Chapter 3

Chapter 3

What he’d give right now to be running down Tallow Beach.

To feel the wind as he raced the lengthy expanse of white gold sand that spanned from the Cape Byron Lighthouse to Lennox Head.

He craved it to clear his mind and regain some sanity.

No such luck,he thought.

Instead, Ash had spent most of his morning in admin, clearing his inbox in the quiet of the Conservatory.

Where he’d been interrupted by one sexy woman and her freakin’ ‘take-me-now’ heels, causing him to flee her irresistible pull.

He’d then skipped lunch so he could meet up with new distributors for the distillery.

As he sat in his car outside Byron Bay Public, waiting for the school bell, he used the time to work through his ever-growing list of things to do.

Starting with sharing the outcome of his meeting, which he relayed to Diesel over the phone.

‘The Singapore deal is locked in,’ Ash said as he toggled the volume on his Bluetooth in-car speakers. ‘They want more of the ‘21 batch on a monthly consignment. Up to sixty cases if we’ve got it.’

The man he addressed whistled under his breath. ‘Bring it, brother, great work.’

‘D, how’s the B Corp application? We need this cert ASAP, brother. It’ll get us tons of extra publicity.’

‘Going well. We hear back in three weeks. Getting accepted is a challenge, but we’ve got a good shot given we’ve met all the markers for environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.’

Diesel was his close mate and business partner in ‘Falcon By The Sea’, their gin, whisky and liquor distillery business. A concept that mirrored the Falcon Group’s successes in farming and hospitality.

In the last five years, Ash had invested in his parents’ macadamia spread, adding new varieties of plants to produce unique edible fruits, native species, and botanicals. The orchards and farm were the perfect pantry for creating a world-class selection of gins and whiskies.

Working with Diesel, an award-winning distiller, he’d crafted best-selling spirits packed with native Australian rainforest fruits and flavours.

They were on the cusp of getting global recognition for their unusual vintages. Their ciders, too, had a cult status for being somewhat lethal and almost weapons-grade.

Made in small batches, they shipped them out to hardcore enthusiasts. Most of them were his ex-military brothers, who swore it burnt through misery and staved off any crippling ennui for days.

‘Good. Let me know how it goes.’

‘Will do,’ Diesel said. ‘We’re also close to releasing the macadamia liqueur.’

‘Sweet. As soon as the first batch is out, I want a few boxes sent to Cole. He can flog it at Toby’s, and it’ll fly when he adds his magic publican touch.’

‘Done.’

Ash tapped off the call and leaned back into the headrest.

A wave of weariness hit him, and he sighed. His plate was overflowing with work, almost to a tipping point.

Not only was he overseeing Falcon House while Denise was away, but he also had to watch over the farm and the distillery. As well as his covert defence contracting hustle.

Ash had a significant stake in Sovereign Allied. The Sydney-based firm was a private military contractor that worked on an exclusive basis with the higher end of the market—providing protection to governments, celebrities, and politicians.

They also worked with law enforcement, supplying professionally trained armed personnel and logistical support. Their team was the best in cyber-security, technical counter-measures, counter-surveillance, and counter-espionage services.

The Sovereign mob was Ash’s family. His brother Cole and one of his best mates, Saint, ran the day-to-day aspects of the firm.

Three other individuals also held shares in the company - Dave Ellis, Kamila Kenos and Kris Tanner.

All six had served together in the Special Air Service Regiment, a special forces unit of the Australian Army, along with Slade, their lost brother.

Their work focused on eliminating high-value targets and performed hostage rescues, reconnaissance and direct action assignments.

They’d worked together during a complicated deployment in Afghanistan, guarding supply convoys in war-torn parts of the country.

It turned into a shit show when their fellow Sabre squad member, Slade North, disappeared during an ambush. One which Ash was convinced they’d been led into with bum intel.

No sign of Slade’s body had ever been recovered, and it was thought insurgents had kidnapped him.

Defence spent considerable time looking for any sign of life, but none was forthcoming, so after five years, the search was abandoned.

On the other hand, Ash had never given up on his mate. He used his links into black ops for top secret intra-government organisations to keep searching.

Now, the firm was knee-deep in a covert operation he sensed was the closest he’d ever come to finding Slade alive.

It centred on a criminal investigation into their ex-CO in the army.

A man whose stepdaughter was now on Ash’s patch and perplexing the heck out of him.

Cece was one intriguing woman,Ash admitted to himself.

She’d thrown his challenge back in his face earlier today, giving him lip for his efforts to wear her down.

He was still refusing to give her his name on principle. Telling himself she should have dug deeper to find out who he was.

