“Why’d you leave her there?”
“Because I can’t do shit from behind bars. I couldn’t snatch her, because Turner would’ve put a bullet in my brain before I moved an inch.”
Nodding, he scratches his leg with the butt of his gun. “Who let you out?”
“Riley. As soon as they moved into the boardroom, he switched the security feed off and let me out.”
“He’s still on our side?”
I push a magazine into the gun I keep on my back – the gun Jess used to shoot at me – then reaching into my pocket, I toss the stack of photos of Jess’ sister into his hands. “Destroy these. Don’t look at them, just destroy.”
I attempt to move away, but he reaches out and pulls me to a stop. “Kane! Is Riley ours or Abel’s?”
“He gave me my cell, the pictures, and a ten-minute window to run. He’s not on Abel’s side, anyway.”
“Is Turner? Is he dirty?”
“No. He’s not in Abel’s pocket. Not a chance in hell. He’s dirty for his family. He’ll break the law to keep them safe, but he doesn’t belong to Abel.”
“So what’s your next step?”
“I’m out. I was arrested, so Abel’s gonna have me taken out. I need to deal with him, with Jess, with another fuckface I’ve still gotta find.”
“Who’s the fuckface?”
Swinging the bag over my shoulder, I jog toward the kitchen and pull the fridge door open. “The twin’s boyfriend.”Not Jess’. Those pictures weren’t Jess. She wasn’t with him yesterday.“He’s gonna kill her.”
“He’s gonna kill the twin? Which one?”
“Theotherone! He’s been selling her, Eric. She was a club whore and I didn’t even know it.”
Eric stops in front of me and snags the bottle of water from my hands before I can chug it down. “You’re gonna take a man down because he’s pimping his girlfriend?”
“I’m going to take him down because she belongs to Jess.”
“And Jess is yours?”
“Yup.” I snatch the bottle back and fling the cap off.
“You’re compromised, Bishop. We need to get out of town, not go on a vigilante mission to beat up your friend’s boyfriend. You’ve been under too long. You’re losing your grasp on reality.”
“Nope. I know exactly where I am. I know who I am. I know what I’m doing. And I’m not just gonna beat him up. I’m gonna pull his nut sack out of his asshole.” I point with the bottle and nod. “I’m going off script. You can tell the brass whatever the fuck you want, but I’m not coming in until it’s done. There’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
“I can stop you, Bish. I have seniority.”
“Fuck your seniority, Cap. Did you find Jay yet?”
The man in front of me – the third on my list of three trusted people on this planet – watches me through stormy eyes rimmed with sandy blonde lashes. “No. I’m calling in favors. I’m calling everyone I know that might be able to help.”
“He’s gone?”
He nods. “He’s somewhere. I promise we’ll find him.”
“That’s on you. I need you to find my brother, because we need to give him peace. Abel doesn’t know about you. He doesn’t know about this place. So you need to stay low and find Jay, and I’ve gotta go find a real estate agent and show him what happens when he fucks with mine.”
Eric follows as I push away from the fridge. “I can’t believe where your priorities are right now, Bish! You have other work to do. You have a job to do, an empire to tear down, a fuckin’ kingpin to put away, but you’re stepping up for a girl you’re not even with.”
“I’m stepping up for Jess.” I swing the front door open. “I’m stepping up for Jess, and there’s nothing you can do that’ll stop me. I’ll check back in when I’m done.” I skip down the front stairs. “Find Jay! Find him. Don’t let us down.”