only put Adam in a position to get gunned down, but that he would steal his body from the morgue was almost too much to think through. Jon's stomach turned, and he forced himself away from thinking about it too much more.
He wasn't close to Clay. If the kid was the rat, then he would find proof, turn it over to Mike and move out of the way. He didn't owe the guy anything.
*
Thirty minutes later, Jon let out a sigh of relief and parked the car behind a large group of trees past the rundown plantation house Clay had parked at.
After checking his gun and texting Mike to let him know what he was up to, he turned on his tracker so that Karen would know where he was at all times. He tucked the phone in his back pocket and jogged through the heavy underbrush. The early afternoon sun was working hard to warm the world around it, but a chill sat in the air that wasn't going to easily be destroyed.
Jon rounded an old warehouse and took his chances to jog from tree to tree until he was just beside the house. The front door opened as Clay let out a yelp.
"Stop being so damn rough. I'm not like you guys, Reni. Shit."
Jon stiffened. The idea of barreling out and taking out Billy's right-hand man was appealing. Reni and Jon went a long way back, Benton having brought them both up to be his second in command. Jon was just a little stronger, a lot smoother, and far more deadly. Jon pulled out his phone and lifted it, taping the interaction before him as best he could.
"Gotcha," he whispered, not quite sure he felt good about having nabbed the rat on the force seeing that it was once again his partner.
"Shut up, kid. You're lucky Billy ain't here. He's sick of your shit. You're supposed to be working on getting the captain to believe Kate's involved in these murders. Do your fucking job or I'm going to show up in your bedroom one night and slit your goddamn throat. Got it?"
"I'm telling mom that you keep threatening to kill me. Asshole." Clay's tone didn't even hint at fear, which was odd. He had to be related somehow.
"Tell her. She ain't gonna do nothing. She's as scared as you are of me." Reni laughed, which turned into a long, nasty coughing session.
"Yeah, well fuck you, too." Clay glanced around as Jon ducked back behind the tree in front of him. "I'll do my part, just keep the cop off my ass."
"His days are limited, Clay. Do your job and stop being a pussy." Reni turned and walked back to the house as Clay jogged to his truck just beside the road.
Jon waited until the coast was clear to run back through the trees to Karen's car. He got inside and called Mike as he pulled back out on the main road. Something inside of him wanted to wait in the shadows for Billy, to just pull the trigger and be done with it, but he wasn't a murderer.
At least not anymore.
Chapter 15
Marcus
"What do you think?" Zak glanced over at Marcus as they rode back to the hotel.
"I'm not sure, honestly." He rolled his shoulders, hating how quickly his heart was closing back up. He never should have let Kate see him break down. He never should have stayed the night. There was no way to leave without crushing her. Or maybe he was overthinking it. He'd told her several times that he loved her, but she'd yet to say it to him in a way that left him believing her.
"What's on your mind, man?" Zak patted Marcus's chest. "You look like a man with far too much weighing him down."
"It's Kate." Marcus rolled down the window and leaned back, closing his eyes. "I can't imagine my life without her, but I don't want this new thing that's happening with us either. I want things to get back to the way they were. We were silent about our feelings and just took care of each other. She had her place, and I had mine. Now... fuck. I don't know."
"What's different now? The cop?"
"Yeah, and the fact that she's seeing something in him that makes her want a relationship, a family, all the shit that I couldn't even fathom trying to live up to." He let
He wasn't close to Clay. If the kid was the rat, then he would find proof, turn it over to Mike and move out of the way. He didn't owe the guy anything.
*
Thirty minutes later, Jon let out a sigh of relief and parked the car behind a large group of trees past the rundown plantation house Clay had parked at.
After checking his gun and texting Mike to let him know what he was up to, he turned on his tracker so that Karen would know where he was at all times. He tucked the phone in his back pocket and jogged through the heavy underbrush. The early afternoon sun was working hard to warm the world around it, but a chill sat in the air that wasn't going to easily be destroyed.
Jon rounded an old warehouse and took his chances to jog from tree to tree until he was just beside the house. The front door opened as Clay let out a yelp.
"Stop being so damn rough. I'm not like you guys, Reni. Shit."
Jon stiffened. The idea of barreling out and taking out Billy's right-hand man was appealing. Reni and Jon went a long way back, Benton having brought them both up to be his second in command. Jon was just a little stronger, a lot smoother, and far more deadly. Jon pulled out his phone and lifted it, taping the interaction before him as best he could.
"Gotcha," he whispered, not quite sure he felt good about having nabbed the rat on the force seeing that it was once again his partner.
"Shut up, kid. You're lucky Billy ain't here. He's sick of your shit. You're supposed to be working on getting the captain to believe Kate's involved in these murders. Do your fucking job or I'm going to show up in your bedroom one night and slit your goddamn throat. Got it?"
"I'm telling mom that you keep threatening to kill me. Asshole." Clay's tone didn't even hint at fear, which was odd. He had to be related somehow.
"Tell her. She ain't gonna do nothing. She's as scared as you are of me." Reni laughed, which turned into a long, nasty coughing session.
"Yeah, well fuck you, too." Clay glanced around as Jon ducked back behind the tree in front of him. "I'll do my part, just keep the cop off my ass."
"His days are limited, Clay. Do your job and stop being a pussy." Reni turned and walked back to the house as Clay jogged to his truck just beside the road.
Jon waited until the coast was clear to run back through the trees to Karen's car. He got inside and called Mike as he pulled back out on the main road. Something inside of him wanted to wait in the shadows for Billy, to just pull the trigger and be done with it, but he wasn't a murderer.
At least not anymore.
Chapter 15
Marcus
"What do you think?" Zak glanced over at Marcus as they rode back to the hotel.
"I'm not sure, honestly." He rolled his shoulders, hating how quickly his heart was closing back up. He never should have let Kate see him break down. He never should have stayed the night. There was no way to leave without crushing her. Or maybe he was overthinking it. He'd told her several times that he loved her, but she'd yet to say it to him in a way that left him believing her.
"What's on your mind, man?" Zak patted Marcus's chest. "You look like a man with far too much weighing him down."
"It's Kate." Marcus rolled down the window and leaned back, closing his eyes. "I can't imagine my life without her, but I don't want this new thing that's happening with us either. I want things to get back to the way they were. We were silent about our feelings and just took care of each other. She had her place, and I had mine. Now... fuck. I don't know."
"What's different now? The cop?"
"Yeah, and the fact that she's seeing something in him that makes her want a relationship, a family, all the shit that I couldn't even fathom trying to live up to." He let
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