Page 159 of Unexpected Heroine

Again, my face reveals nothing. On the inside, however, I vacillate between being livid that no one told me this shit and glad to have a few more people to add to the MFKL. Where they’ll stay until I cross them off the list.

Using their blood as ink.

Assuming Leo and the others won’t try to stop me from doing what I need to do.

“Lionheart, what are the chances you’re going to share the safe house location and name of the recruiter? I’d like to get them off the streets.”

As painfully as possible.

“You see, that’s just the thing.” He makes a clicking sound with his tongue. “With a mole on the task force, turning them over carries the risk of them escaping justice. That doesn’t fucking sit right with us. On the other hand, doing nothing is out of the question. But we didn’t wanna get into a situation where we’re holding them like we’ve had to do with the others. That’s too much risk for Redleg.”

I wait him out, sensing he’s getting to the point.

“At the end of the day, we put a tail on the recruiter. We’re gonna watch him for now. As for the other three, we decided they aren’t the ones who will get us to our end goal. They’re small fish.”

Our goal?

“Meaning?”

“Well, I imagine your goal is eradicating Lenkov’s trafficking ring.”

“Obviously.”

“That’s Redleg’s goal now too. Whether we want to be in this battle or not, we’re in it. They fucked with family.”

He has no idea how true that statement is. I imagine he will soon enough, though. The cat is slowly gnawing itself out of the bag. While Lettie’s currently too upset to do anything about her newfound knowledge, she won’t be forever.

That’s when the noose will cinch tightly around my neck.

Metaphorically speaking. I don’t expect Big Al to hang me. Just fire me. Kick me out of his life. Wish he never met me. Curse me six ways to Sunday. Possibly take a swing at me.

All things I deserve, regardless of whether my deceit was well-intentioned.

When I don’t respond, Leo continues, “Anyhow, we turned the three guys from the prep house over to the cops. They’re in county lockup. No one has posted bail yet. You can take them off your list.” He winks at me when he says that last part.

“My list?”

A deep, humorless laugh rattles his chest. “Do you honestly expect me to believe you don’t have a list of all the fucking people you want to kill for hurting your girl?” He shakes his head, amusement fading from his expression. “Hell, I’ve got a list, and she’s not even my girl.”

Twice in one night, my coworkers have left me speechless. First Sawyer and now Leo. I’m unsure how to interpret the emotions stirring inside me, but there’s no sense in trying. They’ll be gone momentarily.

“Before I go, can I get the names so I don’t have to hunt through arrest records to see who’s already handled? One of the six was in charge at the house level, and I’d like to have a chat with him. Lettie saw his photo and told me about his role.”

Saying her name is like a hot iron poking into my back, right between my shoulder blades, and scorching the cavern where my heart used to reside.

He reaches into his back pocket to pull out his phone. Saying nothing, he swipes and taps across the screen. A second after he finishes, my phone buzzes with an incoming message.

“Emailed it to you.”

Resisting the urge to open the message immediately, I say, “Thank you.”

His eyes shift away, darting around the yard. Mine do the same.

It’s a nice night. No clouds. Gentle breeze. It’s approaching a full moon, so the night sky is fairly bright. On nights like these, Lettie always liked walking on the beach after I picked her up at Bask. It was our way to unwind and reconnect before going home.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to Sue.” I tip my chin toward the package he set on the hood of my car. “Those are straws that detect the presence of roofies. Have Sue use them anytime she has a drink outside the home.”

Closing his eyes, he exhales forcibly. “Those sick fuckers.”

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