Page 56 of Hart of Vengeance
Dillon dropped his fork. “Do you have a death wish?”
“I want to know why he has a contract on my head. Best way to get answers is to confront him.”
“You killed his brother, or allegedly anyway.”
“Then why wait six years to try and take his revenge? Call me crazy, but I think Duke fits into the scheme somewhere.”
Dillon buttered his toast. “Are you saying Duke wants you dead?”
“I’m saying my release from prison has the real killer nervous, and I’m going to get to the bottom of who set me up.”
“You’re not going to rest until you get answers. Are you?”
“Would you?” I asked through a mouthful of food. “The Harts might be assholes, but we’re persistent fucks who will do whatever it takes to get answers. Isn’t that what you did to find Grace? You didn’t give up. I’m not either.” I swallowed a swig of coffee. “This is my life, bro. I’m not going to have a murder charge on my record. Now that I’m out, I can take matters into my own hands.”
“Not by walking into the lion’s den.”
“Sometimes that’s the only way to uncover the truth.” Although I didn’t expect Tito to tell me squat. But I knew his mannerisms. I might be able to read between the lines.
Dillon rose. “Then I’m going with.”
“No, you’re not. I don’t want you involved. You got your shit together. You don’t need the hassle of whatever is about to happen.”
He laughed, dumping his cup into the sink. “Sorry, bro. Too late. I’m already involved. I have my head of security at the shelter checking on Tito’s whereabouts. I’ve got your back.”
A lump formed in my throat. Hardly any of my family stuck up for me except Dillon. He’d been gone for a couple of years in the merchant marines, but ever since he’d returned, he had been visiting me in jail.
I swallowed a mouthful of eggs. “I’m assuming Tito lives in the same neighborhood as he always has.”
“He’s not. Rafe checked.”
If I wasn’t feeling loved before, I was now. “You’re one step ahead of me.”
“I know you, bro. Like you said, we’re persistent fucks.”
We both laughed.
I finished filling my stomach. “I need to tell Kelton about my encounter with the Feds.” I also needed to see if Travers had sent the contract over to Kelton. I doubted the Feds worked that quickly since it had only been twelve hours or so since they whisked me away from the hospital.
Dillon returned to the table. “Do that.” He slid the cell phone over to me. “This is yours. You’ll need a way to communicate.” He pulled out his wallet and produced a credit card and cash. “I added your name to one of my personal bank accounts. You only have a small amount to play with, but take the rest of the day and buy some clothes. Use the cash for whatever. We probably won’t hear from Rafe until later this afternoon anyway. Then we’ll need a game plan.”
My mouth parted as my eyes went wide. “You don’t have to do all this.”
“I know,” he said. “I have a small stash of cash I’ve made from the stock market, and you’re family.”
In that moment, the word “family” had a little more meaning to me. “I owe you big time, bro.”
“The only thing you owe me is to not go off half-cocked to Tito until I hear from Rafe. Cool?”
That lump in my throat grew bigger, and all I could do was nod.
“Good. I need to use the head.”
He left me dazed. I felt warm and fuzzy, which was odd.Definitely new emotions for me.
As my mind sliced and diced the events of the morning since I’d opened my eyes, I got stuck on something Maggie had said about Jade.“Give her some signs.”
I knew the perfect sign.
