“He’ll die if he doesn’t get the drug.” He was talking about Connor. “Hand him over and he’ll live.”
“Not my call.”
His brows rose. “Suddenly, you aren’t calling the shots? Interesting. And a step down for you.”
I grinned. “I call it a vacation.”
He laughed and it sounded like the low roar of a motorboat starting up. “I always liked you, Kai. Thought your mother gave you too much rein, especially with the situation concerning the girl.”
“You’re under the assumption I have reins, Dorsey.” I lowered my voice. “I don’t.”
The waitress slid my omelet and hash browns in front of me. “Can I get you anything else?”
“No. That’s good, thanks.”
“Sir, anything for you?” she asked Dorsey.
“No,” he replied and the waitress moved off. “You were asked to bring her in. You hid her away in a house no one knew about.” He paused when I didn’t say anything because there was nothing to say. I did exactly that. Mother found out and shared the info with Dorsey. “And then you burnt it down.”
I dug into my omelet with my fork, the cheese, tomato and olive leaking out the sides. “You care what I did to my house?”
“I found it ironic, actually,” Dorsey said. “Seems fire follows the girl around.”
I’d been trained for shit like this. How to keep my cool when I wanted to punch my fist through his chest and rip out his heart. He knew about the fire at London’s house at university when I dragged her out, half-conscious. He fuckin’ knew and I was betting I knew why…. He was responsible.
I shrugged and took another bite. “We done talking about bullshit? I’d like to enjoy my meal without you.”
Dorsey shook his head. “The farm wasn’t my idea. It was your mother’s originally.”
I knew that. Dorsey wouldn’t like paying money out to feed kids and farm handlers for years before seeing any results. No, it would be someone much more patient who saw the long-term rewards.
He continued, “He thinks he runs this organization ever since he took over the farm. Your mother started it in Afghanistan, but when that kid escaped,” Tristan, “he took it over. Gave him more control and he uses the kids for his own purpose.” He tilted closer, lowering his voice, not sure why when no one else was around. The waitress was busy chatting up his bodyguard who wasn’t paying attention to anything she said. “The drug is the new direction. Less time wasted and more control.”
By the look of Connor right now, control was the wrong word. I reached in my front jeans pocket and slid the USB across the table toward him. “Do whatever you want with it. I don’t give a fuck, but I want the farm and who runs it.”
He nodded to his bodyguard who came over, picked up the flash drive then went back to the counter and plugged it into a small laptop he had on the counter. Dorsey gestured to the car and one of the guys opened the back door and Ernie staggered out. Another guy followed him and he didn’t look too willing. Well, he was, but he was a quivering mess of a five-foot nothing skeleton.
My eyes went back to Ernie. Christ. He was beaten to a fuckin’ pulp and had a bandage on his right hand. I barely glanced at him though and took another bite of my omelet.
“Location of the farm?” I kept my eyes on the guards, on their hands and on Dorsey’s movements. If he were going to do anything, it would be now.
The bell dinged and the quivering mess guy came in and stood beside the bodyguard and looked at the laptop. Dorsey’s eyes were on him. It would’ve been a sweet-ass time to reach under the table and slice across his femoral artery, but murder in a public joint caused problems. Dorsey knew that, too.
He turned back to me. “I could walk away right now.”
I laughed. “You could. But you wouldn’t make it to the car.”
His eyes shifted around the diner, but he’d never see him. Deck was good at what he did, almost as good as me. Josh was the better sniper, but I didn’t know him enough to use him as back up. Deck I’d had my eyes on for years.
“Killing me would end your chances of finding the farm.”
I stabbed a few hash browns and put them in my mouth, taking my time answering. “Maybe. But I was always fond of killing assholes. And you’re at the top of the list.”
He stiffened, the grip on his mug tightening and his brows twitching. “You’ll never find it and one word from me, he’ll come after the piece-of-ass scientist you’re so fond of.”
I pushed my plate aside, leaned forward and lowered my voice. “Mention my girl again and my knife is cutting off your dick.” He flinched, but the asshole had the nerve to sneer. “Then… I’ll shove it down your throat until you choke on it.”