“Boss, you need to get here.”
Ren stopped at the door to his car and looked at his boots, his gut twisting.
This was because he gave Santo a job that morning. And that job was getting into Snookie Rivers’s apartment to have a look around.
“What?” Ren asked.
“You need to see,” Santo replied.
Ren clenched his teeth and beeped his locks.
Pulling open the door and folding in, he asked, “Is he out for a while?”
“Lucky’s on him. He makes to come home, Lucky’ll give me the heads up.”
“Be there in ten,” Ren stated.
He disconnected and turned on the ignition.
When he hit Ally’s old apartment complex, he saw construction had already begun on her blasted out unit. There was some structural damage; not much, mostly the windows blown out and fire damage, but they weren’t wasting any time fixing it.
He parked, got out, kept his phone in his hand and jogged to the building, in and up the stairs.
He tapped a knuckle on Rivers’s door and it was immediately opened by Santo.
Ren didn’t like the look on his face.
“Show me,” he ordered.
Santo got out of the way. Ren entered the apartment, moved aside and let Santo lead the way. Santo moved down the hall to one of the bedrooms but stopped at the door and turned to Ren.
“Boss, this is fucked up,” he warned.
Ren looked him in the eyes then moved beyond him and into the room.
Once in, he stopped dead.
Three beats later, he whispered, “Fuckin’ fuck me.”
“You want Lucky to nab him?” Santo asked.
Ren’s eyes moved around the room, his gut no longer twisting. It was tied in painful knots and it felt like something heavy was pressing on his chest.
This was because, all around the room, the walls were littered with pictures of Ally. Entering her apartment. Leaving her apartment. Walking down the hall. In the parking lot walking to her Mustang. Getting in or out of it.
And more.
Ally in Fortnum’s. Ally at Stella’s gigs. Ally bartending at Brother’s. Ally at the mall with one or more of the Rock Chicks.
And Ally entering and exiting his house. Some from months ago. Some from days ago.
The whole room was covered in Ally.
Every inch.
There were so many pictures, they were several layers deep.
“Boss? Lucky?” Santo prompted and Ren cut his eyes to the man.
“Yes, I fuckin’ want Lucky to nab him,” he growled. “And call Dom. Now.” He threw out a hand. “And take pictures of this shit. Detailed.”
After he issued his orders, he spent no more time in that space.
He walked right out.
His gut still tied up tight.
His chest now burning.
* * * * *
Ally
I walked into the down room at Nightingale Investigations to see the gang all there.
Every one of them.
This included Lee, Eddie, Hank, Vance, Mace, Hector, Darius, Matt, Bobby, Monty, Ike, Jack, Brody and even Luke, who just got back from his honeymoon with Ava that morning.
