Hook (A Hitman's Bait 2)

Chapter 20

Wecan’thelpyou if you won’t tell us who has your partner, Mr. Matthews.

The detective’s voice echoed in my head as I parked my car in the garage and stared at the brick wall. I had spent several hours at the police station being interrogated, but they had released me without charge when several eyewitnesses corroborated my story. We had been attacked. I’d merely defended myself, which I was allowed to do under the constitution. That didn’t change because I’d killed two men.

And the car I’d run off the road? I had no idea what had become of the driver. They’d escaped. That was the story my lawyer and I had stuck with.

I opened the car door and slowly got out, my movements stiff as if I’d run a marathon. The hours at the police station had forced me to face the truth. Grimaldo had Kit. Now I had to find a way to get him back.

I slammed the car door shut, punched in the security code, marched through, and closed the door behind me. I walked along the hall, following a voice to the living room, where Liam was pacing, shouting into a phone. Song, the boy Kit had been helping when everything happened, lay on the couch with a throw over him. He had to be exhausted because he was out cold, despite how loud Liam was speaking.

Song had confirmed what Kit had said earlier. Nolan and Grimaldo’s lapdog had forced him to invite Kit over under false pretenses to get their hands on me and Kit.

“You’d better have some news for me when I call you back in exactly one hour.” Liam ended the call and huffed a breath. “Useless piece of shit.”

“No leads?”

He shook his head. “I’m trying all the avenues I know.”

“I know you are.”

“We won’t stop until we bring him home.”

I nodded toward Song. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s pretty shaken up about the whole thing. Doc Stewart gave him a sedative when he was here earlier. He feels guilty for what happened to Kit.”

“He shouldn’t be. They used him to get to Kit.” I gritted my teeth and smacked my fist into my palm. “It’s too fucking bad Nolan’s already dead. I really want my hands around his neck.”

“He lucked out the way he died.”

“Any word on Geoff?”

“He’s in critical condition, but he’s hanging in there. Hopefully, he pulls through.”

“And our prisoner?”

“He still won’t talk.”

“I’ll make him fucking talk.”

I pushed the sleeves of my shirt up as I stalked down the hall to the door which led to the basement. Just like my office, it needed my fingerprint scan for the door to open. I stomped down the concrete stairs into the large room. A single bed stood against one wall. Our prisoner raised his head as I crossed the room. Both his hands were tied behind his back, his feet at the ankles.

“Uh-oh.” He smirked. “Someone didn’t find the answers they’re looking for.”

The cocky way he observed me gave me pause. I’d met my fair share of criminals around the world. This wasn’t an ordinary one. This man was cocksure of himself, not in the mouthy way some men ended up being but born from confidence.

He was important. I was certain of it. I just didn’t know how important. The ID we’d pulled off him said his name was Talon Scott, the man Kit had mentioned. The one who had been working with Nolan to capture Kit. But who exactly was Talon Scott?

“I’m going to give you one chance to decide your fate,” I said. “Stay quiet and protect Grimaldo and die, or tell me where Grimaldo is holding Kit and—”

“Die. Let’s face it, Sullivan Matthews. Whichever I choose, I’m not walking out of here alive.”

“You have my word. If your information leads to Kit’s safe rescue, I’ll let you walk out of here. Not only that. You say where, and I’ll give you the means to live anywhere in the world where Grimaldo can’t reach you. How does six million sound?”

He whistled low. “Like a lot of money for a common whore. Don’t tell me you fell for the prostitute, Matthews. That’s just insulting for the man we’ve all heard so much about.”

I smashed my fist into Scott’s face twice. His head snapped back, blood pouring from his nose. He fell back against the bed, writhing in pain.