Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“Kenzie, what are you getting at?”
I stopped him with his hand on the doorknob. “I’m saying there’s a reason why Brother Abraham was the only upper-level name we knew about until Damien told us about Mom and Dad. He knew about Mom and Dad because he had info from two decades ago when the Brotherhood was smaller and weaker.
“When they knew so little about the Merchants’ history and their interests that they didn’t know about Sacred Heart Charities until Della told them.” I grasped his shoulders. “River, what I’m getting at is in the beginning, the founders of the Brotherhood had nothing, no one, and no resources other than a list of names. So what do you want to bet they approached the people on that list... in person?”
Understanding blew up on River’s face, tensing his shoulders. “Fucking hell, Kenzie. You’re saying the ledger isn’t a list of Brotherhood members. It’s a list of people who’ve met and spoken to the real masterminds behind this war. The Mom and fucking Dad who started it all.”
Expression grim, I nodded. “What if Mom is the woman who spoke to Della again, and again, and again? Harassing a tech genius because she didn’t have one in her growing crew, and she couldn’t afford to hire one.”
He goggled at me. “Baby, that’s brilliant. Why the fuck didn’t Sunny, Liam, Bane, Genny, or even I think of that!” River swooped down and kissed the crap out of me. “You can stop calling yourself an apprentice, because you have officially graduated to sexy genius—outthinking everyone from criminal masterminds to your dumbass boyfriends.”
I swatted his thumb. “You’re not dumb. I just realized that getting inside the mind of a ruthless sociopath doesn’t work so well for me, but getting inside the mind of a victim does.” My hands slid down the dips and valleys of his muscled arms, drawing him close to me. “I thought about what I’d do if I’d gotten away from Luca too late—after he ripped my whole world away.
“If I wanted to take him down with no money or resources, I’d start with tracking down the other women he hurt, and convincing them to join me. And I wouldn’t hide my face while I did it.”
River stroked my cheek—his touch soft and soothing, he spread warmth, love, and reassurance into me without needing to say a word.
But still saying everything.
“We couldn’t do this without you, Kenzie, and I’m not just talking about this war with the Brotherhood. All of it,” he whispered. “Everything you’ve healed, put right, and made better just by walking into the room... none of it was possible... before you.”
Tears stung my eyes. A million replies sprung to my lips, but the only one that mattered was...
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” He kissed me. “Now, let’s track down the number of the infamous Aunt Della and get a description of the woman she smacked the shit out of. Something tells me she hasn’t forgotten her face.”
My lips found its smile again. “Let’s do it.”
Together we took off down to the basement. My surprise at finding out there was a secret tunnel entrance under Caddell was nothing to discovering that entrance was marked with a sign saying, Danger: High Voltage. Keep Out Under Pain of Death
“That’s a sign that would keep me away.”
We cut down on the joking as we entered the dark, concrete tunnel.
I expected a dark, gloomy space with steam rising up from nowhere to conceal the rats waiting to jump out at me.
I expected it, but that’s not what I got.
The tunnel was shockingly well lit with a string of exposed hanging lightbulbs leading the mile ahead. There was nothing but gray on gray, but it was clean, smelled fine, and there wasn’t a rat in sight.
Holding hands, we began the trek leading to the family I just found, but refused to ever give up.
“Why are we going there when they could all evacuate through these tunnels?” I asked. “The Brotherhood would sit around all day waiting to attack no one.”
River shook his head. “No one knows about this tunnel except for immediate family. If it gets out, they’ll have to brick it up and never look back. Besides, as scary as it is to have snipers on the front porch, there is nowhere in the city safer than the Fairfield. Nowhere,” he pressed. “That building is one of the many reasons why the Merchants have ruled unchallenged for forty years.
“It’s where they sleep, shower, and eat. It’s the only place they’re vulnerable, and it’s the only place no one but the Merchants can get in.”
I quieted, accepting that the guys had a plan to get everyone out of the building safely. Trust was all I had to go on, so best to keep it in over supply.