Chapter Seventeen
R eaching the next street over from Justice’s house, Fisher caught an Uber and had it drop him near Rogue’s place in downtown Ventura.
He walked slowly for a few blocks. He had shit he needed to take care of and going on a month-long bender hadn’t helped him keep his promise.
The next order of business was to pay Mikey and Ryan a visit. He shot a text to Rogue.
Fisher: “Where are you?”
Rogue: “On a job, why?”
Fisher: “I need wheels.”
Rogue: “I have a loaner. My car is at headquarters.”
Fisher: “Okay, I’ll figure something out.”
Damn it, just his luck.
Next on his list to try was Savage. He probably wouldn’t get help there, but it was worth a try.
Fisher: “Can I get a loaner car?”
Savage: “Yes.”
Fisher blinked at the one-word response.
No additional questions? No asking where the fuck he’d been?
What was that about?
He didn’t question it, though, and called for another ride that dropped him off a mile from Erebus. From there, he worked his way through the blocks with a back-and-forth pattern until he reached the back of the building next to the Erebus parking lot.
The headache was instant and he leaned on the side of the neighboring warehouse.
His vision swam and blue eyes swept up in a young face, thin arms hugging him tightly in a crowded bar.
Then the blood.
Fuck. He sank to his knees on the asphalt, gravel cut into his knees, but he didn’t feel the pain.
Mouse was dead.
Blue had killed Mouse and the night it all happened came back to him.
Running, then hunting, exchanging fire in the parking lot but needing to disappear before the cops came.
He’d gone to Justice that night after being gone for a few days. He’d needed someone he could trust.
They’d spent the night together, but the next morning he’d…
Wait…he’d passed out that morning, which he never did.
Damn it…the memory receded.
Rubbing his hands down his face, his eyes burned. A young teenage boy was dead. A boy he’d tried to help.
Blue was dead as soon as he located the fucker.
What he needed to do now was find Beck. The teenager was going to be devastated when he found out Mouse was gone. Beck would probably not want to live, but Fisher was going to be there and hang on to the boy until he could go on without Mouse.
He shoved to his feet and headed around the building and across the Erebus building’s parking lot.
The guard on duty stepped aside when he approached and Fisher pressed his thumb to the keypad on the wall. The door sprung open and he stepped into the cool interior. The guard closed the door after he entered and Fisher took the stairs leading to the upper floor and Savage’s office.
“No, this one is better,” someone said just as Fisher stepped into the open doorway.
Savage sat behind the desk with an exasperated look on his face. A slender and rather beautiful blond man was hanging over Savage’s shoulder looking at the man’s phone.
When Fisher rapped his knuckles on the open door, the blond glanced up with a pair of gorgeous blue eyes in a very cute face. The man instantly smiled wide. It was such a contrast to the big brooding Erebus leader that it made Fisher smirk.
“Hello, you must be Fisher. I don’t think we’ve officially met yet, but I’m Thane. This here is Savage.” The blond gave Savage a pat on the shoulder.
“He knows who I am.” Savage squinted up at Thane, who laughed.
“Okay, I’ll get out of your hair.” Thane’s movements were as quick as his manner of speaking and Fisher guessed that the guy was probably a handful.
“Byeee, Fish,” Thane said with a pat on his arm and disappeared out the door, leaving Fisher dumbfounded. Most people didn’t talk to him because he didn’t give off an approachable vibe and people never touched him because they feared death.
Thane hadn’t been intimidated at all and Fisher found himself admiring the openness and of how approachable Thane had been. The exact opposite of Savage.
He shot his boss a quick glance. He didn’t know his boss at all.
All he did know was that Savage had replaced Solomon and he would answer to Savage if he decided to stay with Erebus.
The jury was out on that because he wasn’t sure if he could stay after everything that had happened.
“Have a seat, Fisher.”
“I just need a car.” He stayed where he was. He knew his gaze was distrusting, but he didn’t give a shit.
There weren’t many he could trust in this world.
“Please,” Savage said, keeping his voice even and calm. He wanted Fisher to trust him. Of course, that wouldn’t happen right away, but it would over time if he could just start with the little things. Through the fall of incredibly long black hair, Fisher’s blue eyes were full of wariness. “Just for a moment,” Savage encouraged.
With slow, hesitant steps, Fisher approached one of the three thick leather chairs and sat down facing him.
“I’m not going to ask what you need the car for, but I’m going to trust that it won’t come back on us,” Savage said, picking up an iPad and scrolling through it before flipping it toward him and gently laying it on the desk.
“It won’t.” Fisher reached out and lifted the iPad. Seeing it was a contract to check out a vehicle, he had no problem signing his name with his finger. He placed the pad back down and gazed at Savage.
“That’s good. We have to protect the order,” Savage said.
His boss didn’t smile and Fisher figured the other guy, Thane, was so full of laughter that it had probably deflated Savage’s smile. He didn’t know for sure what was between the two men, but the pair had reeked of closeness.
“I heard you had a run-in with Justice.”
A muscle ticked in Fisher’s jaw and that blue gaze turned from untrusting to pissed off. Echo had probably told their boss.
“I know,” Savage held up his hand, “it’s not my business.”
“That’s right.”
“He cares about you,” Savage said softly. The wall snapped up so high that Savage feared it would never come down if he continued pressing. So, he switched to something else. “Would you like a job while you’re here?”
“Can I have another week?” Fisher’s eyes flicked to the man’s face and he only saw calm authority. He needed to get some shit done before he could take on work. Mouse’s bloodied body flashed up. “I have something I need to do.”
“Of course. You know where I am.”
Fisher got up and walked out.
Why was Blue in play? What the fuck had his end game been to kill Mouse?
And who the fuck wanted him home?
Was that another part of his lost memories? He didn’t think so, but he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure.
Fucking hell.
Savage watched the assassin’s slender form disappear out his door and he released the sigh he’d been holding. He hadn’t been let in on what exactly Solomon had done to the boys he’d captured, but he could take a fucking guess.
He still didn’t know where Blue factored in on all this. He figured the answers lie with Fisher and Rogue because Echo had thought Blue was dead and didn’t know what was going on.
However, getting answers from Fisher and Rogue was like trying to capture the wind.
This was all kinds of fucked up. He rubbed at his face.
“All good?” Thane poked his head back in the door.
“Yeah.” Savage scowled. “Go to work.”
Thane poked out his bottom lip, but Savage steeled himself. After a moment, Thane snapped a half-assed salute in his direction and sauntered off.
“Smart ass,” Savage muttered.
“I heard that,” Thane’s voice drifted back.
Savage rubbed at the bridge of his nose. This job just might be the death of him. Wrangling a bunch of assassins wasn’t anything to sneeze at.
He really did not love this job. At least, not yet. But taking on this task had been a favor for Dave.
It was the least he could do since the former SecDef had saved his ass several times in the past.