Page 40 of Vicious King

“Your father. I know. But you still keep track of anyone who was on the job.”

“Of course we do.” He sits and props his phone against something, then starts to type. He’s far enough away that I can see he’s not wearing a shirt.

“You could have put something on.”

“You can’t see my dick, stop fucking complaining. I should kill you for pulling me out of bed with my wife.”

I stare at the face on the screen in front of Spider. It’s a school ID. He’s smiling into the fucking camera, and there’s no mistaking that it’s him.

“He retired when I killed my father,” Julian says, reading notes. “Along with six others who were all in the same age range, who had been with the family for decades. I wanted fresh blood, so I granted the request.”

“Was Rina’s dad one of those who also retired?”

“Yes. You know he was.”

“Yeah, well, Nico motherfucking Makris is the goddamn janitor in my kid’s school, and he’s about to be dead, but not before I get some fucking answers from him.”

Julian’s typing fiercely. “What name is he using?”

“Paul Thomas,” Spider says for me and then rattles off the address where the asshole is living.

Six blocks from here.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Julian mutters, shaking his head. “How? How the fuck?”

“I’m about to find out.”

“I want to be there,” Julian says. “I’ll be on the plane in less than an hour. He was my man, which means this is on me.”

I check the time. “I want to get him out of bed anyway, catch him unaware. I’ll get guys over there to watch him, make sure he doesn’t make a break for it, and as soon as you get here, we ask some questions.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Do you need me to send you this address?”

“You need to stop fucking insulting me.”

He cuts the call, and I set the phone down before I throw it across the room.

I’m a smart man. I have a very good idea of what the fuck is going on here, and if I’m right, a lot of people are going to fucking die.

Spider picks up his phone.

“Talk,” he barks. “Good. No, don’t engage. Stay where you are. If there’s any movement let me know. ETA is about four hours.”

He hangs up and turns to me.

“The bastard is snoring in his bed.”

“Good.”

I march next door and knock on the door twice.

“It’s me, baby.”

Rina unlocks and opens the door, her pretty eyes wide as I step inside.

“What’s wrong?”