Bloody Heart (Brutal Birthright #4) - Sophie Lark Page 0,92
was probably a trap, knowing we were outnumbered and at a tactical disadvantage.”
“Jack knew that, too,” Aida says, firmly. “He went along willingly.”
Callum just shakes his head, not willing to forgive himself for getting his friend killed.
“So what now?” Aida asks me.
“You two need to lay low,” I tell them. “You can’t give Du Pont another chance to take a shot at you. That means no public appearances, and especially no planned events. You give this guy advanced notice of where you’re going, and the next time he won’t miss.”
“It was only dumb luck he missed last time,” Callum says, darkly.
“Yes, you’re welcome,” Aida says, “For once your wife’s clumsiness paid off.”
She’s trying to make a joke like she usually would, but her face looks strained and pale. Her hand is pressed against the side of her belly, like she feels a pain there.
“I don’t want to wait for him to find me again,” Callum says. “Let’s track this fucker down and put an end to this.”
“I’ve got an idea of where he might be,” I tell Cal. “But I don’t think you should come with me. Stay with Aida, stay out of sight. We don’t want to tip him off just yet that we know who he is. Let him think you’re hiding out.”
Callum frowns. I can tell he doesn’t like the idea of hiding. He wants to take action just as much as I do. Probably more.
But Aida is clinging to his arm. She definitely doesn’t want him stepping foot out of the house.
“Please, Cal,” she begs, looking up at him.
Aida never begs for anything.
Callum looks as surprised as I am.
“Please,” she says again.
“Alright,” he agrees, reluctantly. “I’ll stay put for now. But call me the minute you find anything, Dante.”
“I will,” I promise him.
I’m acting like I don’t want to bring Cal along so we can lull Du Pont into a false sense of security. But the truth is, I want to keep him safe. If Aida were to lose her husband right before the baby was born, it would destroy her. For the sake of my little sister, I have to protect Callum, whether he likes it or not.
I’d like to take Nero along with me, but he’s working on the hard drive I stole from Kenwood’s house. Even though I don’t think Kenwood hired Du Pont anymore, I still want Nero to crack the encryption so we can see what kind of shit Kenwood has been secretly recording inside his house.
Instead, I call Seb as I’m climbing into my SUV. He picks up after two rings.
“Hey, big brother.”
“Hey. You free this afternoon?”
“Depends. What’s on the menu?”
“Exploratory mission.”
“Long drive?”
“Less than an hour.”
“Alright. Come pick me up—I’ll text you the address.”
Seb sends me an address I don’t recognize. It turns out to be a fancy condo building in the Loop. I wait in the car, and he comes down five minutes later, looking flushed and slightly out of breath.
“What the hell were you doing?” I ask him.
He grins. “What do you think?”
“You got some girlfriend living there?”
“Somebody else’s girlfriend who gets lonely from time to time.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake—you taking lessons from Nero?”
Seb shrugs. “He’s settled into monogamy. Aida’s about to have a baby. And you’re perpetually boring—so somebody’s got to have a little fun,” he says, buckling his seatbelt and flipping on the music.
I know he’s joking around, but he doesn’t actually look like he’s having that much fun.
Seb’s been in a rough state the last year or two, since his leg got fucked up. He’s been bouncing around, sometimes helping us with work, sometimes disappearing for days or even weeks while he drinks, parties, and does who the fuck knows what else. Apparently banging girls who are already in a relationship.
He’s unshaven today, messy-haired, shirt looking like it hasn’t been washed. Dark circles under his eyes. I had hoped he’d latch onto this South Shore project like Nero did, and it would give him something different to focus on. But Seb has never been as interested in the family business as the rest of us.
Still, he’s useful for a job like today.
I had Nero look up all the properties owned by various members of the Du Pont family. There were three within a two-hour drive of Chicago. One was a little house in Evanston owned by MaryAnne Du Pont, now MaryAnne Ghery. Since she’s a schoolteacher with three small children, I crossed that one off the list. The second was an apartment downtown owned by