His eyes beamed with crazed hysteria. “Oh, come on, Granite. Who in his right fucking mind will insist on seeing you face to face before he tells us where Alyx is? No one is that fucking stupid,” he shrugged, “except Slither.”
I ignored my brother and focused on the detective since the commissioner was standing in the corner as pale as a fucking ghost. “Did you track the call?”
He shook his head. “We didn’t have enough time.”
“Give me your phone.”
Harrison stared at me all bug-eyed.
“Give me your fucking phone!” I growled, and Harrison didn’t hesitate this time. My hand shook as I dialed the number. Whether it was adrenaline or fear, I didn’t know. All I knew was I needed to get Alyx back.
“Manic. Listen, get Ink and meet me at the aquarium in twenty. Make sure you’re packing.” I hung up, and Onyx shot me a knowing look. There was a reason I told Manic to make sure they came armed…because I was more and more convinced all of this had Slither’s name slapped on it.
“Commissioner,” I called, “I’m going to find Alyx. The only way you can stop me is with a motherfucking bullet. Feel me?”
He straightened and nodded, his face clouded with agony and worry. I didn’t stick around to chit-chat and hauled ass to the door.
“Granite.”
I stilled and met the PC’s eyes. A silent moment passed between us. In that moment, he wasn’t the police commissioner, but a father. And me? I wasn’t a criminal or the president of the American Street Kings. I was a man in love. A man who would ransack through hell if that meant finding his heart. And that was what Alyx was. My heart.
Onyx slapped Harrison on the shoulder. “Guess you’re giving us a ride, man.”
Harrison rolled his eyes. “Don’t know why I always get caught up in this shit,” he mumbled to himself while stomping to the door.
All eyes were on us as we made our way out. I didn’t give a flying fuck what everyone else thought, and I was convinced neither did the commissioner.
We got outside, the sunset painting the sky with its pinks and yellows. If it was any other day, the sight would have been tranquil, peaceful, beautiful. But not today.
The slight chill in the air felt good against my heated skin but did nothing to quiet the rage or calm the apprehension that had been making it fucking hard to breathe the last few hours.
I rounded the SUV, wanting to get in on the passenger side, when Onyx grabbed Harrison’s shoulder. “Hold up.”
“What?”
With a smirk on his face, Onyx held out his palm. “Gimme the keys?”
Harrison’s cocked a brow. “What? No.”
“Come on. We only have twenty minutes to get there. Driving Miss Daisy ain’t an option now.”
Harrison squared his shoulders. “I’m driving. Or you’re walking.”
Onyx opened his mouth to talk shit when I slammed my fist on the roof of the SUV. “Get in the fucking car. And Onyx, unless you want to fucking walk, get in the back. Now!”
We got in the car, and the second I closed my door, it felt all kinds of wrong. I hated being boxed in. Made me feel like I was about to jump out of my own skin at any second.
Onyx moved in between the two front seats. “So, let’s get this straight. We are about to meet someone at the aquarium, a public place. And this someone might be the one man we really, really want to disembowel before we cut his head off.”
I rubbed my palms together, staring out the window. “That’s why he chose a public place.”
“Hold up,” Harrison chimed in. “You guys are convinced this is Slither?”
Onyx leaned back. “One can only hope.” It was clear in his voice he was already readying himself for battle. Onyx wanted Slither’s blood, just like the rest of us, and was already psyched up about the prospect of that happening. But I, on the other hand, wanted Alyx back with me and safe more than I wanted to see Slither’s blood flow into a ditch.
“I don’t care who is waiting for us at the aquarium, but no one kills him until we’ve got Alyx.” I turned in my seat and shot Onyx a warning glare. “I mean it. And don’t fuck with me on this, Onyx. This time, you keep that trigger-happy finger of yours on a goddamn leash.”
Onyx didn’t say anything. Usually, he was full of sarcastic comebacks and arrogant remarks. But today, he knew I was fucking bleeding all sorts of serious.