Page 38 of King of Ruin

He doesn’t wait for a response from Phineas and instead, guides me inside.

It’s been three hours since we left the Murphy’s warehouses. The buildings are nothing more than piles of concrete and burnt plastic now, riddled with our expectations of thinking this was over. Instead, we return to the estate empty handed, with only tension pulling at our seams.

We’ve done our best to continue our duties, as we know it’s what Onyx would deem most important. So in the little time we’ve been back, we’ve conducted a few brief meetings, organized money drops and weapons exchanges, as well as our shipments for the week.

The sun is finally setting on the horizon and the boys are packed up to make a delivery when an alarm dings across all our phones. We pull them out simultaneously to a display of the new camera installed at the front gate. On the screen is a kid, no more than fifteen staring at us. His brown hair is scraggly, and with the combination of dark shadows beneath his eyes and the open sores, it’s apparent he’s not well.

My eyes flash to Trigger who presses the button on his phone that gives him two way communication. “Can I help you?

The kid’s eyes widen slightly before he straightens, brushing off the visible dirt from his torn jazz t-shirt. “Uh-hh, yeah. I’m looking for the one they call Mad Maddy.”

I sigh, and Trick laughs. Madeline adopted the name when she took over the drug distribution. Only the men that work directly under her refer to her as such, but I’ve always found it rather insulting. Maddy, on the other hand, uses it to her advantage, leaving her own calling cards of sorts to anyone who may try to cross her.

Trigger taps the button to speak again. “She’s indisposed right now. Is there something I can do for you?”

The boy chews on his bottom lip as though he wasn’t prepared to talk to anyone besides her. After a few more moments of deliberating, he speaks up. “Can you like, ya know, call her or something? I was told to talk to only her. Or the girl with pink and purple hair. Is she there?”

My twin's gaze snaps to me. Trick immediately shakes his head but I hold up a hand. “We’re talking through a phone, love.”

His eyes fall, a deep crease forming in the middle of his brows. “I know, kitten, but I just–”

I place a soft hand on his shoulder, and he visibly relaxes, blowing out a deep sigh. Both him and Trigger have been on edge, handling the loss in different ways, but doing one thing the same–carrying all the fault. Truth is, it’s no one’s.

We were all on high alerteverymoment ofeveryday. We did what we were supposed to, and took all the proper precautions. There was no evidence that Ezekiel would do what he did–which is still debatable in itself. The letter I found may provide a little more clarity on that front.

I nod to Trigger who presses down on the button. “Yeah, she’s right here.”

The boy sucks in through his nose before wiping at it, clearly thinking of his recompense for delivering his message.

“Hello. This is Shi.” I step closer to the phone. “You have something to tell me?”

“Yeah-yeah. Mr. Murphy needed me to tell you and your people that if he sees you cross into his territory again, he’s going to put Miss Embros’ head on his–” He stops, his brows scrunching.

My pulse escalates, the blood rushing through my head so fast, I’m almost dizzy. I don’t want him to finish his sentence, but I also need him to. I have to hear the threat dolled out in its entirety to determine who the threat is coming from–Phineas or Ezekiel.

Trigger speaks up. “Geo, it’s fine. Fall back and remain on standby.”

The kid looks around and I realize now why he stopped. The other guards must have gotten the alert too and are now at the gate. He holds up his hands to the men off screen to show he’s unarmed. “I-I-I don’t want no trouble. Just had to tell the lady something. I’m leaving.”

“Wait!” The words rush out before he has a chance to run off. “Is that all?”

His eyes flit from the camera to the guards then back again before he shakes his head.

“What else?” I prompt, ignoring the bite of my nails cutting into my palm.

“Mr. Murphy says when his son’s finished with her, she’ll go to the highest bidder.”

As though he knew his words would be his execution, he takes off down the road that will eventually lead him to the main street.

Hot bile surges into my throat. I don’t have a weak stomach by any means, but knowing the threats are no longer empty and directed at the woman who saved hundreds from the same fate makes me nauseous.

I latch a hand onto the banister, sliding my phone back into my pocket. “No one tell Maddy till she comes back.”

The boys nod in agreement but their anger has grown exponentially in a matter of minutes. They both have balled fists at their sides, grimaces pulling their lips into tight lines. Trick’s leg is shaking impatiently while Trigger is working his jaw back and forth.

“Since when do we let filth threaten us?” Trick finally asks.

“Since they haveher,” Trigger answers. “We just have to wait.”

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