Page 99 of The Thief
"Christ," I mutter, flipping through the pages.
It's all here. Marcus' growing resentment toward Henry, his belief that the old man was losing his edge. His first contact with Trace's people, the gradual escalation from simple information sharing to active collaboration.
Most damning of all: his plans for what would have come after Henry's death; how he would have positioned himself as the new leader of the family, with Trace's backing. How he planned to modernize operations, eliminate the old guard, and build something new from the ashes of Henry's empire.
"Find something?" Maverick asks.
"His whole fucking confession. Written in his own hand."
I photograph every page with my phone, making sure we have copies even if something happens to the original. This is evidence that will convince even Henry of his oldest friend's betrayal.
"We should go," Maverick says, checking his watch. "Been here almost an hour."
"One more minute."
I'm looking for something specific now, something that will tell us where Trace is hiding and what his next move will be. Marcus was too careful to keep that kind of information lying around, but maybe?—
There. A loose floorboard under the desk, visible only if you're looking for it from the right angle. I pry it up with my knife and find a metal box hidden in the space beneath.
Inside the box: three burner phones, a stack of cash, and a single piece of paper with an address written in Marcus' careful handwriting.
"Got him," I say, showing Maverick the address. "This is where Trace is hiding."
"You sure?"
"Marcus was careful about everything else, but sloppy about this. He kept Trace's location as backup, insurance in case the partnership went bad."
"Or in case he needed to eliminate a liability."
Good point. Marcus wasn't just a traitor he was a smart traitor. He'd have wanted leverage over his new partner, some way to protect himself if things went wrong.
We pack up everything we've found and make sure the house looks exactly like we found it. No point alerting anyone that we've been here, not when we might need to come back.
The drive back to Henry's safe house is quiet, both of us processing what we've discovered. Marcus wasn't just feeding information to the enemy—he was planning a complete takeover of the family's operations.
"Henry's going to be devastated," Maverick says finally.
"Better devastated than dead."
"True. But forty years of friendship, ended like this..."
"It ended when Marcus decided money was more important than loyalty."
My phone buzzes with a text message from an unknown number.
She's beautiful when she sleeps. Would hate for something to happen to her.
Attached is a photo of Alastríona, taken through the window of Henry's safe house. She's curled up in bed, peaceful, unaware that someone's been watching her.
My blood runs cold.
"Faster," I tell Maverick.
"What's wrong?"
I show him the message. His face goes hard, dangerous.
"How the fuck did they find the safe house?"
