Devour (Unbreakable Bonds 4)

“You’d be surprised,” Hollis muttered.

“Ian?” Noah asked, dragging Ian’s attention away from the phone. “Is Jagger?”

“Religious?” Ian said, his voice jumping. He cleared his throat and then shook his head before remembering that Quinn and Gidget couldn’t see him. “Not particularly. I don’t think he was atheist or anything. Just not religious.”

“I think maybe it’s an anagram. A code name for a place or something. Like Lake Mada or lead maka or make laad.”

“Lake Mada does not exist.” Gidget groaned. She sounded as if she’d had this exact argument with Quinn more than once.

“There’s Madatapa Lake.”

“In Georgia!”

“Where in Georgia? I’m originally from Atlanta,” Hollis chimed in.

“Not that Georgia,” Gidget said. “The country of Georgia, next to Armenia.”

Ian slumped into Rowe’s empty chair, the possible lead fizzling before their eyes. It felt like they were wading through quicksand—not getting anywhere and sinking lower and lower with each passing second as Jagger got closer to finding them.

“Okay, guys,” Rowe said through clenched teeth. He rubbed his eyes for a second, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Keep digging. Try to see if there are any other colors and phrases that we don’t know about. Try to research this akeldama some more. I also want you to look in on the cops, see if they’re following any leads on kids possibly held by Jagger. We’ll keep brainstorming here and contact you if we have any fresh ideas.”

“Got it, boss,” Quinn quickly said.

“Hey, Rowe,” Gidget said before Rowe could end the call. “Could…could you maybe do us a favor?”

Rowe’s brow furrowed and he looked over at Noah, who shrugged. “What’s up?”

“Could you talk to Andrei? Or maybe talk to Lucas Vallois?”

Rowe shook his head and Noah quickly clapped his hand over his mouth as if he was holding in a laugh. Ian gave the man a shove but was biting his own lip against a snigger. They all knew what Andrei’s problem was—Lucas.

“What happened?” Rowe said with a roll of his eyes.

“He’s been kind of touchy,” Gidget hedged.

“Touchy? He’s a fucking bear!” Quinn shouted. “He’s snarling at everyone. He lost his temper with Sven and tore into the man. I thought he was going to cry.”

“Sven was not going to cry.”

“He totally looked like he was gonna cry.”

“He did not—”

“Why did he tear into Sven? Did he deserve it?” Noah interrupted before they could continue with their bickering.

“Sort of. I think he didn’t lock down the top floor where Lucas’s office is downtown and was allowing him to hold meetings with people besides his assistant and lawyer. Andrei totally lost it when he found out.”

Noah gave a little shrug as he lounged back in his chair. “Sven didn’t follow procedure.”

“True, but Andrei doesn’t lose his temper. Ever.” Rowe popped the cap back onto the marker and stared at the table for a second. Ian could easily imagine what was going on in Rowe’s mind. Andrei was an easygoing guy, quick to laugh and smile. Only Lucas could upset his world so completely and apparently, they hadn’t made up yet. Ian didn’t want to think of them not working it out. Lucas was so much happier with Andrei, and the Romanian bodyguard fit so perfectly into their family. He might have been around for only a year, but Ian couldn’t imagine Andrei not being there.

“I’ll talk to Andrei or Lucas. One of them. Get this shit straightened out,” Rowe muttered. “Just stay out of his direct path for a little while.” Rowe hung up the phone and rubbed his hand through his short red hair, leaving it standing in different directions as he muttered about being a goddamn chaperone.

“Lovers’ spat?” Hollis mocked.

“Don’t!” Rowe snapped.

“Lucas…got some information recently that he’s struggling to deal with,” Ian slowly explained. “And Andrei…” His words drifted off. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to betray Lucas’s trust, but he didn’t want Hollis to think that Lucas and Andrei had split over some petty little thing like who took out the trash last. Feeling guilty over the death of a loved one wasn’t a little thing.

Hollis covered both of Ian’s hands where they were knotted together in front of him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, drawing his eyes back to Hollis’s face. The warmth in his expression eased the tension in his hands and the knot of worry in his chest.

Noah clapped his hands together, breaking the heavy silence and causing Ian to jump. “Okay…so not phases in an operation.” One of the dogs crossed the kitchen, its claws clicking against the floor. It sat down next to Noah and put its massive head in his lap. Noah absently rubbed the Rottweiler behind the ear as he stared at the wall. “What if the colors are people? You know, like people who handle certain parts of the operation. That person doesn’t have to be specialized and can move through different phases and handle different tasks.”