Chapter 19
NINETEEN
THORNE
I’d rather be anywhere but here, but it’s nice to see all the guys again.
Every year, Bensotti says we all have to get together to do some stupid refresher courses and work with each other in case we need help. Knox and I are the only ones that live near each other. The other two are spread across the country so there’s someone wherever Bensotti needs them to be.
Except when I had to fly to California to kill that fucker with the girls in his basement.
“Hey, Py,” I say, calling out to the short Black kid with a curly ponytail and a forever match hanging around his neck. “Why weren’t you in California taking care of my last kill?” He lives just outside of LA.
“I was,” he says absently, flicking a lighter over and over, “but B had me on another case about ten miles away. I got a two for one.”
“Nice,” Orion, a white guy with short brown hair pushed back from his face and a swag that belongs at Meadowbrook says. “It’s been a while since I’ve had two bodies at once. How was it?”
Py shrugs, though a smile stretches across his face. “Pretty good. Set them on fire while they were still alive. Arson is very rampant in that area.”
Py is short for Pyro and Bensotti caught him setting a shed on fire with his bullies inside. He was supposed to be put away for at least ten years, but B did his big one by getting his charges knocked down.
Orion is our neighborhood computer nerd. Smarter than me, which is saying something. He can find anything given enough time. He’s also a psychopath, uncaring and unfeeling unless it’s us.
We all have love for each other, especially after Bensotti made us stay in the same room for almost two years. It was either get along or kill each other and Bensotti would have been pissed if one of us woke up dead.
B is the reason we’re all free. All four of us could have been put away for years if not for him. And he gave us the choice to work for him after he got our charges dropped, though we weren’t obligated.
I think he saw something in all of us, a part of us that wanted revenge for the shit that went on in our lives. I have my reasons for being the head of this specific mission and Bensotti knows that.
“Besides,” Py says, flicking his lighter, “I figured you’d want to take out all the big fish. I’m the cleanup guy, knocking off the low-level bitches.”
I grunt in appreciation. If Pyro had been in charge of that kill, he’d have set the house on fire before the girls were found in the basement and that would have pissed both me and Bensotti off.
“Where’s B?” Orion asks, looking around his stuffy study. “He’s never late.”
Bensotti always has us meet at his house when he wants us to do what he calls refresher courses.
It’s mostly so we can all talk without sharing any intel over the phone or any way it can be traced.
He normally calls us on a weekend, so we won’t miss school—for me and Py—or work—Orion doing some tax shit and Knox having to have other artists watch his shop outside of his normal closing days.
But he’s never late meeting us.
Something is up.
Knox looks away, jaw ticking.
“What do you know?” I ask, turning to him.
He shakes his head. “He’ll tell you.”
Py closes his lighter and pockets it. “You were just here, weren’t you? When I called Bensotti a few weeks ago, he said you were here, getting on his nerves.”
Knox smiles briefly, but it slips from his face. “I was. He’ll be down soon. Give him a minute.”
The others talk amongst themselves while I pull out my phone and compose a group text to Warren and Chance. I should have done it already, but between killing and travel, it’s the first time I could.
Me: Hey.
Short, sweet, to the point.
Of course, Chance answers first. Such an adorable puppy.
Chance: Hey. I didn’t know you’d be out of town.
Smiling, I shoot a quick message back, knowing it’ll make him blush.
Me: Why? You miss me.
Chance: Maybe.
A few seconds later, another message pops up.
Warren: When will you be back?
Me: Two days. It’s a short course.
I didn’t tell either of them what I’d be doing. I only told Warren I’d be out of town so he could keep Chance company. For such a happy person, Chance has a lot of shit going on in his head. When I get back, I’ll figure it all out.
Warren: Okay. Chance and I will be meeting up tonight. Do you want us to wait for you?
I can’t help the wide grin that stretches across my face. What do they plan to do tonight? Will they kiss? Touch? Fuck?
God, seeing them together in the hotel was so fucking hot. I can only imagine how they’d be together now that they’re more familiar with each other.
Me: No. Have fun. *winking face*
Just then, Bensotti steps into the room and we all sit up. He looks tired.
When I met him, he was this strong-looking man, tall at close to six two, with tan skin, a head full of dark brown hair, and eyes that saw right through me. Now, an exhausted air surrounds him, his skin waxen, hair limp and his eyes look almost dead.
