AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But—” Tears formed in Zach’s eyes. “She’s just a child.”
“Fuck,” Corey muttered, and for a moment Zach brightened as if thinking that having a child die would be enough to stop the operation. Corey motioned to Bobby. “He’s of no use to us anymore.”
Bobby grinned. “This is my lucky day.” He grabbed Zach by the arm, dragging him out the door. Zach fought but he was only about five-ten, no match for Bobby’s six feet, five inches of muscle.
He waited until Bobby and Zach had left before looking at Allyson. Her expression was grim—and unsurprised at the boom of Bobby’s overcompensating gun when he shot Zach.
“Well?” Corey asked.
Allyson shrugged like this was no big deal. “He didn’t have the stomach for it.”
Corey was going to say Good, but his phone buzzed with a text from Bobby.
Dewey’s boat is gone. Did you lock Jace in?
Swallowing back fury and panic, Corey sent a reply. I did. Did the rope break?
No. Should I search for the boat?
Yes. Go now. Will check cameras and call you asap.
He noted Bobby’s thumbs-up emoji before turning to Allyson. “We’re issuing you a burner for the upcoming job. Keep it with you at all times and watch for further updates. Ed and I will get the burner from the safe in the next room. Get your things together. We’re leaving in a few minutes to take you back to your vehicle.”
He followed Ed out of the comm room, locking the door behind them.
“What’s wrong?” Ed demanded. “We still have details to cover and we don’t have a safe out here.”
“Dewey’s boat’s gone.” Using his phone, Corey checked the cameras pointing at the dock, rewinding the surveillance video until he saw movement. “Fuckin’ hell.” There was Jace getting into Dewey’s boat. “The little bastard. We need to find him.”
Ed was also staring at his phone, his mouth set in an angry line. “How’d he get out?”
“I don’t know. Bobby has already started the search. We’ll take Allyson back to her car in my boat.”
“Goddammit, Corey. Your brothers aren’t worth the trouble they’ve caused.”
“I agree. I’ll check Aaron’s quarters. I want to know how Jace got out. You check the camera feeds again once you’re back in the comm room to make sure she didn’t touch anything she shouldn’t. Make sure she sees you do it. I want her sufficiently scared of us.”
“I think you achieved that. She acted all cool when Bobby shot Zach, but she was rattled. I’ll meet you at the dock in three minutes.”
“Okay.” Corey made it to Aaron’s quarters in less than a minute, struggling with the lock in his haste. He burst into the cabin, grimacing at the lingering odor of Aaron’s meth.
Then his heart dropped into his gut.
The window was gone. Jace had ripped it out. “Motherfucker,” he hissed.
Rage rushed up in a wave, accompanied by a sense of dread. He stalked to Aaron’s bedroom window, and his dread became a living thing. From here, Jace would have had a perfect view of the river’s edge—and of them killing Dewey.
I should have thought of that. But he hadn’t, so certain that he had Jace cowed. And it was too late now. He needed to find his brother. Yesterday.
At least that solved the problem of what to do with Jace. “I’m going to find him and I’m going to kill him.” And he’d make it hurt.
Bayou des Allemands, Louisiana
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 11:30 P.M.
Jace looked over his shoulder. No other boats. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten away.
Don’t count your chickens, he told himself sternly. He wasn’t safe yet.
