Page 72 of Shades of Scars

I am so damn confused.

“What-how… I’m sorry. Did you say Warrick Arson? As in the Warrick Arson of Infinity Ring?” I’d only ever heard of Warrick Arson and his crew from Caito once before. When he told us about his past—or as much of it as he could manage without going into a rage fit—he’d mentioned the work he used to do for Infinity Ring. They didn’t just run underground fights. They were a goddamned spy organization. One of the largest kept secrets in Dublin history.

Now, Warrick Arson’s brother is standing before me, smiling like the unhinged lunatic Caito claimed him to be. “Don’t worry. Any brother of Brother Archie, is a brother to me and mine. Iwas just chatting with our little friend before you arrived. I’ve got a very particular set of skills that can come in handy, should you need them.” Fraser lifts up a gloved hand with the fingers cut out, and wiggles his digits like he’s trying to make jazz hands or something. He also takes the cig out of his mouth before stuffing it behind his heavily pierced right ear.

“I told you to call me.” Caito repeats this to Fraser through gritted teeth, but the crazed alpha just shrugs. He turns his body to the side then, and that’s when I finally get a better look at the prisoner chained to the table by handcuffs.

“Holy shit.” I mutter as I take in the massive X’s now carved into the asshole’s cheeks, dripping blood down his neck and soaking into the jail uniform he’s wearing. Thank fuck it’s black, causeJesus Christthat’s a lot of blood.

Caito sighs like he’s an exhausted dad about to lecture his feral toddler. “Was that really necessary?” He gestures to the mess Fraser made, and the alpha shrugs again.

“I’m not sure why it wouldn’t be. This makes it so anyone will recognize him anywhere he goes as a traitor to the Infinity Ring.” He says it like it makes complete sense to mark up a prisoner with what is essentially a brand.

I pinch the bridge of my nose beneath my glasses. “How are we supposed to explain this to the police when they come back to bring him to his cell again?” I decide to point my glare on Caito since this is technically his fault since he knows this psycho. I also don’t want to end up with x marks gouged into my cheeks. I’m not sure if glaring at Fraser would land me on the Infinity Ring’s hit list. I have to believe that being Caito’s pack mate will only give me as much grace as Fraser will allow.

Fraser’s grin gets impossibly wider, which freaks me out even more. “You don’t have to worry about that. The rats here have an understanding with me. Don’t stress so much. You have the full backing of the Infinity Ring now.”

Caito puffs out a breath, closing his eyes for a moment like that’s the last thing he wants to have. When he opens them again after a few silent seconds, he pins Fraser with a look I can’t decipher. “Did you get anything out of him yet?”

As one, we all face the prisoner sitting in his chair, his wide eyes trained on us, mouth pinched in a tight line despite the blood still seeping from his wounds. My nostrils flare, scenting stale liquor and something distinctly starchy.Beta.

“Not much. He doesn’t know who initially put out the hit on your omega. He did say the amount has doubled within the last twenty four hours, though. He just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to cash it in, despite the pack she has backing her. Isn’t that right, Dale?” When Fraser says his name, the scent of urine suddenly permeates the air, and I wrinkle my nose in disgust.

Both Caito and his psycho friend seem to find the scent pleasing. Along with his fear. It makes his signature scent more yeasty, like beer instead of the liquor I’d originally smelled.

Caito’s lips peel back from his teeth, sharper than normal canines glinting beneath the harsh lights above. His palms slam down onto the table, and he gets up close and personal with the beta, who flinches back like that’ll somehow save him from Caito. “You knew who she belonged to, and you tried to cash in the hit anyway?”

Dale trembles like a leaf and he swallows hard. “I a-already told y-your f-friend-”

Caito’s hand snaps out, his fingers wrapping around the man’s throat before he can finish his sentence. “If you have no further useful information for me, then I don’t see the point in continuing to let you waste any more precious oxygen. I should cut out your eyes and gift them to my omega in a jar.”

“Caito, you can’t kill him. It would be too much of a hassle for us to cover it up now that they have him booked in theirsystems.” I warn my pack brother, trying desperately to keep the damage to a minimum. I already have to find a way to explain the brand marking his face now. We definitely don’t have a strong enough foothold in this city to be going around killing prisoners under investigation for murder and attempted murder.

If he doesn’t go down for shooting at our omega, he’ll go down for killing Ant.

It’s fucked up, but the world paid more attention when an alpha is murdered above an omega or even a beta.

Caito hesitates like he really wants to test his ability to get away with another homicide, but then he reluctantly releases the beta after another flex of his fingers around his throat. The prisoner slumps down into his chair, sucking in that precious oxygen Caito spoke of.

Fraser slaps a hand on my pack brother’s shoulder, that manic grin of his still plastered in place. Still freaking me the hell out, too. “Don’t worry, Brother Archie. Where our buddy Dale is going, he’ll more than pay for the blood he’s spilled.”

Caito stiffens under the other alpha’s touch, jerking away from him after Fraser flexes his fingers against his shoulder. “I’m going to text you an address. Meet me there in twenty minutes.” He turns his back on the beta and his psycho friend, giving me a look that clearly is a signal to follow him.

I don’t hesitate. I leave Fraser behind with Dale, trusting he’ll do as Caito asked. If he didn’t then that would be my pack mate’s mess to clean up.

“What is your plan?” I ask towards his back when we step out of the police station thirty seconds later, completely ignoring Rhett on the way out the door.

He doesn’t get to answer, however, because two alphas approach the door we’d just exited, and as soon as they get an eyeful of Caito, they both freeze. The taller of the two’s nostrilsflare the moment his eyes connect with Caito’s. “What are you doing here?” He sneers at my pack mate, and I feel my body stiffen.

Hatred is wafting off this alpha in waves, and I’m not sure I care for that. At all. “What I do or don’t do is none of your concern, Peterson.” The alpha peels his lips back in the beginnings of a snarl at Caito for his indifferent remark, but he’s already turning away from them before he can respond.

I make sure to quickly follow Caito. I can feel Peterson’s glare on my back when I slide into the passenger seat since Caito’s already behind the wheel. My pack brother doesn’t say a single word until we are half way back to the pack penthouse. “I’m going to go deal with Fraser. Tell Wren I’ll be busy for dinner, but I’ll report if there’s anything important before I get home later.”

I want to argue with him, but I can tell by the expression on his face that he’s not in the talking mood at the moment. So, I keep my mouth shut all the way back to the penthouse, even as dread slowly pools low in my gut after the afternoon’s events.

Something big is coming, and I’m not so sure if having Caito’sconnectionswon’t do more harm than good.

46

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