Chapter 30 Mack
"A body? A student?" Hux asks, pacing the kitchen with a beer in his hand.
Quickly, he sips it before slamming it on the countertop, nearly cracking it in half.
How it hasn't shattered, I don't fucking know.
"Fuck! It's already all over the damn SlamApp!
" He thrusts his fist into the fridge, grunting when it rocks hard several times.
His back heaves until he turns around, looking calmer than he was ten seconds ago.
I frown, staring at my hands. The moment I came inside, I washed the blood from them and watched it go down the drain, staining it red.
"How?" I groan, throwing my head back. "I was the only one there. How could anyone know?" I narrow my eyes when Hux's shoulders heave, and he turns back to me.
"Obviously, you weren't alone. Or they posted a picture of the crime scene after they dumped his body." He shakes his head. "Who does that?"
Not us, I can tell you that. We've seen a lot of bodies. Some alive. Mostly dead. Blood. Guts. Chopping arms off? Yup. We've seen it. Not that we wanted to. But in the gang life, that's what it all comes to when you cross the boss. Death. Destruction.
I blow out a breath and force my mind back to the present. I can't allow the images of my past to haunt me any more than they already do. Time to bring my A-game and stuff it all down again. That's what I'm good at, anyway.
"He said his name was Dane, but you should have seen it... It was like the Miles kid all the fucking over again." Miles. That kid from last year who showed up with nothing left in his body on the steps of the administrative building, bleeding out and barely alive. I didn’t know the kid, but I know he went to Greenwood. He was a scholarship student, living in the dorms. But that’s as far as we got on researching him.
The cops locked that case up tight, and we haven’t heard a damn thing since, assuming it was handled.
Clearly, we were wrong.
Dane may still have a brain and heart, but the rest of him? Fuck. He was torn up like a butcher took his insides, and then dumped him in the woods to die a slow and miserable death. How the fuck did his body sustain him for that long? Probably some sort of drug.
Poor dude. What a miserable ass way to die.
"And you still haven't heard from Meredith?
" JJ asks abruptly, looking up from his computer screen again.
When we arrived, he immediately dove into work mode, accessing the camera systems around town, trying to catch anyone who looked suspicious.
So far, he hasn't found a damn thing. Now, that's suspicious in my fucking book.
You can't just conveniently bypass every single camera in the damn city.
"No," Hux says, shaking his head. "And the problem is only getting worse. It makes me think..." He shakes his head, turning slightly pale. "What if she got caught up in it? What if she's next? He's going to fucking murder me when he finds out." Yes. He definitely will.
I swallow hard at the implications. We hadn't started an alliance with her for very long.
She came to us with the information instead of going to the people closest to her.
Not that she didn't trust them. But with what she was accusing, she needed people who would take her seriously and not dismiss her claims. She knew they were in too deep with the assholes on her radar and wanted to prove something.
But proving that something has resulted in her going missing.
"I haven't been able to find anything on the surveillance videos.
Except for your brief meeting with her outside the bar.
" JJ doesn't bother to look up from his computer this time; he continues tapping and clicking away.
Doing God knows what. Whatever it is, I know he's trying to figure out why all this shit is happening and attempting to pinpoint the culprit.
"Yeah?" Hux sighs, plopping onto the bar stool beside me. "After that, she went home. And then... Poof." His fingers run wildly through his hair in frustration. A buzzing comes from his phone, and he frowns. "Franco is on his way."
"Wonderful," I grunt, standing and grabbing a beer from the fridge. If I'm going to face him, I need more liquid of the alcohol variety running through my veins.
"You can't be so sure she actually made it home," JJ says offhandedly. "All surveillance footage around her apartment was looped."
"So, you're saying?" Hux waves a hand.
"We don't speak geek," I quip, leaning on the island with a sigh.
"Meaning, whoever took her knew where to grab her and how. Either in her apartment, where her keys and purse remained. Or, they staged everything and took her."
"The question still stands. Where the fuck is she now?" Hux growls through gritted teeth, heaving a breath. "She was onto something." Yeah, she was.
"Let's discuss it later. It seems our guest has arrived," JJ mumbles, closing his laptop as the front door opens and shuts.
"Boys," Franco says, waltzing into his former home with a soft smile.
Good. That means he's not pissed off at us.
If there's one thing I know about that man, it is that he wears his emotions on his sleeve.
Something he should learn to control, but never has.
In this business, it's imperative to keep your cool and not let the other fucker know what you're about to do.
That's what he's taught us all these years, anyway.
Franco saunters into the kitchen, continuing to smile at each of us.
There's an easiness about him. Something that disarms people.
Well, until they get to know the real him.
His dark suit clings to his toned body. Letting me know he came straight from the casino he owns.
For a sixty-year-old dude, he's not doing too bad for himself.
He's still pulling in the ladies left and right.
But discarding them even quicker. He's a playboy.
"Franco," Hux greets, standing from the stool. "What's the word?"
Franco rubs the dark stubble of his chin, looking pensive.
"You're in the clear," he says, peering around the room.
"I assured them my boys wouldn't have anything to do with that." And just like that, the cops wrote us off like I knew they would after seeing Franco. If I had stayed, they’d have put me in cuffs until Franco got there. The cops aren’t in our pockets. Only Franco’s.
"And what is that, exactly?" I ask, sipping my beer.
Franco's eyes snap to mine. Usually, I'd feel a slight fear creeping down my spine at the sight of him. But not tonight. Not after seeing that fucker with stitches on his body and dying right before my eyes. Nothing can scare me now.
Well, that's a lie.
There’s a lot in this world that terrifies me. Like losing the family I have. JJ and Hux. They’re my true brothers. Not fucking Wilder. Or Franco. Or anyone else.
