Page 36 of Shadows Redeemed
Dominick took a step back as the detectives strode toward them, a heavy tension hanging in the air. Parker’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of it all. Why would Dominick be working with the cops? Was this all connected to the Broussards somehow? He knew the crime family had their hands in all sorts of dirty business, but law enforcement? Jacob had said there was a dirty cop. Looks like he was right, after all.
Nealey swiped his sandy blond hair out of his eyes as he crossed the room, a permanent scowl etched onto his face. He glanced at Parker with a sneer, shaking his head as he made a tsk-tsk sound. “You should have just told us where your brother was, Parker. Now look at the mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Parker clenched his fingers into tight fists. “Where’s my brother, you son of a bitch?” He struggled not to lash out at them, despite the fear gnawing at him. “And where’s Sage?”
“I don’t know a damn thing about your girlfriend. Besides, you’ve got bigger problems to worry about than that.” Sullivan moved to stand in front of him, the man’s tone dripping with condescension. “Your brother’s days are numbered. He should’ve known better than to mess with the wrong people.”
Parker glared at them, fists clenched at his sides. “You’re setting him up, and I know it? You’re framing him for Fontaine’s murder, when the truth is you probably did it yourselves.”
Nealey chuckled, the sound low and cruel. “Smart boy. Too bad you don’t know when to keep your mouth shut.”
Before Parker could respond, the door to the warehouse creaked open again, and this time, the scrawny figure of Luc Broussard stepped inside. But he wasn’t alone. Bryce strode inbeside him, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he smirked across the room at Parker.
Parker’s world spun out of control. It was as if the walls were closing in on him, the weight of the betrayal suffocating him from every angle. Dominick, the detectives, and Sage’s mentor Bryce Anderson—they were all in on it with the Broussards. All part of the same twisted game, setting Jacob up to take the fall for killing the cop, Eric Fontaine, and stealing Broussard’s drugs.
He felt his brows pinch. That made no sense. If Luc was there, then he knew who stole his drugs. Didn’t he? Parker racked his brain, trying hard to figure out the piece he was missing, and he knew he was missing something.
Luc smiled as he approached, his eyes cold and calculating as he raked Parker with his deadly gaze. “You’re one major pain in the ass, do you know that?” He slammed his fists to his hips as a low growl rumbled out of him. “If I didn’t need you to get to your brother, I’d have them kill you on the spot.”
Parker felt his brows rise. “I can see you’re not worried about threatening murder in front of these two.” He turned to the detectives, snarling. “I always knew I hated the two of you for a reason.”
Sullivan feigned hurt. “I’m wounded. How shall I ever get through the rest of the day?”
Parker ignored the man, turning his attention back to Luc “Where’s Sage? If you’ve hurt her?—”
Luc turned to the thicker of the three goons. “Is she…?”
The thick-bodied man crossed his arms over his chest as he shook his head. “When we left, she was taking a nice nap, but otherwise she was… breathing. At least, I think she was.”
Parker’s stomach dropped at the implication in the man’s words. His mind raced, trying to hold on to hope. If Sage was stillalive, he had to find a way to save her, but with the odds stacked against him, how could he?
“You can thank me for that.” Bryce stepped forward, his gaze locking onto Parker’s. There was no warmth in his eyes, no recognition of the man who had once meant something to Sage, who had spent some time training Parker. “I assured Luc here that he didn’t need to kill her because she’ll help us bring Jacob in. You see you’re the bait. We know your brother would rather die than see anything happen to you.”
“Jacob won’t fall for this. Besides, how do you expect him to even hear you took me?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that.” Bryce leaned his head to the side, studying Parker, a smirk twisting his lips. “That’s where Sage is going to help us. You see, I know her. As soon as she wakes up, your brother’ll be her first call. Probably bitching his ass out and blaming him for what happened.”
A shuffling off to the side drew Parker’s attention. Turning, he saw Dominick shuffle forward, a nervous trembling in his hands. “Um, look, I did what you asked. I got you Parker, and told you about the cabin. I want nothing else to do with this.” He turned to Sullivan, his face pale. “We’re square, right?”
Sullivan nodded. “Yeah, we’re square.” And then he pulled out his gun and put two slugs into Dominick’s chest.
Dominick tumbled backward, eyes wide as he fell to the concrete floor. Dead.
Parker felt his eyes go wide as he jerked his gaze first to the dead man and then to Sullivan. The detective just killed a man in front of him, which meant Parker was not going to get out of there alive. Not with everything he now knew and what he witnessed.
Sullivan turned back to him, shrugging. “He served his purpose.”
Parker swallowed hard, the weight of the situation pressing down on him like a crushing weight. Regardless of what he told the old man, he knew Jacob would come for him. His brother was reckless when it came to protecting people he loved—it was a flaw, a weakness these morons were exploiting. And Parker hated it. He hated that they were using him to get to his brother.
“How do you sleep at night?” Parker spat, glaring at Bryce. “Sage trusted you. And now you’re?—”
Bryce’s eyes flickered with something—guilt, maybe—but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “You don’t understand the stakes, son. This isn’t just about Jacob. It’s bigger than that, and there’s a hell of a lot more on the line than your punk brother’s life.” He sighed, taking in a slow breath. “The people involved aren’t the type to take IOUs.”
“Who’s involved?” Parker jerked his gaze around at the others. “Who are you so afraid of?”
Luc stepped forward, cutting the conversation short. “Enough talking. We need to get this done.” He turned to Parker, his eyes gleaming with malice. “You just better hope your girlfriend wakes up and reaches out to your brother quickly. We need those drugs.”
Parker’s heart pounded in his chest as Luc’s words sank in. They were planning to use him as bait, and Jacob would walk right into their trap. His thoughts flashed back to Sage—he knew Bryce was right. She would call Jacob, tell him what had happened, ask if he knew where they would go next. It made sense, after all. Jacob had been working for them, even if undercover, had been following them. It stood to reason he would know their hideouts. However, what Bryce and the others didn’t know was that Sage wasn’t alone. She was with a team of Former SEALs, and there was no way they would allow her to walk into the fire alone. They would all come to the rescue. The question was, would they get there before Jacob did?