I look over at Knox, but he simply shakes his head.
B sits behind his desk, letting out a long sigh. “Sorry I’m late, boys. Had a little bit of a lie in.”
Py chuckles uneasily. “You sound like a Victorian maiden that came down with consumption.”
A faint smile crosses Bensotti’s face. “Nah, kid. Just tired. Let’s get down to business, shall we?”
“What business?” I ask. “Did you find more?”
“I did,” he says, reaching into his desk drawer and grabbing a stack of papers. He hands it to me. “Just these three, though. There are more, I know it, but it’s hard getting to the top.”
Orion chimes in with, “I’ve tried to trace bank statements and link these men to others.
I’ve had some luck, but not as much as I’d hoped.
Give me a few weeks and I should have a few more, but these guys are good.
” He pouts, crossing his arms over his chest. He hates that there’s someone out that can hide their crimes so thoroughly.
Orion prides himself on being able to find anything, no matter how good the other hacker is.
Bensotti nods. “Those three could lead somewhere. Py, I don’t want you anywhere near them.”
Py looks shocked. “What? Why? I didn’t do anything.”
Giving him a look, B says, “I told you to get answers from the last guy I sent you to talk to. What did you do?”
“Uh, I got answers,” Py says, confusion marring his face.
“You burned his tongue out so half of what he said was garbled,” Bensotti counters and we all laugh. Pyro really loves fire.
It’s Py’s turn to pout. “Because he wasn’t saying anything useful. He needed a push.”
Bensotti grunts. “Yeah, well, we need to trace the rest of these fuckers and your brand of torture for information ain’t gonna work. Orion is on research, so it’s on you two.” He points to me and Knox. “Maybe you’ll have some luck getting the big guy.”
I nod as I review the culprits. Two of them are in New York, so—if they don’t take off after hearing their friends are being picked off—Knox and I won’t have to travel far.
The other is in LA, so I’ll have to take time off school if I handle him.
I usually get a free pass because of my big brain, but I’m not sure how many more I’ll get.
I might have to save this last fucker until holiday break.
What a nice present for me.
“Will they run?” I ask after handing the papers over to Knox.
B waves me off. “Nah. These three don’t have a direct attachment to the ones you’ve already taken care of. I don’t even think they knew their names. These guys are at the top. They’re the ones who place the girls with the middlemen, who then hold them until the cash comes in from the sale.”
My fingers clench into fists, my anger rising. Not at B, but at the bullshit these rich motherfuckers do. They think just because they have money, they can get away with whatever.
But they can’t get away from me or the rest of Bensotti’s boys. None of us can be bought, so their money means nothing.
Knox passes the papers to Py, who grumbles under his breath about the kill in LA. Something like, “Right in my backyard.” When he hands the packet to Orion, he asks, “Can I at least come with y’all to watch you work? Please?”
He’s so adorable, I have no choice but to say yes. Pyro beams at me, then sticks his tongue out at Bensotti. B simply rolls his eyes.
“These guys might have tons of security,” Bensotti says. “You’ll need to be careful.”
“I can handle it,” Knox says. He’s the stealthiest of us all, able to blend in wherever he goes. I’m not sure how he does it, since he never removes his piercings or his loud style, but he manages it better than any of us.
Nodding, Bensotti says, “Good. Get in quick and take care of it. I want them all dead before the year’s end.”
I nod, formulating a plan. I’ll have to leave on a Thursday and use the weekend as travel cover. With Pyro living in LA, I could use visiting him as an alibi if I needed to. Orion can cover our tracks, giving us a more legit alibi with geo tracking and all that shit.
We wrap up discussions of the next few kills and all of us stare at Bensotti. No one says a thing as he looks at us evenly.
After what feels like hours of silence, Orion asks, “Are you dying?” with little inflection to his tone.
“All of us are dying, kid,” B says in his usual gruff tone.
“Yeah,” Py says, “but are you dying sooner rather than later?”
Bensotti shrugs. “Maybe. I got cancer.”
It’s like the air is sucked out of the room. Even Orion looks shocked.
Well, Knox doesn’t; he just looks sad.
“That’s why you didn’t want us to visit,” I say, finally putting it together.
“Yeah, but one of you don’t listen.” He pointedly looks at Knox, who looks back at him evenly. “He told me you deserved to know.”
