A Legacy of Sorrow (A Violent Agenda)

“Good. Take the tray to this address,” I say, handing Jude the location of a lab Quinn uses for DNA fabrication. He glares at me until I tilt my head at him. “You owe me.”

Jude hasn’t paid me for the Carl hit yet. I know it’s because he’s waiting for his inheritance to come through, but I’m not a fucking charity.

“Fine.” He snarls. He takes the paper and gets into the driver’s seat of his car.

“I need the sample at the lab before it closes.”

As Jude drives away, I flit my gaze to where Dino is waiting, watching me like a hawk.

I pace a few steps away from prying ears and call Quinn’s number. It’s a long shot. But if Dante is here at the school then he’s not with Quinn.

“Hello, Viola?” It’s Quinn’s voice.“I’m glad you’re alive,” I say quickly. I have several things I want to ask her but she’d be upset if I went straight into work mode.

“So am I,” she says down the phone.

“I need your help,” I admit.

“I thought you would. I gave you that chapstick for a reason you know.”

“Tell me you don’t need rescuing,” I say bluntly.

“I’d be offended if you tried. You won’t even drink my smoothies. Now what do you need.”

“DNA fabricated. I’ve just sent a sample to the lab.”

“Whose DNA is it?”

“No one you know.”

“I find that hard to believe. Does it belong to a devilishly handsome assassin we both know by any chance?” I say nothing and she laughs. “Blood or spit?” She’s asking what kind of DNA evidence I want fabricated.

“Blood,” I say. Blood has more of a chance of being found since it glows a pretty color when the forensics use luminol spray on it.

“Where shall I send it?” she asks.

I give her my PO box address.

“Anything else?”

“I need fast acting insulin. And can you get dirt on any of the staff at St Michael’s Juvenile Prison?” May as well ask her for everything I need. I still need to kill Joseph, and with Razor backing out of the deal, the boys are relying on me to come through to get word through to their cousin.

“I can get dirt on anyone.”

When I hang up, Dino is frowning at me.

“You trust her that much?”

“I do,” I say.

“This is a bad idea, framing Dante. Why not just kill him? Isn’t that what you’re good at?” When I say nothing. Dino’s face darkens. “Ah, I see. You don’t want to. You’re enjoying this sick game he’s got you playing way too much.”

I blink at him. “I thought you didn’t like me killing people?”

He frowns as his phone buzzes again. Saved from answering, he glances down. After a few minutes of scrolling through his latest message, he looks up. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m fucking famished.”

Dino drives us on his bike to a burger joint. Then we sit on a grassy verge, with a view of the park, and eat in silence. Until Dino can’t help but fill the space between us with his words.

“So Lorcan gets to take you to a black tie dinner, and I get a roadside fucking burger date,” he scoffs.