Chapter Twenty-One

Ice called Dave.

The SecDef listened to his suspicions about Solomon, but wanted to give the Erebus leader the benefit of the doubt about the set up.

One thing Dave brought up was last year when Solomon got shot during a sting on their former Erebus leader. As far as Ice was concerned, that could have been a way to keep his fucking cover. Dave, however, was disturbed over the fact that Solomon had taken street kids and made them into killers.

“Keep this under wraps for now,” Dave said.

Ice clenched his teeth. “Yeah, okay.”

“Where are you?” Dave said.

“Wrath’s place.”

“Stay there and try to figure out who all is involved in this set up. I’ll call Solomon.” Dave’s voice had gone very quiet.

Ice knew that tone and he hoped that Dave had the fucker killed.

If not? He’d do it himself.

“Who was that?” Wrath asked, coming from the short hallway off of the kitchen. The one-bedroom apartment was small, but comfortable.

“Our boss. He wants us to work on who set us up,” Ice said.

“Who do you think it was?”

“Solomon, but Dave said to cover all factors.”

“Solomon, really?”

“Yeah, that’s my thinking.”

“Hmm.” Wrath tapped his chin with a squinty-eyed look. The doorbell rang and their earlier order of food arrived.

“So, who do you think it was?” Ice asked once Wrath tipped the guy and closed the door.

Wrath placed the box on the low table and Ice snagged a piece of pizza and tore into it. They sat on the man’s sunken-in brown tweed sofa sharing a pepperoni and sausage with extra cheese, plus sparkling water.

“I don’t think Solomon did it. All signs point to Rogue.”

“Why Rogue?” Ice asked, vaguely remembering the man who’d come in with Fisher that time in Solomon’s office.

“Rogue has always been protective of Echo.”

“That doesn’t mean shit. Wait…why?”

“Did Echo tell you about his past?”

“Yeah.” Ice held Wrath’s eyes and after a long moment, the assassin nodded.

“Rogue was there with Echo.”

“As in?” Ice squinted.

“As in caged by that sick fuck.”

“Sick fuck?” Ice echoed.

“Rogue won’t give me his name,” Wrath sighed.

Shit.

Fuck.

Wrath did not know that Solomon was the one who had caged them. Ice badly wanted to share what he knew about Solomon, but he’d promised Dave to keep a lid on it.

“How many kids were there?” Ice asked, the pizza forgotten in his hand. Echo hadn’t known just how many children were involved.

“I don’t know, the details are sketchy. And this guy is a fucking ghost,” Wrath said, eating half a slice of pizza in one bite.

Ice wondered how Solomon had gotten away with it right under their noses. He had to talk to Dave. But one thing was for sure. Solomon was the mastermind of setting them up and nobody was going to change his mind about that fact.

“Why do you think Rogue set us up?”

“Because of this…” Wrath dug something out of his pocket and held up a bullet. “Justice dug this out of you. It’s Rogue’s signature to use a jacketed soft lead.”

“How’d you get that?”

“From Stone,” Wrath said.

Ice eyed the soft lead that surrounded the copper metal. It was designed to allow a bullet to penetrate the target easier.

“It was Echo who shot me,” Ice pointed out.

Wrath nodded and ate another piece of pie. “Yeah, but I suspect Rogue switched out the bullets in Echo’s gun.”

“He has access to Echo’s place?” Ice asked, unable to keep the affronted tone out of his voice. Hell, not even he knew where Echo lived.

Wrath snorted as if the answer was a no brainer.

“You don’t know anyone else who uses that?” Ice asked, eyeing the bullet.

“Not anyone who would want you dead.”

“Does Rogue have a thing for Echo?”

“No, not in the way you’re thinking, but they grew up together in that hell hole. They are brothers.”

“Blood?”

“No, but as close,” Wrath said.

The doorbell rang and both he and Wrath pulled their weapons.

“Stay quiet,” Wrath ordered and made his way to the camera that showed the front downstairs door. “It’s Justice…” Wrath sounded surprised as hell and hit the buzzer.

