Page 36 of Dangerous Command
“Ten years?” I asked. “How would Ray know someone who worked for Muro ten years ago, unless—”
Unless he had been in Muro’s world much deeper than I cared to think about.Shit.At least Ray was dead. But my father was dead too. I knew, without a doubt, that my brothers wouldneverlet the same things happen to me, nor me to them. We protected each other. Family was the only thing that mattered.
I was glad I had put a bullet in Ray’s head.
“Don’t say it,” Wil said. “I know.”
“We can’t let it happen again,” I said. Our family’s legacy depended on it.Wedepended on it. That prick would have let us die if it meant saving his own skin. And if that meant killing his wife too, to make sure that we had absolutely no ties to Muro, then that’s what would have to happen. I made a mental note to have Axe take care of Ray’s wife.
I hung up then turned down the hallway. Right as I did, Maddie came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body, her cheeks red, a splash of hair dye trailing down her neck like blood. I wanted to taste her: that salty sweat on her skin from the hot water, even the inky flavor of the dye. I wanted all of it. I wantedher.
But I had to be cautious. With every day that passed, it was getting harder to remember why that was a bad thing, when all that mattered was her loyalty.
And she might now know it yet, but she was mine.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Maddie asked. It took me a second to think about what she was talking about—Tina. I nodded, but my mind wasn’t on Tina at all. I had found what I was looking for, and she was standing right in front of me.
But I had to make her beg. And then I wouldn’t hold back anymore.
CHAPTER 10
Derek
The next afternoon, we went on the chase for the lead. Though Valentina Bernard, now married under the name Valentina Duncan, had stopped working for Midnight Miles Corporation years ago, she still lived in Brackston and went by the nickname ‘Tina.’ She had no children and worked from home. Lived on the far end of the city with her husband.
Maddie’s hair was bright against the midday sun. We chatted easily on the way there, but in the last leg of the drive, Maddie was quiet.
Then she broke the silence.
“Don’t kill her,” Maddie said. Kill her? I hadn’t mentioned the idea at all.
Though Maddie was right; it was always a possibility with our family.
“Why?” I asked. “Do you know her?”
“I just don’t think that’s the best way to get what you want.”
“People are more willing to talk if you hold a gun to their heads.”
She rolled her eyes. “Trust me, Derek. Try it my way. For once.”
I didn’t answer. There was more to the story about why she felt protective over Tina. I intended to figure it out. If that meant playing along, then I would.
For now.
Tina’s house was the same as the cookie-cutter structures around it: pale green with white trim and a red door, the paint faded, with dry grass in the front seemed more alive than the house itself. One story. Two car garage. A tree in the front. Everything was a clue, and yet, we were staring at a blank canvas. There was little chance Tina would know something, especially if she hadn’t worked for Muro in years.
But if Ray used his last words to send us here, then we had to try.
As we stood on the front porch, Maddie fidgeted with her fingers. I knocked on the door.
“You’re worried,” I said.
“No,” Maddie said. “Just bored.”
“Don’t lie to me, Maddie.”
She bit her fingernails. “Fine. Yes. Worried.”