“We kinda do,” Py says, crossing his arms. “What the fuck? You were just gonna die on us and leave us to what…fend for ourselves?”
Bensotti huffs. “You’re twenty-five, Pyro. I think you can—”
“No, I can’t!” He gets to his feet and stomps his foot. “You fucking promised me something, Bensotti. You will not fucking die before I get it!” With that, he storms out of the room, shoulders tense and stride quick.
What did Bensotti promise Pyro? Knox and I exchange a look and he just shrugs. Orion looks clueless, too.
“B,” I say, leaning forward. “You’re only about three hours from Meadowbrook. I would have come and helped you out if—”
“And drop out of school?” he interrupts. “No thanks, kid. And before any of you say anything else, I’m fine. I’m handling it.”
Bensotti is an older Italian man that thinks soup and his mom’s old recipes cure everything. He looks tired but not like he’s going to keel over tomorrow, so maybe he’s getting treatment and it’s not agreeing with him.
We’ll figure something out for him. Orion lives in Florida, but Knox and I are close by. We can help him if he stops being fucking stubborn and lets us.
It was his fault for practically adopting us and making us care about him like he cares about us.
We’ll work it out. And Bensotti won’t shake us off now.
“I’ll be back to visit in a few weeks,” I tell him. He opens his mouth as if to argue, but I talk over him. “And you’ll enjoy my company because I’m your favorite.”
“No,” Py says from behind us, coming over to plop on his chair. His eyes are red rimmed, but hard as he stares at B. “I’m his favorite. He just doesn’t like my interrogation methods.”
“None of ya are my favorites,” he grumbles. “Now get to the range. I want to make sure you’re proficient and won’t shoot your peckers off.”
Everyone grumbles but leaves the room. I don’t. I stare at Bensotti, my irritation with him barely suppressed. “What kind of cancer?”
“Skin cancer. Too much time outdoors, not enough sunscreen.”
“And you’re getting treatment.”
“I’m using some old remedies that—”
“Treatment, B,” I interrupt, getting to my feet. “Are you getting treatment?”
He sighs and rubs his hands through his limp hair. “I’m tired, Thorne. I’ve spent my life hunting down the scum of the fuckin’ earth and they keep comin’ back. I just wanna rest.”
I curl my lip, fucking vexed with him. “Remember you told me I had to fight after you found out what happened to my sister? When I was fucking spiraling and blowing up my life?”
“It’s not the same, kid,” he says.
“I know it’s not, but you gotta fight too.
I had no one until I had you. Now you gotta fight.
If not for us, then keep going so you can finish your work.
We’re almost done with these motherfuckers.
And to give Pyro whatever you promised him.
” It’s low to bring that up, but I’m not ready to say goodbye to Bensotti.
Regardless of how much he says he doesn’t want kids, he’s been a father to all four of us, treating us with respect when we didn’t think we deserved it and taking us under his wing when we had no one.
He can’t leave us.
I can tell what I said got through to him, and I’m selfish enough not to feel bad about it. “Whatever. Get out of here before I shoot you in the pecker,” he warns with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Grinning, I say, “I need your doctor’s number to make sure you’re making your appointments. What does the precinct say about your diagnosis?”
“I’m on desk duty for the next few months so I can get my pension. Two more months and I get full retirement with medical benefits.”
Surprise worms through me. I’ve never known any form of the government to give leeway to get medical benefits. Bensotti was a good cop, rarely got into scuffles with perps, and was able to get a lot of bad people off the streets. I guess this is their thank you.
“Good. I need the information, B.”
“Get out of my office, Thorne. I only got two days with you to make sure you’re good to kill these motherfuckers.”
I nod and head out, catching up with Knox in the foyer.
“You should have told me,” I say without looking at him.
“He said he’d tell you all together. And he did. I trusted his word.”
I know Knox isn’t wrong, but I figured he’d at least give me a heads up.
Grunting, I say, “We have to check up on him often, you know that right?”
Knox nods as he slides into the passenger seat. “I know. I’m glad he even let me in when I popped up on him a few weeks ago. He didn’t tell me much, other than what he told us just now.”
“I told him to get me all his doctors’ info. If he doesn’t, Orion will.” Orion gives no fucks about HIPAA or anything resembling it.
“Bensotti is strong. He’s too stubborn to die with work unfinished,” Knox says, and I’m not sure if he’s trying to convince me or himself.