A few moments later, the door opened and Wrath’s younger brother came inside. Windblown hair a mess. Blue eyes wary, like an animal’s. And wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans with black combat boots.

“What are you doing here?” Wrath said, not sounding happy at all even though Ice knew Wrath had to be pleased.

“Well, hello to you too, big bro,” Justice said sarcastically and walked past Wrath.

Ice held the man’s gaze. “Where’s Echo?”

“I don’t know,” Justice said. “But you had someone out there waiting for you to emerge.”

“Who?”

Justice shook his head.

“What about this?” Wrath held out the bullet and dropped it into Justice’s hand.

“This is Rogue’s signature round; I’m thinking he replaced Echo’s bullets with these.”

“To be sinister or just safe?” Wrath asked and Ice stared at the assassin. What kind of question was that? Did Wrath think that Rogue wasn’t involved in the set up? Ice couldn’t tell because Wrath kept his eyes and face blank.

“Was that who was out there, Rogue?” Ice asked Justice, shoving to his feet. He entered the small kitchen and dumped his paper plate in the trash.

“No.” Justice shook his head, walked over, and took one of the two last pieces of pizza.

“Was it Echo?” Ice asked even though he didn’t for one moment believe it would be.

“It was Fisher,” Justice said around a mouthful and shot a quick glance at Wrath.

Wrath’s face turned into a thunder cloud. “Rogue sent Fisher,” Wrath said, squeezing his fists.

“Yeah.” Justice ran a hand through his longish hair.

Something was going on beneath the surface and Ice was done.

“What the fuck is going on?” he said.

Justice glanced at him and then back to Wrath. “You better rein your boy in.”

“Boy?” Ice echoed. Was Justice calling him a boy? Wait, that couldn’t be right.

“He’s not my fucking boy,” Wrath snarled.

“Like hell he isn’t. You’re the only one who can control him. Get him reined in because if he has Fisher do something that he doesn’t want to, Rogue is going to end up dead,” Justice said, his voice as deep and hard as Wrath’s.

They were talking about Rogue.

“Fuck you,” Wrath snapped.

“And I’ll be the one to do it,” Justice added.

Wrath’s fist connected to Justice’s jaw. Now that was surprising because Justice was clearly the bigger of the two well-muscled men.

Justice rubbed his jaw, slanted Ice a glance, and then shoulder knocked Wrath out of his way before stalking out the door. The slam left behind echoed in the apartment. Wrath stood clenching his fists, a muscle ticked in his jaw.

“What the fuck is going on?” Ice said.

“Nothing.”

“Bull fucking shit. Do you have control over Rogue?”

Wrath gave a heavy sigh and walked back over to sit on the couch. Ice rounded the counter and resumed his seat next to the guy.

“Wrath, be honest with me. Do you have any control over him?” Ice said.

“I have some, but I don’t think it’s enough. He doesn’t answer to me.”

“Who does he answer to?”

“That, I don’t know.”

“And you still think it’s Rogue?” Ice said.

“Yes. I know him. He will do anything to keep Echo from being happy.”

Ice shook his head. He wasn’t buying it and neither would Wrath if he knew that Solomon was the mastermind behind this whole fucking thing. Yet, what proof did he have for his suspicions? Not a fucking thing, that was what he had. So now he had to prove that Solomon had planned and used Rogue to execute the set up.

“Call Rogue,” Ice said.

“I’ll talk to him.” There was a sad pull at the corner of Wrath’s mouth and Ice felt for the guy. He knew firsthand what it was like caring for an assassin. Sympathy aside, Ice still wanted to kill Rogue himself for tricking Echo into shooting him.

For that alone, they had a score to settle even if it was like Justice said between Wrath and Rogue.

And he’d take great pleasure in choking the life out of Solomon.

That old saying—it’s not personal, it’s just business didn’t apply this time around.

It was very personal to him. They had fucked with his trust and almost killed him.

They’d also fucked with Echo.

And that was something Ice couldn’t allow.