“So, it’s decided,” Lee said.
It was late.
The Nightingale Men were in the down room at the Nightingale Investigations offices with Eddie, Hank, Marcus Sloan, Sergeant Wil ie Moses, Lieutenant Malcolm Nightingale (Lee’s Dad) and Lieutenant Tom Savage (Indy’s Dad).
“It’s decided,” Eddie agreed.
Kai “Mace” Mason was sitting on a chair pul ed in from the control room. Mace leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees, linked his fingers and looked at his boots.
Hector was pissed. Mace didn’t even have to look at him to know he was pissed.
Then again, Hector didn’t have a woman who was targeted for murder and only Mace had a woman whose blood had already been spil ed.
Mace closed his eyes on that thought and the only thing he could see was Stel a’s thigh, her smooth, soft skin gaping open, wet and bloody.
He opened his eyes again.
“Mace,” Lee cal ed.
Mace’s head came up. When his attention had been captured, it wasn’t Lee who spoke but Lee’s father.
“You worked hard on this, son. You ‘n’ Hank ‘n’ Eddie got close. But now the girls are on the line. There’s no shame in what we’re doin’,” Malcolm told Mace.
Mace nodded. He knew that. He didn’t feel shame.
He felt relief.
He hadn’t slept the night before. If he closed his eyes his brain gave him three options. The first, seeing Stel a’s wound. The second, watching her cover her head when bul ets were flying around her. The third, the memory that she was bleeding in the backseat and tried to tel him but he didn’t listen.
It would seem he hadn’t paid much attention to Stel a and he thought, when they were together, he’d paid a great deal.
Last night, instead of sleeping, he just lay behind her, listening to her breathe and thinking that sound was sweeter than any song he’d ever heard her sing. And his Stel a had a beautiful voice, he’d never heard better.
“You got something on your mind?” Lee asked.
“Yeah,” Mace replied.
“Now’s the time to talk about it,” Lee told him.
Mace didn’t speak. He wasn’t big on talking through his feelings.
“She’s tough,” Luke threw in, going direct to the heart of the matter.
Mace’s eyes moved to Luke and he went to the heart of the matter too. “Last night, she got shot and a friend of hers got her brains blown out.”
Al the men in the room were silent. Al the men in the room knew that Mace knew better than anyone what it felt like to have someone you cared about murdered. Not just murdered but their brains splattered by a bul et.
The difference between Stel a and Mace was that Mace had actual y been there to see his sister’s head explode.
“You’re gonna have to stick to her,” Tom advised.
Mace nodded.
“You two solid?” Vance asked.
“I’m workin’ on it,” Mace told Vance.
Vance grinned. “By my count, it takes about two weeks to real y wear ‘em down.”
Mace shook his head in amusement. Vance was referring to his and Lee, Eddie, Hank and Luke’s wild, dangerous and intense courtships with Jules, Indy, Jet, Roxie and Ava.
“I been noticin’ that,” Mace replied.
“We’re agreed here Mace.” Hank cut into the lightening atmosphere. Hank knew Mace and Hank didn’t feel like joking.
Mace’s eyes sliced to Hank. “I’m aware of that.”
“You go maverick, seeking retribution for what they did to Stel a and Lindsey –” Hank went on.
“Going maverick means she’s on the line,” Mace interrupted Hank.
“Yeah,” Hank answered.
“That’s not gonna happen,” Mace finished and everyone could tel he meant every word.
Lee’s voice cut through the tension. “We got three unsecure homes and Vance and Monty haven’t finished with the surveil ance equipment and alarm systems yet. You got a Rock Chick, tonight, you stay at The Castle.” After Lee issued his order, Luke lifted his chin. Hank nodded. Eddie sighed. Vance smiled at his feet. Mace looked down at his boots.
“Get good rest. This isn’t over until the sit down with Sid,” Tom added.
Hector, Ike, Bobby, Darius, Monty and Matt took off.
Bobby and Matt had girlfriends, Monty, a wife and five kids.
Al of them, for some reason, hadn’t been targeted the night before but al , now, were sleeping while being watched by Brody in the control room.
Lee approached Mace.
“You got something else you wanna talk about?” Lee asked.
“Nope,” Mace answered.
“After your sister, this is cutting close to the bone,” Eddie put in, coming up on one side.
“That bone’s exposed; has been for a long time, nothing cuts close to it anymore,” Mace responded.
“It’s different when she gets under your skin.” Hank joined the group. “She’s under your skin, isn’t she?”
“Has been awhile,” Mace replied.
“Fuck, you’re screwed.” Vance came around the other side.