Page 90 of Queen of Misfortune (Shadows of Redemption)

“I didn’t know, Donovan. He’s got Kate too.” With that, Liam thrashes like a wild animal.

Me? I’m thinking it’s time to get the fuck out of here. No one is touching Lucy. Not as long as I have breath.

“What the fuck?” Niko’s head shakes as he winces.

“Welcome back, Brother,” I say.

We sit quietly, listening, regrouping.

“What do we know?” Niko finally asks.

I repeat that he and I were going to Jersey to deal with Giovanni after a call from Igor who said his guys were raiding Giovanni’s location. I also mention that Lou is missing.

“If he’s not here, he’s likely dead.” Fucking shame. Lou was a good friend.

“Or in on it,” Liam quips.

“Lou?” I lean forward to look at him, wondering why he’d say that.

“You asked about Kate coming out of Witpro, so I started the process, but someone beat me to it.” Liam lets out a growl. “Or I led them to her. Fuck.” He starts jerking around frantically, trying to free himself again.

I glance at Niko, thinking Liam’s distress over Kate seems a bit more than losing a witness.

Liam settles for a moment. “She dropped off the radar. I’ve been looking for her, but in the meantime, a cousin of mine let me know there’s turmoil in Bratva.”

“Where do you suppose we are?” Niko asks.

“Could it be the warehouse?” I offer. “Maybe Giovanni wants to kill us where we dumped his wife on his doorstep. Or could be Bratva. Sounds like Igor is a fucking traitor if he’s after Lucy and Kate.”

“So, does that mean Giovanni has us, or Igor?” Niko asks.

“Could be both.” Liam thrashes again.

“Fuck!” Niko barks. “I should have gone full-out war, not this stealthy shit. We don’t have backup.”

“We shouldn’t have walked into their trap.” I don’t say it, but it’s the second time this has happened. But how?

Or Lou is in on it.Liam’s words come back to me. I close my eyes as I’m forced to consider that my friend, the man I brought into the Family, is a traitor. Lou was the one who was supposed to check Ugly Eddy for tracking devices the night Giovanni ambushed us and I got shot. The other day, Lou asked about Kate during a meeting with Liam, which seemed odd at the time. Lou was with us when we first met with Igor.

A new memory filters through. An image of Lou putting on a mask in the car as we arrived. Him twisting a small canister open, and a scent, sweet and cloying, filling the car. Then everything went dark.

"Son of a bitch." My voice comes out a growl as betrayal burns in my gut.

"Who?" Niko asks.

"Lou. He was in on it." I’m pissed that I didn’t see it. Then a new fear jolts through me. “Fucking hell.”

“What?” Niko asks.

“Lou can get into the penthouse.”

“What are you saying?” Niko’s voice goes cold.

“Igor and Giovanni want Lucy. Lou can walk right into the penthouse and get her.” Terror like I’ve never felt before fills me. Followed by guilt at not having told her how I really feel. “If he hurts her, I’ll chop him up, inch by inch, while he’s alive.Goddammit.” Lucy. She won’t ever know that she is loved. That she is seen and respected.

"Lucy's strong," Liam says. The words are meant to reassure, but they don’t.

"Strong doesn't mean invincible." Did I leave her a gun? “Fuck. If I fail her?—”