"Seems we have someone in our territory stirring up trouble," he says smoothly, running his fingers across his chin. "And have been for some time."
Hux licks his lips. "Like stealing internal organs trouble? Because this isn't the first incident at school."
Franco nods. "It seems to be that way. Although pinpointing who it is will be difficult. But seeing how they're picking off students, you boys should keep an eye out and tabs on your peers and administrators. You never know what wolf is hiding with the sheep."
Something in the back of my mind wonders if it's him.
Could he be responsible for this? It's a possibility.
If someone is stealing internal organs and what.
.. selling them on the black market for a profit?
Then Franco would be all over that. He'd love to tell you he has a moral compass and he doesn't get into the flesh trade—AKA—human trafficking, but that would be a lie.
Franco will do anything to earn a quick buck and expand his empire.
So, is this out of his league?
"Will do," I say, tipping my beer in his direction like I didn't just fully accuse him of the crime in my mind.
I have to have proof. And with how relaxed and off-putting he's being right now, he's my number one suspect.
I mean, he employs escorts in his casino/hotel for the purpose of entertainment.
They're willing, of course. He wouldn't force them to do it. But what if they say no?
My trust in Nathanial Franco is nearly at zero.
It wasn’t always like that. Franco was the man who rescued me from the Hell I was in.
He tried to save my brother, but Wilder turned his nose up at that.
Idiot. Or maybe not. Maybe he was on to something, but I’d never tell that asshole that.
Not when he’s constantly scowling and sneering in my direction.
Fuck my brother. Fuck Franco.
Over the years, Franco has been spiraling higher and higher, becoming way too powerful for his own good.
Like a king with too much wealth and power over his subjects, expecting everyone to bend at the knee.
The only thing I can count on with him is the paycheck he gives me and the funding for school. That’s all I want from him.
The day we can disappear as planned can’t come soon enough.
"Anything specific we should keep an eye out for?" JJ asks stoically, folding his hands on the island.
Franco slowly moves until he's standing in front of us all. "Anyone sneaking around at night?"
I snort. "Everyone sneaks out of the dorms. Fight night. Parties. You name it, they're doing it."
Franco nods a few times. "So, no one is abiding by the curfews meant to protect them."
"No," Hux answers before I can. "But most of them didn't see the carnage last year.
Or throughout the summer." Two more bodies showed up during our summer break.
Of course, we're here at all times. We have our eyes on the city.
But we were busy with jobs and all that good shit to keep our eyes peeled for an ax-murderer running the streets.
"Any insights on the cameras?" He turns to JJ, cocking his head.
"Nothing," JJ retorts with a frown. "It's odd. It's like the entire security system at every store throughout the city was down at the same time."
"Very strange, indeed. It seems someone within the shadows is playing a very dangerous game with my citizens and the students of this university that I’ve heavily invested in.”
"It appears that way," JJ says in a formal manner, matching Franco's light tone.
"I expect answers, boys. We can't have this shit hanging out in our territory. We need to eliminate the threat before..." He lifts his chin.
"Before he becomes too big," Hux finishes his sentence with a stoic nod filled with understanding.
"Exactly. Now, enjoy your night. I have gamblers to watch over.
And remember, tomorrow we're going to East Point, up north to engage in conversation with the Blue Spiders to form an alliance and all that fun stuff. It seems the Briar Cove chapter has already locked in with the fucking Viotto’s.
" He practically spits the Viotto name, sending a spear through my heart.
I wish I could go a day without hearing it and thinking about her.
It hurts way too damn much.
I blink several times. "Conversation? Are we hauling?"
Franco grins, turning to gaze at me. "It wouldn't be a conversation without a little tit for tat, now would it? You three are responsible for packing the goods."
"Of course, Sir," JJ retorts quickly.
"Then, see you at nine A.M." He stares each of us down before leaving the mansion.
I slump my shoulders and chug the rest of my beer.
"What exactly are we hauling to meet these new fuckers?
And in East Point? Isn't that like five hours away?
" I groan. I hate car rides. But I know JJ does, too, especially.
Especially after what happened when he was a kid.
He practically freezes inside the vehicle until he takes his meds and calms down.
"You good?" Hux asks each of us with a pointed brow.
"No. I'm not fucking good. I need to beat the shit out of a punching bag before I can even think about sleeping," I grumble, downing the rest of my beer and throwing the bottle in the recycling. "You coming?"
Huxley shifts when his phone vibrates again. He peers down at it, but gives nothing away.
"Who is it?" I quip, crossing my arms.
Huxley's eyelids droop slightly, and he sighs.
"Amanda. She's fucking exhausting. Huxley come over.
Huxley fuck me." He scowls, clicking his screen a few times, and puts his phone into his pocket.
"The sooner I get out of that, the better off we'll be.
She wants to move fucking in before the damn wedding date. "
"Uh, fuck no. There are three of us and one of her. No way." I cross my arms like a child.
"I'll keep digging," JJ grumbles, opening his laptop again with a sigh. "You two go kill each other. I'll take care of everything else."
"You got an alarm set for tomorrow?" I ask as I reach the door to the basement.
JJ sends me a glare, his golden brown eyes basically telling me to fuck all the way off. "I'm not waking you up. You're an adult."
So he says. I don't feel like a damn adult.
"Whatever." I shrug and disappear into the fully finished basement that we converted into our own private gym. Because we'll be fucked if we use the one on campus or the only one downtown.
Who knew gyms wouldn't be a lucrative business here in Greenwood? Not me.
"So, shall we start with each other?" I grin, cracking my knuckles when Hux comes down the stairs.
"I'll even give you a free hit," he grits out, tapping his cheek a few times.
"Well, then. This is Christmas to me!" I shout as we begin our match, and I ram my fist into my best friend's face.
Ah, the good life.