A Dirty Business (Kings of New York #1)(114)

He drew in a deep breath, then began coughing. Blood was coming up. “D-d-doped up your brother, made him think he killed him. He was all broken up about it, why he didn’t fight the conviction. Said he had to go in, pay penance for you and your mom.”

“Why did he want me dead? Why tonight?”

“His kid wasn’t killed tonight. Couldn’t find him, so he gave me this order to hurt him. Trace is in love with you, but Jess, I didn’t want to do it. I wasn’t going to. I was going to figure something else out. I swear.” Other liquids were seeping down his pants, and he groaned. “Jess, I don’t have long here.”

“Then hurry the fuck up.” Cold. Ruthless. I was out of my body, not recognizing who I was, but she wasn’t fucking around.

“Aghofhygod. Please, Jess! Please.”

“Talk!”

His eyes rolled up, then around. “Oh my god. I’m dying. Everything is going black. Jess. Come on. Please . . .” He was whimpering. The life was draining out of him before my eyes.

“What was the plan?”

“Dominic was the one giving information to Worthing, who’s got cops on his payroll. Said he had to make it look like they tried for him, too, had them shoot his own house when he wasn’t there.”

“What does this have to do with Bear? Why was Bear there tonight?”

“I don’t know. I think he was there for me, knew I was coming to kill you tonight. Only thing that makes sense. He knew Dominic West too. Fact, I always thought he was being paid to keep tabs on your mom. Like I was paid to keep tabs on you. It’s why I recruited you to be a PO for me.”

I was sick, all over again.

He’d set me up. Everything.

Everything he was showing, panting, chest heaving, liquids coming out of him, was what I was feeling inside. The difference was that it wasn’t my body dying. It was my soul.

“Why were you supposed to keep tabs on me? Why was Bear supposed to watch my mom?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t.” He couldn’t lift his head up, so he rolled it to the side to see me. “Oh, God. Jess. I’m dying. Please call for help. I swear. I swear . . .”

He didn’t finish, and I didn’t care.

Maybe I would. One day.

Not today.

I turned to go and braked.

My mom was at the door, and she had her phone in hand. “Yes.” She spoke, giving them Leo’s address. “We need an ambulance to the garage. There was a shooting.” I could hear them asking more questions, but she pulled the phone back and hit the button. She ended the call.

I didn’t blink an eye. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough. Too much. You shot Bear in self-defense, but I won’t let this piece of shit’s death be on your conscience.”

I had to blink twice to make sure this was my mother in front of me. She was standing, looking calm, speaking clear. There were no hysterics like before. “Why are you suddenly so calm? You were pissing your pants ten minutes ago.”

She studied me a moment. “I think I’m in shock. Again.”





CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX


JESS


Maybe I shouldn’t have gone.

I’d been the one to pull the trigger, but Bear was still family no matter the circumstances of why he was coming into the house, wearing a ski mask. The running theory was that he knew about Leo’s involvement and was there to stop him. Leo had said it himself to me, overheard by my mother, and we’d both given that account to the authorities.

How that made me feel—I couldn’t think on it because that meant I’d killed . . .

I couldn’t think on it. I would someday, but that wasn’t today. That’s where I was.

Because of all of that, Leo’s funeral was disgraced, and barely anyone went to it.

Bear’s was another story. He had a few relatives, not many, but a few. They wanted to keep the funeral small. I’d gone, but I’d sat in the back. The after-party at his pub was over capacity, but no one was going to report it. Not on this day, not for Bear.

That’s where Detective Worthing found me, at one of the back booths in Bear’s place.

Val and Reyo had just left. He went to the bar for drinks, and Val went to the bathroom. I saw Brian when I first walked in, but considering that it was out about Trace and me, he’d not come over. I wasn’t expecting it.

“Surprised you showed up tonight.”

I cocked my head to the side. “What do you want?”

His lip curved up, and he let out a small laugh. “Right.” He leaned back, his hands going into his jacket’s pockets. “My brother’s missing—”

I shot forward. “Did you coordinate those raids on behalf of OC or your family?”

He stopped talking.

Then Detective Worthing jerked forward, and his eyes got mean. “You wanna point fingers here? Whose bed did you get up from this morning? Whose bed are you going to be in tonight? You want to bring my family into this, news flash. They already are. Where’s my brother?”

I leaned back, my eyes narrowed. “I was cleared of both shootings. I was also asked to return to my job. I am not dirty.”

He snorted, mirroring me and leaning back too. “Not yet. The only reason you’re allowed to come back to work is because you didn’t warn your boyfriend. That was a test. Now. Where the fuck is my brother?”