Shattered King(6)

Van dipped his chin, jaw still hard.

I walked out of his office a short time later, taking the stairs to the lower level. There were several rooms down there: the surveillance room, gym, Neco’s office where he kept all his tech shit, and a bunk room that was occasionally used as a holding cell. I let myself into my friend’s office.

Neco walked in right after me, and leaned against his desk. “I wasn’t happy about keeping that shit from you.”

“You of all people should know how I’d feel about being kept in the dark. Especially when it comes to that family.”

Neco rubbed the back of his neck, not holding my gaze, looking cagey as fuck.

“What didn’t Van tell me?” I didn’t want to fight Neco. He was my brother in every way but blood, but I was this close to losing it.

“Hunt, man, you need to take a step back from this.”

I just stared at him.

The guy cursed. “Yeah, I have something. Shit. Not Pierce. Not directly, but someone else who might be able to get us the info we need. Maybe clue us in to where he’s been hiding out.”

Neco gave me a long, meaningful look, and something knotted unbearably tight in my gut. My friend shook his head, planted his hands on his hips. “I give you this, you don’t do anything fucking stupid. You go rogue, Van will lose his shit, and I’ll have to go after you and drag your ass home.”

I refused to make promises I couldn’t keep. “Will this info help us find Pierce, the painting?”

“Maybe.”

“Then give it to me.”

“Fuck.” Neco ran a hand over his cropped hair. “Pierce’s wife, Elizabeth. She’s been sick a long time, years. The family found out recently she doesn’t have much time. A matter of weeks. Cancer.” The guy held my gaze. “Pierce isn’t gonna risk his neck going to her, he’s gone into hiding for a reason. The guy’s running scared. Plus, that bastard’s ice cold . . . but she’s another story.”

She. No one said Lulu’s name in front of me anymore. They knew better.

I knew Lulu’s mom had been sick for a long time. And he was right, on both counts. Pierce wasn’t showing, not even for his sick wife, but Lulu? She’d been close to her mother. Really close.

Neco rested his hands on the desk. “She might know something. Might be able to give you the information you want, lead you to him. Might not. Elizabeth’s going home in a few days. Pierce arranged nurses to take care of her several weeks ago. Don’t know if that’s still happening with him lying low—I doubt it. Either way, she only has a small window if she plans to get to her mother undetected.”

I didn’t doubt Lulu knew where Pierce was holed up. Her and her stepfather had been tight. That’s how I first met her—Pierce had taken Lulu everywhere with him. And I mean everywhere. I’d assumed he was grooming her for the family business. While we were together, she’d never shared that part of her life and I’d never pushed. More than likely because there was always this niggling feeling in my gut that she was hiding something from me. I didn’t want to see it, afraid whatever she wasn’t telling me would take her away from me. Turned out I should have paid more attention to my gut. I glanced over at Neco. The guy looked worried. He had good reason to be. Getting her to tell me where Pierce was hiding wasn’t all I wanted from her, and Neco knew it. Knew what was eating at me. I’d planned to take down Pierce first then go after Lulu. This way, I could kill two birds with one stone.

I should stay the hell away from her, but I couldn’t, not until I looked her in the eyes and she told me the truth, that everything we’d had was a goddamn lie, all of it. Then maybe I could finally get her out of my head. “Where’s her mother?”

“Let me come with you.”

“No.”

Neco watched me, like he was trying to read my mind. Finally, he shook his head, jotted down what I needed and handed it over. “Don’t know about this . . .”

I took the piece of paper and walked out the door. Neco called after me, but I ignored him, heading straight for the supply room. Grabbing a bag, I loaded up with what I needed, and then I was striding through reception. Lulu had taken off after I’d been locked up, hiding out so Van couldn’t drag her ass back in and make her tell the fucking truth. That she’d been with me when the fire started, that I’d been nowhere near that building when it was torched, that she’d fucking lied for Pierce and set me up. But my brother had failed to find her. Even Neco hadn’t been able to track her. How fucking hard was it to find one woman?