“Who told you about Saxon pulling the trigger, Mags?” my brother asks, and like us, I think he’s wondering if Magnolia knows more than she’s saying.
“That’s not important, baby. What’s important is that you come back to me.”
My brother’s voice softens, and for the first time, I can picture them being together. “Sweetheart, I can’t come home to you until all these motherfuckers are dead, so you gotta tell us everything you know. Who else is involved?”
I figure Magnolia would spill everything when Rafe asked her, but strangely, she gets quiet for a few seconds. “If you don’t get him before he finds out I talked, I’m dead. I’m not giving you a name until you promise that you’ll get him first.”
“You know I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” Rafe tells her.
She narrows her gaze as she stares into the phone. “I thought you were murdered by this asshole for his payday! I grieved you. I’m still wearing black. YouknowI can keep my mouth shut, and you could’ve told me the plan. I wouldn’t have said shit to anyone. You could’ve trusted me.”
I can’t help but glance at Kane, because Magnolia sounds a lot like I did when I learned the truth. I wonder if my brother’s answer will be the same as Kane’s was.
“You know I couldn’t tell you. I kept you out of the loop for a good reason. I don’t want anything blowing back on you. Besides, Saxon and Mount said no way. They were the ones who didn’t trust you. Not me.”
Well, shit.
Magnolia’s venomous glare lands on Kane. “I should’ve shot you when I had the chance.”
“Give us a name, Mags, and you and your man can run off into the sunset together as soon as we kill these bastards.”
Her lips purse and her whiskey-colored gaze touches every single person taking part in the conversation before she finally gives up the information.
“Giles. Lewis Giles is the one you need to kill.”
26
Kane
Ifucking knew it.
The only good Giles is a dead Giles. I never had a valid reason to take him out before, but I do now.
“Tell me everything. How far up does this go?”
Giles is a state senator now, so there’s not a chance in hell that he’s running this alone. If he’s trafficking women, then he’s passing them along to other buyers who could be in the government too.
“I don’t know,” Magnolia says, her voice throaty, almost hoarse. “I thought he was running drugs for someone, not people.”
“Shit. We got politicians involved?” Ransom asks. “Fucking A. Now we’re going to have to take out half the government.”
“Please tell me this isn’t really happening,” Temperance says before looking to me.
These are things I wish I could shield her from, but I can’t. Also, it’s time to get a handle on the Magnolia situation. I snatch the phone from her hand and ignore her shout of protest. Keeping an arm outstretched, I block her flailing hands from taking it back.
“You take out your target; I’ll dig into Giles and find out who else is connected. I won’t take him out until we know exactly how deep this goes. Don’t change your objective, Ransom. Got it?”
Ransom nods on the screen. “Got it.”
“Find that motherfucker you need to kill and get back here. Apparently, some people give a shit that you’re alive.”
Temperance laughs, but there’s a hysterical edge to it, and Magnolia shouts in agreement, still trying to steal the phone back. I end the call and tuck it in my pocket before stopping her.
“You satisfied? He’s alive. He’s working to end this. No contact with him until then. Understand me?”
Magnolia practically snarls. “High-handed motherfucker. Always pegged you as the dominant type, but never as the straight-up asshole.” Her gaze flicks to Temperance. “Hope you can handle that.”
Temperance steps closer to me and I slide an arm around her waist, pulling her into my side.