Page 77 of Broken Promises

“No. I don’t think it was a huge organized crew like you guys. Just a handful of wannabe thugs who took advantage of scared kids,” I explained, hoping it wasn’t going to be a death sentence to say it out loud. Beckett wasn’t nice to a lot of people, so I had to hope that what I told her stayed within her crew.

“Would you recognize a photo of any of them?”

“I remember a few faces, particularly the one guy who killed Josh and threatened me to keep my mouth shut,” I confirmed, watching as she nodded thoughtfully.

“I’ll see if Mom can help me find anything out about gangs in the area back then. If we find the guy, I’ll take him out for you.”

Telling her she didn’t have to do that was pointless. It was just the type of friend she was.

She finished her cigarette and got to her feet, saying something about calling her mom as she went inside, giving me some time alone.

I checked my phone, finding a message from Zavier.

Zavier: Just checking in.

I smiled, loving how he randomly thought of me.

Raven: I’m with Beckett. What are you guys doing?

Zavier: Logan and Drake are gaming while being glared at by Knox, and I’m practicing in the shooting range with Cruz and Stone. You’re with Beckett?

Raven: Yeah. She’s been teaching me some fighting stuff.

It took a moment for him to reply, his response being exactly what I thought it would be.

Zavier: You know me and Ander won’t let anything happen to you.

I went to reply, but he texted again.

Zavier: It’s smart to be able to protect yourself though. Beckett knows what she’s doing, so having her teach you is good. Make sure you eat though, or she’ll run you ragged.

Raven: I’m exhausted. We’re going to just hang out for the afternoon I think. Do you know if anything’s happening at the Pit? She’s curious about what we do for fun, so I’m thinking about taking her.

Zavier: A few of the guys are having a pissing contest at three. Tell her to go and fight them, she’d have a blast destroying their egos. Call me if she gets you into trouble and you need bailing out.

I chuckled, knowing he was right. Beckett was highly likely to get me in trouble.

I told him I’d be careful before putting my phone away, just as Beckett stepped outside again.

“Mom said there were a few gangs in the Heights that tried to take off when we were kids, but failed. Most didn’t even have a name, just random people trying to be kingpins and act tough. Those who didn’t fuck it up and got arrested just ended up dead. There were a few that claimed to be leaders, so she said she’llfind some photos of them for you to look at and for you to stop by and visit her once she’s found them.”

“What are the chances of them walking around here still?”

“Slim to none. A lot of the kids got out, but the adults were dumb as dog shit and had no idea how to lead a gang. The crews either took them out or bad business did. Some might be walking free after a stint in lock up, but Mom said most that got out have since passed,” she said as she turned her phone around to show me something. “Did you know about Ander’s plans for Devon and Michael?”

It was a news article, confusion filling me as I read about the unfortunate accident in the early hours of this morning where Devon’s car had slammed head first into a tree in Stoneleigh, sending both him and Michael through the windshield.

The picture of the car was a mangled wreck.

“From the look on your face, I assume you didn’t know?” she asked, my eyes lifting to hers.

“They can’t have died this morning. They were definitely dead at that party,” I said slowly, wracking my brain for answers.

“Ander’s got a cleanup team, right? What kind of connections does he have?”

“I don’t know. Guys he trusts. I think they’re from his mafia connections.”

“You’re latest squeeze is an idiot. Mafia soldiers don’t just turn on their boss,” she scoffed, pointing at the phone like I hadn’t read it right. “This shit means big connections and a lot of hush money to get away with a cover-up like this.”

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