Chapter 25

Nate locked his bike, shrugged on his jacket, and went inside the police station. When Nate arrived at Juliet’s shop with new burner phones, he’d told Pete that Deke was working for Balthasar and got confirmation that Garza had Deke’s cell phone. It’d been bad news all around, and now someone needed to get that diary from Garza.

Nate didn’t know that much about the Fianna, but he was sure of one thing: when the Fianna realized Garza had the diary, they’d come and Garza would die.

Although Garza wasn’t Nate’s responsibility, he couldn’t face any more casualties.

Nate stopped at the main desk. The din didn’t help his headache. “Detective Garza?”

The officer didn’t even look up. “Second floor. Third desk on the right.”

“Thanks.” On the second-floor landing, Nate hit the vending machine for two sodas. He found Garza hovering over a desk, writing, and handed him one. “Detective?”

Garza wore a blue blazer over a white shirt and jeans. He shut the journal and notebook. He was translating the diary. “Wall.”

Nate smiled. “Call me Nate.”

Garza pointed to a wooden chair. “I was going to ring you.”

Nate sat, stretched his legs, and opened his soda. “It’s my day off”—which explained his lack of uniform—“and I wanted to check in after this morning’s incident at the club. Bad news about that murdered girl.”

“Yes, it is.” Garza moved the journal into a drawer and locked it. “I dug into Montfort and got an interesting report from a contact.”

Thank God Pete had filled Nate in on this part. “I know Montfort was extradited from St. Petersburg and sent to Leavenworth.”

Garza sat, opening his can with a pop-fizz. “Did you know there was no trial?”

Nate nodded, pretending to look clued in. But he’d noticed something on the far corner of Garza’s messy desk and was having a hard time concentrating. An evidence bag with Deke’s cell phone. “There’s a lot of secrecy surrounding Montfort. I’ve learned when the Army hides the facts, there’s a good reason. You should let it go.”

“Montfort isn’t an ordinary ex-con. He worked for the Fianna—”

Nate held up a hand. “We don’t talk about that group in public.”

“If they’re assassinating people in my city, I need to know about them. Fuck their secrecy. Fuck their rules. And fuck their warriors. I’ve been up against worse. I’m not afraid.”

Nate leaned forward and lowered his voice. “The Fianna doesn’t care. If you get in the Fianna’s way, its warriors will eliminate you.”

“I’m supposed to let dead bodies pile up?”

“I didn’t say that.” Nate heard voices and pointed to a group of cops facing a wall covered in notes. “What’s going on?”

“My chief’s put every extra detective onto this zombie heroin task force. Thirty-four people have died, hundreds are in the hospital, and our cages are full of silent dealers.”

“You’re not working the heroin epidemic?”

“No.” Garza tapped his fingers on his desk. “I don’t know how yet, but I’ll prove Montfort is responsible for Escalus’s death.”

“No way Montfort could’ve pulled the trigger and made it to where he was found.”

“Sounds like you’re on Montfort’s side.”

“I’m on the side that keeps us both alive.” At least that was the truth. “I’d help if you had evidence connecting Montfort to both murders. But you don’t.”

“Two people—Sally and a John Doe we found near the club—were killed with a misericord within thirty-six hours. I know the misericord is a close-quarters combat weapon favored by Fianna warriors, and I believe Montfort is one of them.”

“Do you have proof?”

Garza rummaged through his papers and found an eight-by-ten photo.

Nate’s heart rate kicked up. “Who are they?”

“The one in the middle brokering the peace is Escalus, the man killed yesterday on Capel land. The one in the wool coat is the Fianna’s leader.”

Garza handed Nate a magnifier to hold over the Prince’s photo. Holy. Shit. “The third man with his face hidden?”

“Montfort.”

Obviously. Nate would know that pissed-off attitude anywhere. “It’s not a clear photo. It wouldn’t hold up in court.” He stood and accidentally dropped the photo on the floor.

Garza retrieved it and threw it on the desk. “Too bad.”

Nate clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on Montfort. If anything strange happens, I’ll let you know. In the meantime—” Nate pointed to the journal hidden within the desk. If he couldn’t take the journal, the least he could do was offer a warning. “Leave the Fianna alone. Before they figure out who you are.”

Garza stood, arms crossed. “Is it true they bow before killing?”

