Page 5 of Carrick
“So… they’re holding him, then?” I asked, but the image in my mind had already formed—Rayden, bound and beaten, eyes hollow. My little brother. The boy who used to sneak out of bed to read next to me with a flashlight. Now he was a pawn in a game neither of us had asked to play.
“Leverage. That’s the working theory.”
A breath shuddered out of me, sharp and uncontrolled. “Because he screwed up, somehow.” The words tasted like ash. Bitterness swelled in my chest, crowding out the fear. Rayden always thought he was invincible—untouchable behind thatcrooked smile and bad-boy bravado. But now they were making me bleed for his mistakes.
“Because he didn’t deliver what they expected, most likely. Some sort of job fell apart, and now they want payment another way.”
“And the mafia thinks I can give it to them.”
“They don’t care if you can. They only care that youwill.”
My thoughts were spiraling, unraveling faster than I could pull them back together. Rayden. God, how many times had I dragged him out of trouble when we were younger? Pulled him back from the edge? I’d been more than his sister; I’d been his protector, his shield, the only person he truly trusted. And now he was gone—taken—and I couldn’t do a damn thing to help him.
I clenched my jaw and looked away. The buzz of the lights overhead felt louder now. I stared at the grain of the table’s surface, tracing the scuffs and scratches with my eyes.
“I need you to tell me everything you know about your brother’s involvement in the Dom Krovi, Ms. Cross,” he said, flipping open the folder. “Who he was meeting. Who he talked to. Where he went when he needed to disappear.”
I took a breath and tried to think. “He didn’t tell me much. He said it was safer that way.”
“Still. Try.”
“Viper. Kaz. Someone he called ‘the Ghost’. That one scared him the most. Said the guy could kill you without ever being seen.”
Mercado jotted something down. “Those names match with known aliases, so that’s something. Keep going. Anything you can remember might help.”
“He wanted out. I know that. He just didn’t know how to get there. And I think he knew they’d never let him walk away.And that’s all I know, okay? I told you, he didn’t tell me much of anything.”
Mercado closed the folder with a decisive snap. “Okay, Ms. Cross. Thank you for your help. I promise, we will do everything we can to find your brother and get him to safety. However, investigations like this take time. And while your brother is in the hands of the Dom Krovi, you’re not safe. Therefore, we’ve begun making other arrangements for you. You’re not going home. Not for a while, at least.”
The words hit me like ice water. “What?”
“You’re not safe there.”
“I—I can’t just disappear,” I stammered, pushing to my feet as my knees wobbled beneath me. “I have a job at the library. A cat. Rent. People will notice if I vanish.”
“They’ll notice,” he said evenly, “but they’ll understand. Or they’ll read about it in the paper.”
I flinched. “You’re… you’re serious.”
“They mailed you a finger, Ms. Cross. You think they’ll stop there?”
“I can protect myself.”
He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “With what? Library books?”
I swallowed hard, the words sticking in my throat. “You don’t get to make jokes right now.”
“And you don’t get to pretend this is still normal.”
My legs gave out, and I dropped back into the chair, heavier this time. “So… what happens now?”
“I’m taking you to a safe house. Property outside Kansas City. Fortified. Isolated. Protected by men I trust with my life.”
“Strangers,” I said bitterly. “Great. That makes me feel better.”
“They are already protecting a witness; a girl named Maddy. You won’t be alone.”
I rubbed my arms, trying to warm the chill settling into my bones. “And if I say no?”
