Page 80 of Logan
Payden bites her lip as I squeeze her shoulder. “Gonna be okay,” I tell her. “They’re not even in the same state, we know that much. She probably just got relocated and they took the phone away.”
“I hope so,” Payden mutters, her mind far away. “But the point is, we all believe it’s connected to this Mancini group which Cash may have explained about?”
Bane nods his head. “He filled me in.”
“They know we have something, and I’ve no idea what it is. One of my colleagues who headed the case, Ryan, lived through the shooting but I haven’t been able to talk to him,” she says. “He may know something. Maybe he was sitting on some information? I don’t know.”
“Can’t get to him until the cops are done,” I interject. “But our boys want to find out everything he knows.”
Payden looks at me. “Ryan may be many things, but I doubt he had anything to do with this.”
“Not saying he did, but he knows what’s in those files.”
“Unless he doesn’t. Our boss, Jeremy, and maybe one other associate may have, but they’re both dead…” she trails off. “He had a family.”
“So do you,” I remind her.
“I need some air.” She goes to stand and when I follow suit, she shakes her head.
“Not alone,” Bane warns. “Go to the kitchen, you’ll find it, ask Ivy to show you around, get some grub.”
She swallows, looking pale and fraught. I frown as I sit back down. I want to go to her, but I know that look. She’s still grieving, and she will be for a while yet. “Thanks.”
“I’ll be in here if you need me, okay?” I say.
She smiles softly. “Okay.”
We all watch as she leaves.
“Lucky fucker,” Hornet mutters. “Need to take a trip to New Orleans, find some decent snatch.”
“While you’re at it, bring back some of them beignets, that shit is sweet as fuck,” Radium puts in.
“It’s a wonder we get anythin’ important done with you two clowns,” Archer says, raising a brow.
“Lucky they’re not in charge,” Shadow agrees. “Or we’d all be fucked.”
Okay, maybe I got it wrong. Maybe this club is as nuts as the Rebels.
“How far away are you from gettin’ into those files?” Bane asks me.
“Well, Payden’s boss seems like he did a pretty good job of keepin’ things hidden,” I tell him. “He went to extreme lengths to ensure what was meant to be hidden stayed that way.”
“So, is this Ryan dude just a dick, or could he be in on it?” Shadow asks.
I shrug. “From what Payd told me, he’s a dick, and it’s doubtful he’s part of it. This entire case consumed his life.Payden said he buried himself in work, which kinda sounds a little off for someone just tryin’ to brown nose the boss. It’s almost like it was more than somethin’ to prove, but that’s just a hunch.”
“I smell a rat,” Viking mutters. “Could get Radium and Phoenix helpin’ out.”
“Already reachin’ out to Sawyer,” Radium tells us. “If I can help in any way, I will.”
“For now, sit tight,” Bane says. “You’re safe here, and the little lady can lay low until we figure some shit out.”
I palm the back of my neck. “Not sure how she’s gonna take the news of her death being announced on the nightly news,” I say. That’s another first. It seems that’s happening a lot with Payden. “But it’s for the best.”
Hornet whistles through his teeth. “That shits gotta fuck with you. Were there dead bodies everywhere?”
“Literally,” I say. “And the few that survived have around the clock protection, just to be safe.”
