He looked slightly annoyed as he looked me over, but I decided just to ignore him. I suspected that he knew about Mila and me without really knowing; he was just too scared to ask the question.
“Where’s Mila?” Devon asked, almost as though he had heard her name in my head.
“I don’t know,” I said, answering a little too quickly. “I don’t keep track of where she goes as long as she’s in the house.”
“She seemed a little down this morning,” Devon said, as though he expected me to answer.
I avoided his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. “He’s bound to show up somewhere. He can’t stay underground for long.”
“We need to figure out a way to flush the fucker out,” Devon said. “This waiting game is not helping anyone.”
“How do you propose we flush him out?” I demanded. “Short of standing in the streets and yelling out his name.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m seriously asking; what do you suggest?” I asked challengingly. “Because if he’s being protected by Godwin, then we have to be smart about this. The Knights already know we’re searching for someone called Walter Black. Going after him means confronting the Knights head on.”
“Which you want to avoid?” Devon asked, with one raised eyebrow.
“Obviously,” I said.
Bones looked between us like he was trying to figure out what was going on. The tension was building slowly, and it was starting to become palpable.
“Really… because I thought the only reason you agreed to take Mila in, in the first place, was because you wanted to get revenge on the Knights.”
“I wanted to get revenge on Godwin,” I clarified, refusing to back down. “There’s a difference.”
“Small difference.”
“There are other ways to get your revenge,” I pointed out. “Apart from open war.”
“Is there?” Devon asked. “Like what?”
“Hitting a powerful member of the group.”
“You’re assuming Walter Black is powerful…”
“I know that the persona that he’s been cultivating is meant to represent power,” I said. “Maybe he himself is only a pawn, but you hit him, you send a message to the entire group.”
“What makes you think that Godwin won’t retaliate?”
“Oh, he definitely will… if he cares enough about his men and his reputation,” I said. “But he won’t retaliate with open battle.”
“How
can you be sure?” Devon asked.
“Because I know the man,” I said. “I heard my father talk about him for years and years. Godwin doesn’t like taking heavy losses. He only engages in a fight when he knows he can win. The turf war was a shock to him. He was sure he would be the victor, and when he lost his son, his business, and half his men, it soured him. He’ll be more calculating this time. He’ll work in the shadows to achieve what he wants rather than risk another loss. Which is why he sent in this Walter Black in the first place. Why do you think I haven’t acted before now? It’s because that is exactly what Godwin wants me to do. I’ll be damned if I play into his hands.”
“Of course not because this whole fucking this is just about your ego and his, right?” Devon asked, and his tone was harsh and angry.
I knew the anger was misplaced, but I decided to be the bigger man for Mila’s sake. “I’m not going to deny that I have ulterior motives here,” I said. “But that’s not my only concern.”
“Oh no?” Devon asked. “And what is your other concern?”
I pursed my lips together and stayed silent. Devon was really starting to piss me off now, and I knew the only way I was going to prevent myself from knocking his lights out was to try and remain separate from the fight he was obviously angling for.
“You want to know what I think?” Devon asked when I didn’t say anything.