“Yeah.”
“Go get him,” Ice ordered coldly.
“You got it.”
After he watched his men leave, Ice went to the empty freight elevator, going inside and pulling down the door with a loud bang.
Deacon would be waiting for a return attack and be surrounded with men. Deacon thought that, because he had hired so many men, he would be safe. Dumb fucker hadn’t taken into account the men he had hired were inexperienced, counting on the larger force. Ice had hired fewer men, but what he lacked in numbers, they had in experience.
Ice whistled as the elevator descended. He was going to have more time to spend with Grace. He was going to end all Desmond’s problems with Deacon today. He might even take the little shit a treat tonight.
* * *
Ice had already shot Deacon in both kneecaps and hips when his cell phone rang.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“Ice, your old lady has a problem.” Snake was one of two recruits placed to watch over Grace when he wasn’t with her.
“What’s going on?” Ice asked, watching Deacon’s blood drip to the concrete floor he was hanging above.
Ice walked away so Deacon’s cries for help didn’t keep him from hearing what Snake was saying.
“She’s out walking, trying to find that little dog of hers. He got out about an hour ago. Raft’s trying to look for it without her seeing him.” Snake broke off. Ice could hear him in the background. “Fuck, fuck.”
“What’s going on?” Ice yelled into the cell phone.
Snake came back on. “She almost got hit by a car, chasing after it when it darted out in the street. It disappeared into another neighborhood.”
“Go help her catch the little shit. If something happens to her, you’re dead!” Ice commanded.
“You told us not to let her see us. If we help, she’ll know.”
“I don’t give a fuck. I’ll deal with that later. I’m on my way.” Ice disconnected the call then strode back to Jackal and Max who were playing with Deacon by swinging him back and forth between them.
“Watch out, he’s going to blow.” Max laughed, stepping back as Deacon’s vomit joined the blood on the floor.
“I have to go. Can you two handle it?” Ice asked.
“Yeah, go ahead and leave. Me and Jackal got this.”
“Later.”
Ice rushed from the building going to his bike, which a recruit had already dropped off. Climbing on and turning on the motor in one fluid move, Ice rode out of the garage, barely slowing down for the guard to run and open the gate.
He pulled in front of Grace’s house just as it was beginning to get dark. She was sitting on her front doorstep, crying. He had passed both Raft and Snake still looking for the dog.
After Ice got off his bike, he went to Grace, sitting down beside her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“I can’t find Bear. My washer broke and the repairman left the door open when he went out to his truck to get a part. I didn’t know. I was in the kitchen.” Tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Baby, we’ll find him. Now go inside and make us something to eat.”
“I can help—”
“Go inside. Look at me, Grace.”
Grace turned her tear-streaked face up toward him.
“I’ll find him.”
“Okay, I’ll go fix you, Raft, and Snake something to eat.” Grace got to her feet, brushing down her skirt. She was about to go inside when she turned back to Ice. “After you find Bear, we’re going to talk about your men being here.”
“Kind of figured that one was coming,” Ice told her, moving off through her yard.
They searched for over an hour for the little shit, catching sight of him a couple of times, but he always managed to dart away from them. Ice thought he had seen him run to a backyard, going underneath the fence. He considered climbing over the low fence, but he really didn’t feel like dealing with the cops when the homeowner called the police.
He knocked on the front door and a tiny, old woman answered. Ice was amazed she had opened her door to him. He was wearing faded and worn jeans with a long, black-sleeved muscle shirt with his cut on over it.
She stared at him from his boots to his long hair.
“Can I help you?” Her frail voice wobbled as she asked.
“My old lady’s dog got loose. We saw him run in your backyard. Would you mind if I go back there to find it?”
Ice waited for her refusal. The little shit was probably already gone anyway.
Snake and Raft came to stand in her front yard, waiting for her approval.
“That’s fine. Give me a second, and I’ll get the key to unlock the fence.” The woman left her door open as she went back inside her home for the key.
Ice just shook his head at the woman’s lack of safety measures.