“I hope not.” With a nod, Nate turned and bumped into a detective standing behind him. Shorter than Nate, the detective wore khakis, a white shirt, and a red tie, which seemed out of place with his chest holster. The gun accessorized his frown. “Excuse me.”

“This is my partner, Detective Elliot,” Garza said.

Nate held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Instead of shaking, Elliot glanced at his phone.

Okay. Feeling the animosity, Nate double-timed it downstairs. Outside, he called Pete.

“Hey,” Pete said. “Get the diary?”

“No. But I think I just ID’d the Prince.”

“Seriously?” Pete spoke in hushed tones, as if in awe.

“Yes,” Nate said, unlocking his bike. “This might be the leverage Kells needs to keep you out of jail. I also took something else. Deke’s cell phone.”

* * *

Balthasar studied the map on the table in the safe house and, thanks to Deke, had Escalus’s laptop turned on and files open. The Prince had been right. Escalus had not only promised to give the vial to Eddie’s cousin, Escalus had coordinated the influx of heroin into Savannah.

Unfortunately, the laptop held no clues about the vial, the windows Eddie had sent photos of, or the map obtained from Walker. From Escalus’s notes, the cousin was a low-level player who’d made inquiries about the vial and had told Escalus about the manor’s windows. Unfortunately, now the cousin was Balthasar’s only source of intel about the vial. That meant Balthasar had to play whatever game the cousin wanted in exchange for info.

Working with Eddie’s cousin wasn’t a Fianna-approved plan, but considering Balthasar was proving his own innocence, he’d risk the Prince’s anger.

Deke moaned from his cot. “I need another pill.”

“No.” Balthasar positioned his compass. From what he’d overheard at the preservation office, the pretty historian didn’t know much about the map. Although she was correct about the compass rose being off by thirty degrees. “You’re in pain from the withdrawal. Not the beating.”

“Fuck you.” Deke curled up on his side, protecting the bandage over his ear. “I did what you asked. I followed Pete and his girlfriend.”

Balthasar despised weak men. After barely surviving the Gauntlet, Romeo had stumbled, on his own, to the first aid tent. “If you’d like, Montfort can finish what he started.”

“No!” Deke’s lips pulled away from his teeth. “That bastard has serious anger issues.”

“Don’t we all.” Balthasar clicked open a file named SEBASTIAN and found pages from a warrior’s journal. According to Escalus’s notes, Sebastian had once been a Prince who’d searched for Anne Capel’s vial. Because of his failure, Sebastian lost his title and disappeared.

How was it Balthasar had never heard of Sebastian?

Eddie arrived with brown bags smelling like hickory smoke. “I got Angel’s BBQ.”

“I’ll take two sandwiches,” Deke said from the bed.

“Dude, I only had money for four. B gets first dibs.”

“Deke may have mine,” Balthasar said, still reading about Sebastian.

Eddie dumped the bags on the weapons table. “Did you contact my cousin?”

“Yes.” Balthasar shut his laptop and stood to stretch his tight biceps. He wished he’d taken time to go for a run this morning. He needed to work off this restlessness before tonight’s event. “Your cousin wasn’t happy with Escalus’s death or my taking Escalus’s place. Still, despite your cousin’s suspicions about my ability to retrieve the vial, he’s giving me a chance to prove my loyalty.” The words burned. Fianna warriors were only loyal to each other and their Prince. They proved themselves to no one.

Eddie shrugged. “My cousin tests everyone who works for him.” He opened the food bag and popped fries in his mouth. “He called me to check up on you and give me the scoop about tonight. But I vouched. Told him you were more badass than Escalus.”

Balthasar bit his tongue until he tasted blood. The idea that a Fianna warrior needed anyone’s recommendation was ridiculous. But since now was not the time for pride, he said, “Thank you.”

“No prob.” Eddie handed a sandwich wrapped in foil to Deke, then pulled a box of blond hair dye out of another bag.

“What’s that for?” Deke asked, already two bites into his food.

“Your disguise. B’s orders.” Eddie sat on the shabby couch to eat from the bag. “Do we have what we need for tonight? My cousin’s plan was very specific.”

Although Balthasar resented being forced to do anything, especially work with amateurs, his cathedral stunt had only brought Juliet and Romeo closer together. That left Balthasar with few options. Hence Eddie’s cousin’s plan.

Moving into the corner, Balthasar stopped near a table covered with a sheet. He whipped it off, exposing two stacks of C-4. “We’re ready.”