He smirked because the thrill of annoying her was worth it. Even though he was hell-bent on making her family pay for the suffering they’d caused.

He could tell she was one strong woman, not easily intimidated, which raised his respect for her.

Still, he wouldn’t let her best him, not now, not when he was so close to his goals.

The school bell chimed, and he unfurled himself from his graphite black, modded Land Cruiser 70 series rig.

Slapping on his aviators to ward off the intense sun, he strolled towards the spot outside the school gates where he waited for Jake.

A few other parents stood around, and Ash jolted as a pair of satin blue high heels caught his eye.

He snapped his gaze to the woman moving in them with the sway of a dancer.

In that instant, Ash knew who they belonged to. He’d given them his full attention earlier that day.

His eyes lingered on the beautiful ass in that pencil skirt and the sweeping line of her back and neck.

At that moment, he was overwhelmed with the need to have those long legs wrapped around his waist. To have those satin blue high heels digging into his back. To have her under him, keening for relief, to make her weep and scream his name.

Woah.

As he passed behind her, he took care not to pass too close but enough so he got hit with her scent. A floral-citrus mix of lemon verbena, mandarin and peach notes. Which sent a jolt to his cock.

He wanted her. No doubt.

But she was way off limits due to her shady shades of grey family.

She hadn’t caught onto his presence yet, so he moved under a palm tree a few metres away and kept his gaze on her.

She sensed him in under ten seconds. She whipped her head around to the right, away from him, and then to the left. Landing her gaze square at where he stood, leaning against the tree.

He fought the smirk that threatened to lift the sides of his lips.

Fuck, this was fun.

Her eyes stayed hidden behind her sunglasses, but his skin rippled at the arctic touch of her glare. He kept a straight face on until she turned her back on him. Then he grinned to himself.

Her stance shifted to ramrod still as the air between them crackled.

His mind rebelled, and his heart rate spiralled as he realised he liked playing whateverthefuck this game was with Miss Mirren.

Around them, kids surged from the school gates and swarmed the pick-up area.

‘Dad!’

Jake launched into his arms, and for a moment, Ash forgot Miss Mirren.

‘Son, how was your day?’

‘Awesome. And even better, Mason goes to school here. He’s in the year behind me, but how cool! He’s awesome at handball, too, Dad, and he showed me some new moves. He’s pretty amazing.’

Without warning, Jake turned and called out. ‘Hey Mace, come on over.’

Ash looked up and spotted Cece’s son make a run towards them.

This would be interesting.

He noted Cece stare at the trio, take a deep breath, and then wander over, reluctance stamped all over her stiff body.

‘So Dad, can Mason come for a play date, maybe even a sleepover? Like soon?’

Ash gazed down at both boys and the eager expressions on their faces. ‘Not sure, bud.’

‘No.’

The cold refusal came from Cece, standing a few steps away, her lips pursed in annoyance.

‘Ah, y’all need to chat and know about each other, right?’ This, from his smart-aleck son.

Ash sucked in air, as he ran a hand through his hair. ‘Something like that.’

‘Hurry up and do it already.’

Mason added fuel to the fire. ‘Yeah! Do it!’

Ash almost choked as Cece looked away, her face set and cold. ‘Let’s give Miss Mirren and Mason time to settle in, OK buddy?’

Jake’s face fell. ‘Fine.’

‘Mason, we need to leave. Now.’

Cece was still pissed off, and it came across in the arctic tone of her voice.

‘Have a good one, Miss Mirren.’

She raised a brow. ‘You too, Mr -?’

He curled his lip, nabbed Jake around the shoulders and walked away, leaving her again in the dark.

‘Damn you!’

He heard her soft curse, sending the most delicious sensation through him. For a moment, as he closed the passenger door after helping Jake into the car, he imagined her saying it against his lips as his fingers drove her wild.

The image was so enticing that he groaned as he rounded his bonnet. Drawing a wide-eyed, curious glance from a passing parent with an uncanny resemblance to a famous onscreen star.

‘You ‘right, man?’ the man called out to him.

‘All good mate, all good.’

Except he wasn’t, and it took a few moments before his body came down from the unexpected high Cece Mirren was giving it. Only when his breath settled did he open the driver’s door and slip in behind the wheel.

Hell, no.

There was no way any connection would work out with Cece. Too much was on the line, plus the chasm between them, in the form of one ex-Major General.

Given her sass, the showdown between them would be stratospheric once she found out Ash was investigating Joseph Mirren.

