Vicious Minds (Children of Vice 4)

“What are you doing?”

“Some technology stuff,” I told him, laying back in the leather seat and closing my eyes, trying to ignore the pain in my shoulder. I could tell from the dull ache that it wasn’t a whole bullet; it must have ricocheted and split before hitting me. But the shard was sharp and kept cutting into my flesh.

“How did you see this when I didn’t?” Ethan asked. I think this was his way to get my mind off the pain.

“I barely saw it. Hell, it was luck,” I whispered, rubbing my eyes. “I had another job, and that person was friend of Grams. He was on the phone with her when I broke in. They’ve helping the Finnegan brothers skim off the top of the drug supply. She’s like us when it comes to patience and secrets. Her family works for you, but never in the trade, to make you think they aren’t interested but still loyal. She works through other people and she knows the Italians are getting rebellious. It’s in her best interest to support these two Irish brothers from Boston who also want to take over. She thinks they can put a dent in the Callahan name and then she can come in as a hero to all the people caught in the crossfire. If not for that one call, I wouldn’t have seen it.”

“Would my parents have?” He wasn’t asking to compare; he wanted to know if they were watching him now.

“I doubt it. Even if they were watching her, there was no way to see it coming. She made sure to be careful like us, walk close to the edge but not on it. She’s using her age and her past loyalty as a smokescreen. Besides, with the Finnegan brothers being as loud as they are now, they would most likely be looking into them. Who they are, what type of threat they pose…after all, Wyat

t is in Boston too. They’re working from the wrong end. They won’t figure out Grams was part of this until you kill her.”

“With her gone, the brothers won’t have enough support to rise, will they?” he wondered, and I could see the beginning of a plan forming in his head.

“It will take them a few days, or weeks, depending on how slow they are to realize they are alone now,” I answered, and he nodded, taking the exit.

“How did you get this friend of Grams to talk?”

I reached into my bag and handed him a disc. He nodded for me to put in the sound system. I did. Letting him hear the conversation, I tried to look for the volume because of the man’s screams, but I couldn’t see the controls.

“It’s fine—”

“AHHHH!”

He slid his finger down the screen on the dash.

“Oh, fancy. Are you rich or something, Mister?” I said mockingly.

“Or something,” he muttered, and I yawned, closing my eyes. “This is dated yesterday?”

“Which is why I called yesterday and said I just found out.” I leaned the seat back. “When I snuck in her place this morning to check old financial records—she keeps them in actual books, so old school—in her family study, I left a clue to let her know you were on to her.”

“Why?”

“Because a cornered mouse can only hurt themselves. It’s one thing to do something in the dark, when you think no one is watching. It’s a whole other game when the sun comes up and the light is on you.”

“And if you’re not strong enough, the light will burn you,” he agreed. “Thinking I was onto her, she’d be bound to make mistakes quickly. Her fear must have been obvious, which is why Teagan came in on this. He’s her youngest and favorite grandson; he loved her too. But he’s always been the weakest of their family. And what else do weak people do but try to prove they aren’t weak? She didn’t send him; I bet he overheard and decided to come himself to prove he was strong, that he could protect her. He smirked when you said his grandmother didn’t like him. He thought he was fooling you, and most likely was going to pretend to join us and then betray us again.”

“So the lamb threw himself in the lion’s den. Darwin's theory proves itself correct again.” I grinned, shaking my head, then winced at the sharp pain in my shoulder. Annoyed, I pulled out my own damn knife.

“Don’t,” he snapped at me.

“It’s fine. I’ve done it before—”

“You’re not going to be able to use your arm once you take it out and the blood flows,” he went on.

“All I need is one hand, anyway.”

“Well aren’t you a badass?” he mocked me.

I made a face, but I couldn’t help but snicker. “Let’s hurry and get this over with, then.”

“You’re just like Gigi. You both want what you want and to hell with the consequences,” he said, and a genuine smile came to lips as it always did when he talked about her.

“First, Gigi is like me, mom comes before the daughter. Second, I think you just don’t want me bleeding all over your fancy car.”

“How did you know?” He looked at me.