Page 50 of The Capo

“What game is this monster playing?”

“I wish I knew, Delaney.”

“The killer is a monster. He won’t stop. How strange. At first, I thought you were one.” She studied me for a few seconds then reached for my dog. “Come on, Sadie. You can help.”

I took a deep breath only after she’d walked into the house. She wasn’t wrong on either count. “Daniel. Just stand guard inside while she’s gathering her things. I don’t like being caught with my pants down.”

“Understood, sir.” Daniel didn’t hesitate, trailing behind her into the house.

“What in God’s name is going on?” Rocco asked. “Who is this fuck?”

“I don’t know, but you need to check with Arman. He’s in the process of having Brandon’s recent and long-term contacts checked. Personal and business. There’s something we’re missing.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m not. That’s the problem. Whoever this is wants the situation confusing. If I’m stuck on a hamster wheel, then I won’t see the real attack coming.”

“Clever but dangerous.”

“Very dangerous. But the fucker will learn he’s messed with the wrong person. I need to see the flowers.” I moved into the house, immediately heading for the garage. The flowers were as she described, dead white roses. I glanced around the garage, noticing an open can of paint. As soon as I moved closer, I realized the assailant had dipped them here, leaving the can on purpose.

He was letting me know I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was.

“Rocco. I need names. This is making us look bad. You can’t tell me in a town full of people eager to get a jump ahead in life, they wouldn’t come forward with the lure of cash.” Or violence.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Don’t see what you can do. Do it. Someone knows something in this godforsaken town. Turn over every goddamn rock. No one is going to get that close to her again or heads will roll.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll crush a few rodents in the streets if I need to.” He raised both eyebrows, studying me intently.

“Don’t say it, Rocco. I’m not in any mood at this point.”

“I can tell.”

I grabbed a flashlight I noticed on the workbench, moving toward my car and bending down. There was nothing planted under the car, but as soon as I stood, I noticed something inside. I hadn’t bothered locking the doors. I tried to make out what I was seeing.

“What is it?” Rocco moved beside me.

Another wave of anger drifted through me, but what the perpetrator had done was another clue. He knew what I drove. I opened the door, almost laughing as I grabbed a handful of dried petals, holding them into the light. “He’s taunting me.”

“Who is this person?”

“Like I said, someone in this town is talking.”

And when I found out who, they better be on the right side willing to provide exactly what I was looking for.

Or God help them. They’d face my wrath.

“As a child, I was afraid of the dark and the monsters on the outside. As a man, I run away from the light, afraid to show the monsters within.”

—Anthony Liccione

Delaney’s comment continued to hit home with me, especially given the fact Rocco had come through, finding someone who’d acted as if the information they had was worth ten Gs. If it wasn’t, the poor fucker would take my full wrath.

Daniel had been tasked with keeping Delaney safe while I questioned the man Rocco had found. The fact he was meeting us at a popular tourist bar in the heart of N’awlins meant he was nervous about my reaction. He was either a very smart man or an idiot. There was no in between.

Just like there was no such thing as coincidences in my world, I’d learned the hard way that favors could cost a man his life. I’d seen it happen with my own eyes, including to a friend of my father’s, the guy taking a bullet for my father as Brandon had done for me.

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