Anarchy Found (SuperAlpha, #1)(63)

I let go and his hands go to his throat again as he wheezes in air as fast as he can gulp it down. There’s a bright red mark on his neck, and it’s not from the squeezing. He doesn’t feel it yet, but he will. Because the anger in my head comes out as red heat in my hands, even through the gloves. His neck will blister in a matter of minutes.

I don’t like leaving too many calling cards, and this one is risky. But he needs to know what he’s dealing with. “I’d think long and hard about what I just said, Chief. And if I were you, I’d be on that phone with your real boss, and I’d warn them there’s a shitstorm coming.”

I turn and walk away. I’m just reaching for the door when he asks the only question left to ask.

“Who are you?”

I pause, picturing Molly that first day in my cave. And then I look over my shoulder and say, “I’m Alpha. And you can tell that Blue Boar f*ck down at Blue Corp that I’m back and he’s next.”





Chapter Forty - Lincoln




I pull into the cave with a wave of dread. I heard the chatter in the department about Atticus missing the shot. Montgomery senior wasn’t killed last night and I’m fuming from the f*ckup. That motherf*cker was supposed to be dead. Why isn’t he dead?

I throw the car into park and get out, my boots thudding across the concrete floors as I make my way to the wall of monitors. I scan each one, but it’s useless. There is no mention of Atticus or his father.

“What the f*ck happened last night?” I turn to Sheila, who is hovering in the middle of the room looking like she’s in the middle of a shrug.

“Everything was going according to plan. Atticus got out of the car, I tracked him inside Blue Corp, everything looked fine. He went behind the closed-circuit cameras where I have no access so I assumed—”

Her words are cut off by my phone. I take it out, recognizing Case’s tone, and say, “Yeah.”

“What the f*ck, dude?”

“I don’t know, man, he missed or something.”

“Missed? How the f*ck can he miss? If he was in the office like we planned it, then that bastard was less than twenty feet away. No way Atticus missed that f*cking shot. And the goddamned Blue Boar just did an interview for Channel Three, Wolves of Wall Street. He looks pretty f*cking alive to me. Thomas is gonna be here in thirty minutes and he’s gonna want answers.”

“I just got home, Case. I don’t have answers. I’m still trying to figure it out. I watched Atticus walk into the Blue Castle last night. He was primed and ready. He should’ve f*cking pulled that trigger.”

“Did you ask Molly about it?”

“Why the f*ck would I ask Molly? We agreed that she wouldn’t be involved.”

“Things change, Lincoln.”

“Well, I’m not asking her. She’s the lead detective on this case and she already knows too much.”

“I disagree,” Case says. “I don’t think she knows nearly enough.”

“Do not threaten me, Case.”

“Threaten? Get a hold of yourself, *. This is the endgame and you just f*cked it up. The Old Man is still alive. You need to get your ass here and explain this shit to Thomas. Because I’m not gonna take the brunt of the temper tantrum Thomas is gonna throw once he finds out the Blue Boar is still in the game.”

I get the three beeps that signal the call has ended. “Fuck!” I yell.

“I think you need weapons, Lincoln.”

“What?” I turn to Sheila, who is still standing in the middle of the room. “I have my gun, Sheila.”

But her lightshow body shakes its head. “More than that.”

“What do you know?”

“Atticus Montgomery was taken to the Cathedral City Asylum early this morning. He’s been admitted as an inpatient for attempted murder.”

“So he did f*ck it up?” I growl.

“Possibly. I’m getting mixed signals from the intake surveillance over at the asylum. And the private room cameras are on a closed circuit. I won’t be able to directly access him until he wanders into view of an exterior one.”

“Shit.” I look at her for a few moments, running all this shit through my mind. “What do you think happened?”

“I don’t know. If I had access to the top floor of Blue Corp, I’d know. But I don’t, so we’re in the dark until Atticus Montgomery lets something slip.”

“Fuck. Well, I gotta go into town and talk to Thomas. He’s not gonna be happy. We have a deadline of Friday for the news conference. I’m taking the bike to avoid traffic. Keep me posted.”

I don’t wait for an answer, just hop on the bike—now repaired, thanks to Sheila’s little bot army—and kick the starter. It growls to life and I take off down the tunnel, the gate lifting at just the right moment to let me pass through without stopping.

I was smart to take the bike because thirty minutes later when I finally make it into town, it’s the lunch rush hour and I have to weave in and out between cars the whole way into the Merchant District. I park the bike in front of M-Street Bar and the door is opening before I even get within ten feet of it.

“Hey, Lincoln.”

I nod to the doorman, but my eyes are on Thomas and Case, both of whom are sitting at the bar drinking. They turn simultaneously as they register my voice and then Thomas turns away as Case says, “Finally.”