Chapter Five
Bones
Sunny’s fearful face is burned into my mind as I rush through the employee stockroom. I’ve only met the woman a few times but never has she been anything but smiling.
My hands are itching to get ahold of the bastard who took that away from her.
It doesn’t take me long to locate the body slumped against the wall with blood pooling beneath him. Small hole in his forehead. Neat. Clean. Silencer.
Kid couldn’t be more than nineteen. Maybe twenty. Yellow shirt with a red vest. One of Marv’s stockers. Eyes still open, frozen in shock.
Shit. It’s Josh. The one we know was dealing Fentanyl. Damnit, I wanted to question him.
I crouch down, checking for a pulse I know ain’t there. Body’s still warm. Killer couldn’t be more than two minutes gone. Probably slipped out the employee entrance.
This wasn’t random. This was a hit.
I pull my phone and hit Spike .
“Yeah,” he answers.
“We’ve got a body at Marv’s. It’s Josh. He was shot with a silencer.”
“ Fuck . Anyone see it? Where’s Riley and Abby?”
“They’re fine. Out waiting with Tank. Sunny witnessed it, though.”
Pause. Then, “You good?”
“I’m fine. She’s not. Call the cleanup crew and tell them to move fast. Store’s busy. It’s best if the police don’t get wind of it. Have the crew meet me in the back where they store their supplies.”
“Copy that. You want us to move her?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Got it.”
I hang up and rise, taking one last look at the body. Poor bastard got in over his head.
I head back, slow and alert, mind spinning.
We’re getting close to figuring this shit out and now dealers are being killed?
And if Sunny’s now a loose end?
They better pray they die before I get my hands on them.
I turn right and head for Marv’s office. I need to let him know what’s going on.
***Sunny***
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Riley asks me an hour later. “I know it’s a lot asking you to keep this quiet.”
Ignoring the spark of fear tearing through my body, I smile and nod. “I’m sure,” I say, though my voice is thinner than I want it to be. “I’ll be fine. I’m guessing there’s a good reason you don’t want to call the police. I trust you.”
Riley doesn’t look convinced. Her eyes flick to Tank, who’s standing off to the side with his arms crossed and a look of danger on his face. It’s oddly comforting.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he offers, already moving before I can protest. “Don’t argue, darlin’. You look like you’re one wrong word away from a full-blown panic attack.”
He’s not wrong.
My stomach twists, and I have to press a hand to it like I can will the nausea away.
“Bones said you should head straight home,” Tank continues as we walk. “No stops. Lock the doors. Curtains drawn. We’ll follow you home and stay until you’re safe inside.”
“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay with you?” Abby asks. “Or you can come and stay with us at the compound. I’m sure my brother wouldn’t mind and we have plenty of room.”
“I’m honestly okay,” I respond. “But, I have all of your numbers. So, if it turns out that I’m not, I promise to call.”
“We will be calling you,” Riley says.
I nod, trying to keep my breathing even. “Is this… normal?” I ask, my voice small. “Does stuff like this happen often?”
Tank snorts, but it’s not exactly amused. “In our world? Yeah. In yours?” He shakes his head. “No. And we aim to keep it that way.”
He opens my car door and waits as I slide in. For a guy who looks like he could bend steel with his bare hands, he’s surprisingly gentle.
“You call me or Bones if you feel off,” he says. “Anything weird. Car backfires. Light flickers. Stray cat looks at you funny. Got it?”
That earns the smallest laugh from me, which I think was his goal. I nod again. “Got it.”
Tank leans in just a bit closer. “And Sunny?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you’re scared. That’s normal. But you’re not alone, okay? You’re under our protection now. And Bones?” He huffs out a breath. “He don’t take that lightly.”
“Then where is he?” I whisper so softly that I’m not even sure the words were actually said.
“Closer than you think,” Tank whispers back before closing the door.
I’m not sure what to say to that, so I just grip the steering wheel tighter and give a shaky smile.
Then I drive home, trying not to look in the rearview mirror too much, praying that this is the end of it.
But something deep in my gut says this is only the beginning.
***Bones***
I sit across the street, lights off, engine cooled. There’s no movement on the block. Just the flicker of an old streetlamp struggling to stay alive and the occasional bark from some yappy dog two houses down. I can see her window from here. The curtain twitches once, then stills.
Tank made sure she made it home while I sped here to make sure her home was safe before they arrived.
She’s locked inside now but that doesn’t mean she’s safe.
I scan the shadows for anything that feels off. Been doing this long enough to know that danger doesn’t always roar in. It slinks in quietly, slips through cracks, hides in plain sight.
And tonight? Everything feels just a little too quiet.
I grab my cell and hit Spike’s number.
He answers on the first ring. “Tell me you got good news.”
“No,” I grunt. “Tell me you’re not planning on stepping one foot outta that compound without someone watching your six.”
There’s a pause. “I wasn’t. Why?”
“Because whoever took out that kid wasn’t new to the game. Suppressor. Quick shot. Clean getaway. That ain’t local street trash, Spike. That’s hired muscle. Maybe even cartel.”
“Shit,” he mutters. “You think someone’s making moves on our turf?”
“I think this thing’s bigger than a bad deal gone sideways.
If Billy is involved, then he’s not doing it on his own.
Too stupid. Like killing someone in a fucking supermarket where anyone could be a witness.
” I glance back up at Sunny’s window. The light’s on.
Her silhouette moves across the curtain.
“She safe?”
“She’s alive,” I say, which is the best I can give right now. “I’m parked across the street from the duplex apartment. Ain’t going anywhere ‘til daylight.”
Another beat of silence. Then, “Don’t let her out of your sight. If someone’s cleaning house and they suspect a witness, she’s next.”
“She’s not gonna be anyone’s damn target,” I growl. “I’ll put ‘em in the ground first.”
“Do you think she’ll keep quiet?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I answer truthfully. “Riley and Abby trust that she will, too.”
“Alright. Keep me updated,” Spike says before hanging up.
A gust of wind blows past, rustling the trees like whispers in the dark.
I don’t move.
If the killer is after Sunny…let the bastard come.
They’ll find out real quick that you don’t mess with what belongs to me.