, my blood that’s done this and betrayed us.”

“He is not you,” he says abruptly. “You have not made him do this. Don’t you fucking apologize to me. Just wipe this son of a bitch off the face of the fucking earth,” he growls as we skid to a stop outside what I can only assume is Roxi’s house. A cheap looking building with dead plants in the pots outside and tacky animal print curtains you can see lining the windows from the outside.

I touch Cole’s arm as we get ready for our entrance. “Remember, we need her to talk first,” I say, reminding him not to go all headstrong and kill her on sight. He nods then shoulder barges his way through the front door. A loud shatter of glass from the kitchen draws our attention and we head straight for it. I strike my hand across my gun hidden at my side then nod to Cole as we jump forward. Roxi stands cowering with a smashed coffee mug at her feet, and her face changes with relief when she spots us to instant dread when she realizes why we’re here.

Cole strides forwards and raises her from the ground by one hand securely around her throat then slams her body down against the breakfast bar. His teeth are bared when he leans to her face and asks her a simple question. “Why?”

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