After giving her a kiss, I told her what I promised would never change. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Come back.”
“You can’t keep me away.”
Leaving our apartment, I took my phone from my pocket and walked toward the elevator. From the number on the screen, I’d missed six text messages and a call from Mason. Before I’d come back to the apartment to shower, Mason and I had located Gordon Maples. We planned to pay him a visit.
I hit the call button, returning his call.
Mason answered right away. “We were getting worried. Is Lorna all right?”
“She seems better.”
“It’s weird for her not to be at breakfast.”
My cheeks rose. “We decided to take the morning slow.”
“Good.”
“Are you ready to go?” I asked.
“Come to 2 first. Everyone is here.”
Fuck.
I would concentrate on everyone and everything better after we paid Maples a visit.
However, experience told me that there was no fighting my near future. If Sparrow, Patrick, and Mason were assembled on 2, mine was the empty chair. I would fill it.
Entering the elevator, I hit 2.
Nearly a minute later, I scanned my hand and the steel door moved.
Three sets of eyes met mine. Patrick and Sparrow were dressed in their usual Michigan Avenue finest. Mason’s attire was improved over our middle-of-the-night work session. It appeared we were all showered and ready for the day. My glance went toward the coffee machine. The earlier mess was gone. Mason and I had cleaned it and replaced the mugs.
I stopped and looked at Sparrow. “Sorry, Lorna—”
He lifted his hand, stopping my apology. “I get it. I wasn’t here last night when you were all working. I’m not thrilled about going downtown today.”
“How is Araneae?”
“Better since she’s talked about things.”
“You?” I asked.
“Still seeing fucking red. I want to locate Jettison yesterday, and I want to find out who the woman is.”
“Woman?” I looked around.
Sparrow went on. “Araneae remembers a woman. Blonde and petite. She said she was in charge. There was the man with dark black hair—”
“Lorna remembers him too.”
“Araneae said she thinks there were other men, but she can’t remember specifics.”
“Did she see Nancy?” Mason asked.
“Not that she mentioned.”
“I’ve got a call out to Top,” Mason said. “It’s the second one I’ve sent. When we met, he was confident this wasn’t the Order. There have been very few soldiers to go rogue on the Order, but I knew one. So did Laurel.”
Patrick stood. “Stephanie? What was her name...Moore?”
“Real name, Morehead,” I said. “She was the one who tracked Laurel and her research.”
“Yeah,” Patrick said, “but she died in the fire at your house.”
“I thought so, too.”
“No,” Sparrow said, “I remember Walters saying they recovered her body.” He looked at Patrick. “Can you pull up the audio on that meeting a few years ago?”
“Yes.”
Sparrow looked at his watch. “Listen, I’m booked until about three. Keep me informed, but if you have a lead, move on it. I’m tired of this shit. And if the same people who are supplying guns on my streets are the ones who took the women, they need to go down.”
My gaze met Mason’s. Just as quickly, Sparrow pointed our direction. “No rogue shit. Keep me informed. Keep Patrick informed.”
“No rogue shit,” Mason said.
I looked at Patrick. “Where are you headed?”
“I have a list and I’m taking Romero with me. Sparrow has Garrett. First, I’m headed downtown to Sinful Threads. Jana has prototypes for Araneae. Then, I’m following up with the capos who went to Dino’s last night. Their report isn’t as informative as I’d like. Either they’ll give me more, or I’ll go to the source.”
“Take more backup,” Sparrow said. When no one spoke, he went on. “If whoever they are figure out that we’re on to them, things could get fucking crazy. No chances.”
Patrick nodded. “I’ll make calls.” He looked at us. “Are you two following leads here? Mason, we need you to scour the dark web. My gut is telling me that’s where the factions are connecting to this supplier.”
“Mostly,” he replied. “I have a few loose ends on the near South Side, and Reid is coming with me. We’ll be back before lunch and work on leads.”
“Take backup,” Sparrow said as he walked toward the door looking at his phone and shaking his head. “I’d fucking fire my assistant if I—”
“Could get anyone else to put up with you?” Mason offered, finishing his sentence.
When Sparrow glared, Mason added, “I mean, you’ve found the only two women who can keep you in place. I’d say there aren’t many more options.”
“Keep me in place?”
“No, definitely the other way around,” Patrick said as he smiled at Mason and me.
After Mason and I were alone, my brother-in-law exhaled. “Listen, I know we have other shit, but I am itching to meet up with that son of a bitch Maples.”
“Let’s go.”
Reid
“He still lives in the same house?” I asked as Mason drove us closer to our destination. Craning my neck, I looked back at the car behind us. “You didn’t want those Sparrows in our car?”
“Yes, same house,” he responded. “And no. I didn’t want anyone hearing even a word that may be said about my sister.”
“I wasn’t planning on saying any.”
“Wrong,” he said, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. “You are. I want to know what I’m accusing this man of before I cut his fucking throat.”
That’s a messy way to kill someone.
“Did you call for a cleanup crew?”
“I did.” His stare turned my way. “It seems too easy. Kader was his own crew. Either way, this fucker is going to pay for what he did.”
“Well, fuck.” I exhaled, leaning against the leather seat of the reinforced SUV and feeling the gun I had holstered near my side. “I have no issue with retaliation if it is due. Lorna hasn’t said his name. She acted confused when I asked her if the memories were recent or older.”
“You said that she said she wasn’t her. She wasn’t Anna.”
I nodded as Mason pulled the SUV right toward an exit. Soon we were leaving I-94 onto city streets. The sign caught my attention. “Fuck, this is Englewood.”
“Yeah.”
“The same location as Dino’s liquor store.”
“How the fuck could this all be connected?”
“Maybe it isn’t.”
I stared out the windshield at the colorful, tree-lined roadway leading into an older neighborhood. Many of the houses appeared well maintained while others were more dilapidated. The GPS on our dashboard directed our way until we came to a stop on the side of a residential street.