Page 21 of The Broker

Scanning the page again, his eyes finally landed on the name of the monster orchestrating this horrific act.

“Umm, Declan Snake,” Jared replied, watching as the expression on Matteo’s face changed from confused to concerned. “What? What is it?”

“Nothing. Pass me the journal. I think we’re done here for the day.”

Something was off. Matteo’s body had tensed, and his eyes looked angry and pained.

“M, is everything alright?” Jared attempted once again.

Matteo’s head snapped in Jared’s direction. The man hated being questioned or having to repeat himself. Jared knew this, yet he still wanted to know what had Matteo suddenly so upset.

“I said we’re done here for tonight. Pass me the book and leave,” Matteo snarled, no longer in a playful, joyful mood.

Jared knew it was time to back off. He stood and walked over to Matteo’s desk.

“Here,” he said, passing his boss the journal with the entry still exposed. “I’ll be up in my room if you need me.”

Matteo nodded his head, annoyed, then leaned over the journal as he read the information listed.

Yup. Something was definitely wrong. But Matteo was the boss, and he’d let him know if his help was needed.

Slowly Jared backed out of Matteo’s private office, taking one final look over his shoulder at his boss, who was hunched over, shaking his head in disbelief.

He made his way back through the tunnels, wondering what new hell they had inadvertently stumbled upon.

7

ISAAC

Eleven Years Ago

The roads were slick from the rain that had spent the last three hours falling. It was early November, but the temperature hadn’t dropped enough for the rain to freeze. Still, the car swayed slightly from side to side.

Isaac looked over at his uncle and felt a cold chill run through his body. His uncle’s eyes were glassy, same as they always were these days. Ever since the factory cut back on shift hours, his uncle had spent more and more time sitting in the living room drinking his beer and whiskey.

Who was he kidding? His uncle’s drinking problem had started long before the factory cut their crew’s hours. Ever since Isaac had been a small boy, his uncle had always had this strange look in his eyes coupled with an explosive temper. But when you are six, that look doesn’t mean much to you. It was only shortly after Isaac turned eleven that he and his big brother went to live with their Uncle Jed.

Their father had crashed his car and died after a particularly hard rainstorm, leaving him and his brother in thesole custody of their father’s brother. The alcoholic. It’s not like there was anyone else left to take them in. His mother was dead and so were his grandparents. So, who else was left but the raging alcoholic uncle?

“Where are we going?” Isaac asked, glancing at his uncle.

The man’s eyes were heavy, but he kept them focused on the road ahead.

Sweat formed on his uncle’s forehead. Another common trait of his uncle’s. The man barely seemed to notice.

“To see some buddies of mine. I’ve been tellin’ ’em all about ya, and they said you should come on round.”

There was something about his uncle’s tone that didn’t sit well with Isaac. Why would he be talking about him with his friends, and why were they going to see them so late at night?

Isaac rubbed his arm and winced. He looked down at the black and purple bruise and grimaced. Another reminder that his uncle was an asshole, and he needed to find better places to hide.

They pulled up to a tiny bungalow on a rundown street about twenty minutes from where they lived. Honestly, Isaac could see why someone who lived in a place like this would be friends with his drunken-ass uncle. The place screamed deadbeat and poor life choices.

“Come ’n, let’s get inside,” his uncle slurred once again. Drinking and driving in this part of Ireland was a regular occurrence. As a pedestrian, you just got used to staying away from swerving cars.

His uncle knocked twice, then stepped back from the door and grabbed the side of the wall for support.

“Hey, Jeddy!” a large man with a salt-and-pepper-colored beard greeted. The man stepped back and invited them in.

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