Page 40 of King of Cruelty

Bee tipped her head. “You’re right. This Abraham guy was higher up in the ladder, but he can’t have been at the top.”

“Did they give any clues as to who is at the top?” I gestured for her to follow as I stepped lightly, following Edwin’s figure through the shadows. “Did they mention any other names? Did they report to anyone else?”

“Not that we could tell.”

Edwin was oblivious to the two stalking foxes trailing as he left his men and protection behind, heading for wherever he parked his car.

“They said a bunch of names,” she continued, whispering. “But whenever they had to check with someone or ask permission to do something, they only spoke of Abraham as the one to go to.”

That didn’t surprise me. “For as much as they hate the Merchants, the Brotherhood doesn’t mind ripping us off.”

“What do you mean?”

“Back in the old days, my dads structured their gang the same way. Members at the bottom of the ladder report to the rung above them, but they don’t know who’s above that person, and no one knows who’s at the top.” I flapped a hand toward the guys on the lawn. “Abraham was an enforcer. Tough. Violent. Brutal. But also fakely sincere and gentlemanly. He kept an iron grip on the foot soldiers, keeping them always off-balance by thefact they could never guess when he’d turn and slaughter them all.

“But whoever holds Abraham’s leash... that’s the question.”

She clicked her tongue, tossing her head. “Hera, fuck them, but they’re a weird, pointless gang. They don’t trust each other. They don’t like each other. They don’t care when their fellowbrotherscatch a bullet in their head. I doubt they even know each other’s real names. This must be entirely about revenge for all of those guys, because they’re damn sure not enjoying each other’s company for another reason.”

I couldn’t argue with a single thing she said. From how quickly and easily Abraham shot Madison in the face to how little the brothers cared when Abraham caught his own bullet, they called themselves brothers but they couldn’t be further from.

The one at the top of the ladder may have thought they were clever ripping off my dad’s old gang structure, but if they were really smart, they would’ve asked themselves why old Daddy Cash drop-kicked that structure into the trash.

A true crew lives and dies by loyalty and trust, and no one trusts a lurking, anonymous shadow. There was a reason the Merchants have ruled for decades, while the Brotherhood can’t take us out with an army of assassins and trackers up our asses.

We’re the best for a reason, bitch, I thought as Edwin unknowingly led us to the car our stolen keys belonged to.And you’re about to find out the hard way.

“Malcolm? Malcolm, turn on the lights,” Edwin called. “I can barely see a thing.”

Bee tapped the key ring, making the headlights flash their signal about twelve feet ahead.

Silently, I signaled to Bee—giving her one last nod before she broke right and I broke left—disappearing into the dark.

Thud.

“Ow!”

“Who’s that?” Edwin cried, whipping around. “Who’s there?”

“Brother? Brother Edwin, it’s me,” Bee ground out—her voice deep and gravelly like that Malcolm shit. “I fell! I—I think I messed up my ankle.”

“That Merchant bitch! Do you have her?” The man was going wild spinning back, forth, around and around with his gun—aiming at twigs and leaves. “Did she get away?”

“No, she’s in the car— Ah,” Bee carried on, selling it like a pro. “She’s secure. Just help me!”

Edwin cursed. “All right, for fuck’s sake. Just tell me where you are.”

He stomped off in the opposite direction as I crept up to his rather modest four-door sedan. Climbing inside the backseat, I tugged my black sack back over my head and hid my hands behind my back for good measure.

I waited while Bee faked him out, discovering her ankle miraculously healed before Edwin could get too close and realize she wasn’t who she said she was.

Noise sounded outside the car, signaling Edwin’s return.

“—fucking fool wasting my time.”Slam!“Hurry up and get in the fucking car!”

Shifting and shuffling, and then I felt a groping hand on my side.

“Safety first,” Edwin taunted as he buckled me in. “You’re our grandest prize, Genevieve Hunt. The key to our victory. Can’t let anything happen to you.”

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