Page 41 of Shadows Redeemed
Sage recognized the voice of Detective Sullivan, and he seemed pissed. But at who?
And then it was obvious. “I kind of like where I am, thanks.” Jacob. “My brother’s not some weakling, Sully. He’s seen this scenario played out a few times. We’ve talked about it. About what would happen and the need for sacrifice.”
She felt her eyes go wide as she shot a troubled glance at Dane, who was already reaching for the door handle.
“This ain’t no time for chitchat.” Sullivan again. “You’ve got two seconds to back off, or I’ll spill his guts all over this warehouse.”
Just as Dane gripped the door handle, Sage heard a new voice. “And you be a damn fool if you did. Let him go.”
Bryce? What the hell is he doing here?
She turned to Dane, leaning in so he could hear her whisper. “I know that man. He taught me everything I know about being an investigator. He’s the one Parker and I went to see yesterday.”
Dane cocked a brow. “Friend or foe?”
She hesitated. She honestly didn’t know. Bryce always played angles, and he wasn’t a fan of Jacob’s, but would he truly work for the Broussards?
After thinking for another second, she merely shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. He’s a wild card.”
“And we have enough of those right now,” Sighing, Dane turned to Gage. “Get me a peek inside.”
Gage gave a curt nod as he slid his backpack from his shoulder and placed it on the ground. After rummaging inside the bag for a moment, he pulled out a small borescope camera. Setting his pack on the ground against the wall, he snaked the camera under a small gap at the base of the door, watching the small screen for movement inside the warehouse.
Sage walked around, glancing over his shoulder pointing to the screen as Dane leaned over Gage’s other shoulder. “That’s Sullivan next to Parker, Blake Nealey next to him. The older man is Bryce, my mentor, and the scrawny kid is Luc Broussard. Themen near Luc are his enforcers. But why are they all looking at the ceiling?”
“And who’s the body on the floor?” Dane asked as he looked over at her.
She could only shrug and shake her head.
Gage aimed the camera upward to the ceiling, and Sage felt her eyes go wide. “Shit,” she hissed.
She could only stand there and watch as Jacob stood straighter and stepped away from the support beam he had obviously been hiding behind. “That’s why he went through the vent on the roof.” She shook her head. “They’ll kill them both. We need to get in there before either of them does something?—”
Too late. She watched as Parker fell, twisting as he went down.
“Now!” Dane called out as he slapped Gage’s shoulder, who merely dropped the camera as he pulled his gun.
Elvis yanked the door open, and the rest filed into the room, Dane leading the way and Sage right on his six. Cookie brought up the rear. They fanned out once through the door—Dane, Sage, and Elvis going to the left while Cookie and Gage went right. She chanced a quick glance at Parker, who wrestled with Sullivan, both fighting for control of the detective’s gun. Shots rang out as Blake and Broussard spun on the newcomers, and Bryce took a quick shot at Jacob, clipping him in the shoulder and sending Parker’s brother spinning into the support beam.
Her team ducked to the side, hiding behind some tables they flipped over or stacks of ancient crates, and she clutched her gun, growling out her frustration. She needed to get to Parker.
Another shot, and then she heard a groan. But who was shot?
“Bryce, you need to end this now!” she called out, her back against the table. “There’s no way you guys can beat my team. It’s over.”
“Ah, girl, you know it’s never over,” Bryce said, sighing. “There’s always a way out. Ah, little girl, you shouldn’t have stuck your nose in. I warned you, but like always, that stubborn Silver pride of yours got in the way. You’re just like that old man of yours.”
She froze, her mouth ajar as she stared at the concrete wall in front of her, her heart pounding in her ears. What the hell did he know about her father? “What are you talking about, Bryce? You never met my father. Hell, you were the one helping me track down his killer.”
“Best way to keep you from finding out who it was,” Bryce told her. “Look kid. You’re in over your head. Always have been. Now, before anyone else gets hurt, how about you and your friends just back on out? None of this concerns you. It’s a New Orleans matter.”
She glanced to both sides, noticing her team trying to fan out even more to cover the sides as they moved in. Dane pulled a small mirror out of his side pants pocket, angling it so they could see where everyone was positioned. Parker and Sullivan were still locked on the ground, Blake and Luc, guns drawn, were inching toward them, Luc’s men fanning out as well, and Bryce motioned to all of them, giving directions while he kept Sage talking, almost as if he were the one truly in charge. And on the concrete floor on the far side of the warehouse sprawled Jacob. He wasn’t moving, either.
“What does my father have to do with this, Bryce?” She glanced at Dane, her face pinched with worry. “He was a simple teacher. He had nothing to do with anything.”
Through the small mirror, she watched as Blake moved one way and Luc the other, both with their heads on a swivel and their guns ready. Parker slammed Sullivan’s hand against the concrete floor, the man finally losing his grip on the gun, the weapon sliding a few feet away from them. Parker scrambled,but Bryce must have heard it fall and was already there, his own gun aimed at Parker’s head.
“Your father cared too deeply for his students,” Bryce said. With a wave of his gun, he motioned Parker to his feet. “One of them fell in with the Broussards, and well, your father did a little snooping, trying to pull the kid out. Old man Broussard called me to go talk to him.”
