Spark of Hope (MacKenny Brothers #3) - Kathleen Kelly Page 0,19

is one of the first signs of withdrawal, and the fact he’s rubbing his arms probably means he’s in some pain.

“Do you have anything in the house? A hit to tide you over?”

Ben nods.

“Go get it. Do it in the bathroom and clean yourself up. You’ve got less than ten minutes. And don’t assume I won’t take your useless ass out of here naked if I have to.”

Ben scrambles to his feet and goes into the kitchen with Cutter keeping an eye on him. Sean widens his eyes and holds a hand over his mouth. The stench is disgusting. When Ben walks back past us, Sean does a sidestep to put more distance between them. I wait until the door is closed to the bathroom before I speak.

“Who’s coming to pick him up?”

“Angus, he won’t let anyone drive his precious van,” replies Sean.

Cutter barks out a laugh. “Yeah, do you think he knows the way here?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.

“Nothing. Is he bringing the kid?”

I stare at Sean, who shrugs. “You did tell him to babysit.”

Great.

The last thing Logan needs is to be dragged deeper into his defective family.

“What did you say to Ben while we were outside?”

Cutter’s lips go up in a self-satisfied smirk. “He asked if we were going to let him live, and I told him no.”

I sigh and look up at the ceiling. “Jesus, Cutter, go check on him.”

“Why?”

I quirk an eyebrow, and he stomps toward the bathroom like a petulant child. Cutter knocks once, then tries to open the door. It’s locked, so he knocks again and then steps back and kicks it open. Ben is standing there naked, staring at the floor. Cutter walks around him, turns on the shower, and pushes Ben under the spray.

Shaking my head, I say, “This has been one very long fucking day.”

“Yeah. I’m going to go outside and ring my girl.”

I address Sean. “Will Beth be awake?”

“She doesn’t sleep well when I’m not home, and she’s a country girl. Beth gets up with the sun.”

Sean moves outside, and I follow him to the door. The first rays of a new day are streaking across the sky. It’s been nearly twenty-four hours since Lola went missing. In the space of a day, my world has gone to hell. I swear when I get my hands on Lola, if she’s still alive, I’m going to kill her myself for putting me through this. Then, we’re going to have a serious talk about secrets.

Cutter appears beside me. “He’s clean and in the process of getting dressed.”

“Thanks, Cutter.”

“Prez, what are you going to do with him?”

“Lola’s decision.”

“And if she’s dead?”

Sharply, I turn and face him. “She’s not.”

Cutter nods. “Right.”

He walks away from me, back toward Ben.

Sean taps me on the shoulder and then puts his cell away. “You all right? You look like you’re about to rip his head off.”

Cracking my knuckles one at a time, I say nothing and walk back through the house with Sean right behind me.

“Beth says, hello.”

“Cool.”

Ben is in his bedroom, dressed in clean clothes, looking slightly better. His dirty-blond hair has been combed, and he appears fresher. He certainly smells better. There’s a knock at the front door. Sean holds a finger to his lips and pulls his gun out as he moves toward the front of the house. Cutter and I pull out our guns as we watch Sean crack the door an inch only to swear, holster his gun, and open the door wider.

Standing there is Angus and Logan.

“You bought the kid?” I ask.

“Yeah, we were out getting breakfast, so…”

Cutter laughs. “Right, breakfast. What did you get?”

For a second, Angus looks surprised. “Ah, we didn’t get there yet.”

Cutter laughs harder. “I bet.”

“What the fuck is going on between you two?” I ask.

“Nothing,” they say in unison.

“I swear if you’re keeping something from me, I’ll beat you bloody.”

Cutter pats my shoulder. “It’s nothing, Prez. Let’s get moving.”

Kyle

Ben guides us to Tommy’s house. Sean goes in first and comes out moments later, shaking his head.

“No one is in there. The bathroom has red hair dye everywhere.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“Maybe they’re trying to disguise themselves… or Lola.”

Lola has long blonde hair. Unlike her mother and brother, it’s a golden color. I can’t picture her as a redhead.

“Was there anything in there of use?”

“Not a fucking thing.” Sean stares at the van and lowers his voice. “What are you going to do with Ben?”

“Throw him in the pit.”

Sean’s eyebrows go up, and he purses