Page 27 of Brutal Collateral

And Ava.

“Where is this?” I bite out.

“Upper Manhattan, Morningside to be exact.” Shane points to a dilapidated apartment building on what looks like an abandoned block.

“Morningside?” I ask. “After all that time we spent interrogating Brandon’s allies in Lower Manhattan. Fuck.”

“What makes you sure, Shane?” Connor asks.

“This guy here smoking a cigarette. I confirmed his identity through facial recognition. He’s one of Brandon Keller’s bodyguards. He and five others have been guarding that spot for a week. Brandonhasto be in that building.”

“What about...” I stop and clear the lump from my throat before I look up at Shane. “Ava?”

“I couldn’t get a visual on her, and I have cameras all over that fucking neighborhood.” Shane’s jaw tightens.

Impressive since Brandon’s only been there a week. Where the hell has he been with her this whole time? For a moment, I wonder if not finding Ava is her doing, not Brandon’s.

“Why there? Why now?” Connor asks, turning feral for a fight.

“No, idea,” Shane answers.

“Shane, when do we go in?” I ask.

“Let’s give it at least five more days. Someone just installed a router for internet, so I think they plan to stay there a while.”

“Is that good news or bad news?” I ask. “What type of technology is he capable of?”

“He has no infrastructure. We took over the Keller network and all the bank accounts. He’s got guards and guns, that’s it. I’ll start hacking into that Wi-Fi and see if he’s tapping into any offshore accounts.”

“He could be dragging around suitcases full of cash,” Connor suggests.

“Can you wire something up as an interior camera, Shane?” I ask.

He strokes his chin. “I’ll monitor the communications and see if I can break into the phones to turn on the microphones to listen.”

“Listen for what?” Connor snaps. “He took her. Hehasher. Let’s go pipe bomb the douchebag right now.”

A thought hits me. And hits me hard.

“Hang on.” I stop Connor from jumping into his car. “If Ava’s not there, all we can do is abduct Keller. Torture him until he tells us where she is, what happened to her. We can’t kill him if he’s the only fucker on the planet who knows where she is.”

“Are you asking Trace to be the enforcer?” Shane says, organizing the drone footage.

“Aye,” I confirm. “His brother Rhys can back him up.”

“They make a good team,” Connor says, sounding impressed with our Waterford cousins.

The room goes quiet, and I voice the thought I see in my brothers’ eyes.

“We need a plan if we find Ava dead,” I say with a heavy heart. “The lasting truce hinges on me marrying her. If she’s been eliminated, we may inherit the resumption of a deadly war.”

Two SEALs presumed dead...

That headline haunts me again.

If we get there and find out Brandon killed Ava, I’ll have to yank Ares from whatever whorehouse he’s plowing his dick through and drag him to that building. Make bastard Brandon tell the head of the Greek Mafia to his face how he killed his sister.

Then sit Ares down and let him watch whatIlearned from Lachlan O’Rourke on how to destroy a human being, so the Greek king doesn’t fucking kill me.

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