Page 12 of King of Cruelty

My brows crumpled.

“What?” Sunny seized, dropping down next to me. “What is it, baby? What did you remember?”

“I remember... that Madison did make a stop,” I said slowly. “For like twenty minutes while I was still in the cab driving from the park. But I didn’t think anything of it because—”

“Because what?” Killian Hunt, Genny’s dad, demanded. “If she stopped for twenty minutes, why wouldn’t you think anything of it?”

“Because she stopped at a gas station.” I lifted my head, meeting the heavy, intense stares bearing down on me. “I assumed she was fueling before driving in more circles around the city.”

“No, my dear.” Adeline shared a look with her husbands. “It’s the gas station. That’s the hideout.”

I had to ask. “How do you know?”

“Because a gas station is everything an empty abandoned movie theater isn’t.”

“It’s perfect,” Liam hissed. “Gas stations have random people going in and out at all hours of the day. Even better, those people are always in a hurry. They don’t know who’s standing at the pump next to them, and they don’t care. Who’s going to notice a couple members of the Brotherhood?”

My stomach twisted. “Wow. That’s... wow.” Genny was right. If I was going to survive in this world, I needed to learn to out-think vicious, soulless criminals. Sweet, innocent, naïve Mackenzie wasn’t going to cut it.

“Kenzie.” Liam dropped down next to me. “Please tell me you remember which gas station it is.”

“I do,” I said, loosening half a dozen shoulders with two words. “I remember because it’s close to Banana Tree, and I thought what a weird coincidence that was.” I winced. “Another lesson for me to learn. There’s no such thing as coincidence when it comes to the Brotherhood.”

Liam handled my phone like the harsh breath could break it. Squinting, he pointed where I pointed on the map before handing it to his mother.

“Okay.” Adeline rose from her seat. She was still the picture of calm even though I knew inside she was raging. “We’ve underestimated this enemy for far too long. We have to accept that, one, they’re in the middle of clearing out this hideout—if they haven’t already. Two, they’ll leave more exploding surprises for anyone who busts in after them, and three, they’ve already moved Genny to another location.”

“What?” I deflated like a burst balloon. “Genny’s not there either? Oh no, this is all my fault. I was so stupid, sending her in there alone with a frickin’ tampon.” It was a sleeping Laurel that stopped me from screaming, and saying worse. “If I hadn’t sent you guys racing in the wrong direction, we could’ve gotten to her in time, and Masie wouldn’t be a burning hunk of metal in an abandoned parking lot!”

“Babe, easy.” Sunny kissed my cheek. “None of this is your fault. You didn’t send Genny anywhere. She chose to go, and it’s because of you two that we know where one of their hideouts is. Cleared out or not, it’ll have hints that will tell us more about who these fucks are. Maybe even where they’ve gone next.”

“He’s right,” Saint said. “This is a victory, not a failure. You’re forgetting, Little Blaine, that our Genny is dangerous with or without a weapon. With or without backup.” Saint aimed a smirk out the window and into the distance. “Right now, those bastards are scrambling. They’re scuttling out of their hole like the cockroaches they are, they’re making mistakes, and they’re doing it all under Genny’s watchful eye.”

Adeline smiled at her husband, taking comfort in the words meant to do just that. “This Brotherhood took the Cardinals and now Genny because they’re done playing around. Every strike they’ve made against our family has failed, and now they’re determined not to make any more mistakes.” Adeline looked her sons in the eye. “I assume you boys know what to do.”

The look Sunny gave me was sweet and comforting, but the grin he sent his mother was nothing but wicked. “Mumsy, this is why you kept spitting out rejects until you birthed perfection.” Sunny held out his hands. “I’m your favorite for a reason, and you’ll remember that reason when Genny and I stroll in carrying that Abraham fucker’s head in a bag.”

Adeline fondly patted his cheek. “That’s my boy.”

“Seriously, Mom?” Bane deadpanned. “Not even going to speak up for the rejects.”

She laughed. “Come now, you know your baby brother likes to be silly. You two are my precious and perfect boys,” she said, snagging their collars and towing them in for two big, flush-inducing smooches. “I’m counting on you both to watch Sunny’s back out there, especially because he thinks I haven’t noticed he hurt his shoulder.”

“What?” I cried, shooting up.

“His shoulder?”

“He’s hurt?”

“How?”

“When?”

The questions were coming hot and fast from everyone except Adeline, and surprisingly, Sienna. Sunny’s grin wiped away as he stepped back from the crowd converging on him.

“I forgot your eagle eyes,” Sunny gritted, rubbing his shoulder. “I swear you could see around corners when we were growing up.”

Adeline was wholly unrepentant. “Tell them.”

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