Page 100 of Scornful

The sound Kraken makes isn't human.

He reaches for a knife, and I know if we don't intervene, Marcus won't leave this basement breathing.

Not that he will anyway, but we need everything he knows first.

"Wait," Runes commands, and Kraken freezes. "We need it all. Every detail. Every location. Every name."

Marcus talks for another twenty minutes, spilling everything.

Bank accounts, supply routes, which cops are dirty, which judges can be bought.

The Patriot's built an empire on poison and death.

That's when Fern appears on the stairs, her face tight.

She looks past the hanging man to find Runes, carefully avoiding eye contact with Marcus.

"There's a Detective Ortega here," she says, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Says he needs to speak with you urgently. He's at the gate."

Runes and Fenrir exchange glances.

Cops at the clubhouse is never a good thing, especially when we have a man being tortured in the basement.

The timing is suspicious as hell.

"Keep him quiet," Runes tells Kraken, who nods grimly. "And keep him alive. For now."

"Want me to gag him?" Oskar suggests.

"Do it," Runes confirms. "Can't have him screaming while we've got law enforcement upstairs. Babe, text whoever’s manning the gate and tell them to let Detective Ortega through."

Runes motions for Fenrir and me to follow.

We climb the stairs, Fern leading the way.

My mind races—what does this cop want?

Did someone see us grab Marcus? Are we blown?

Detective Ortega stands in the entrance, a Hispanic man in his forties with tired eyes.

His cheap suit is rumpled, like he's been up all night.

He holds up an evidence bag as Runes approaches.

Runes is polite but guarded. "What can I do for you, Detective?"

Ortega shows the bag—white powder with what's supposed to be our logo stamped on it.

"This isn't ours," Runes says immediately. "We don’t deal shit."

"I know," Ortega surprises us. "Seems like someone is trying to throw me off their trail. Found it on five kids who overdosed last night. Three didn't make it."

Dead kids change things, making this more than just club business.

So, the Patriot isn’t just going after minorities now, he’s going after anyone.

"You know this isn’t us," Fenrir grumbles. "Never have dealt and we won’t."

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