He sucked his teeth at the thought of what she’d do if she found out she was being monitored. That she was a person of interest and that if she’d aided and abetted her father, she too was looking at serious charges.

‘Dad, let’s go! I’m starving!’

Jake’s hangry call helped shove Cece out of Ash’s thoughts.

He put his car in motion, tamping down the urge to indulge in more fantasies of her.

Undressing her in his mind would only put the mission in jeopardy. He needed his head clear of distractions because he and his team only had one shot.

To make ex-Major General Mirren and his family pay for all the pain and anguish they’d dumped onto his patch.

Cece cursed under her breath. Fuck that man.

He was driving her up the wall.

Worse still, she hadn’t quite stopped thinking about him since their chance encounter earlier that morning.

As she pulled away from the school, half listening to Mason’s chatter, she acknowledged something was fomenting between her and Mr Nameless.

Their interactions so far shifted between outright hostility and jacked-up attraction. She had no idea where it would finally land, but she couldn’t deny the pull between them, no matter how hard she tried.

However, she had no hopes for romance, at least not in the foreseeable future. Since her ex Nik, she’d set aside any expectations of true love, her heart not quite recovered from being stomped on and betrayed.

When she got home, she helped with homework, fed Mason, and put him to bed.

Soon after, her phone lit up just as she poured a glass of Rosé.

The caller ID showed it was her mother, and she picked up, eager to vent.

‘How was your first day, darling? I can talk freely because Joseph has left for golf and drinks at the club. He doesn’t return until 1 a.m. on nights like this.’

Cece gave Samantha a rundown of her day. ‘It went well. So far, so good. Mace enjoyed meeting his new teacher and making new friends.’

She sniffed, recalling Jake and his recalcitrant father.

‘That’s promising. So why is there a small hitch in your voice?’

Cece curled into her sofa and sighed. ‘Mum, why do you know me so well?’

‘You’re my world, darling. It’s my job to sense your discomfort and try to ease it. What happened?’

Cece went over her run-in with her nameless nemesis.

‘Mum, both times I’ve seen him, he’s been so cold and rude, like he thinks the worst of me. I’m so over men like that. Remember Nik? And the end of my marriage?’

‘How could I? He was your first love. You were gone from the moment you met that handsome, smiling Maori charmer at University.’

Cece huffed, reminiscing. ‘After he bumped into me when we scrambled to enter the Business 101 lecture hall. I dropped my bag, and he helped me pick it up. Later, he picked me up.’

Memories flooded back of how Nik had asked her for a drink later in the uni bar. She’d accepted and spent that evening laughing at his jokes, warmed by his attention and gentle nature.

They became inseparable. A few years later, they married, bought a house and had Mason a year after.

Samantha’s sigh cut through her thoughts. ‘I mourn the end of that marriage as much as you, sweetheart. He was so good to you at the start.’

‘Until he turned into a stranger in my home who treated me like I was nothing to him,’ Cece countered as she sipped her wine. ‘First, he lost his sense of humour. Then his patience, becoming sullen, withdrawn, and irritable.’

Samantha tut-tutted. ‘I remember the depression. He’d had a hard childhood living in poverty. He couldn’t deal with a mortgage, wife and child, so he gave up. On his job and his family.’

Cece had watched her young husband’s self-esteem plummet. Frustrated by his souring moods and disappointment with himself, she’d pleaded with him to change.

In response, he subjected her to long bouts of silent treatment and open contempt. Their sex life became nonexistent as he began drinking to calm his nerves.

‘I hated the alcohol, I hated the weed. I even suggested counselling, but that’s when Nik disappeared, walking out when Mace was a baby.’

Months later, she found out through mutual friends that he’d resurfaced in Auckland, where he’d gone to live with his Ngāti Te Ata people.

Their divorce had been a quiet, sad and silent affair when he’d signed and returned the papers with no question.

He’d shut her out without explanation and turned his back on her.

Samantha tsked under her breath. ‘Leaving you alone to cope with a young child and mortgage.’

‘What cuts the most, mum, is that he’s never explained his behaviour.’

The lack of closure meant Cece had shut down her romantic life and had never dated since.

It hurt, especially when she saw Nik reflected in the smiles her son gave her every day.

Devastated, Cece had done the same as many other women. She’d rolled up her sleeves and taken charge. She’d worked hard, nurtured her young son and kept paddling.

It had been exhausting and almost soul-destroying.

Therapy helped her re-frame her decision-making and view of herself.

She’d worked her way past the chasm between her hopes and experience. Now, she saw her life in broader terms than just a failure or a wasted effort.

She chose to embrace the idea that after a relationship breakdown, all she could do was love herself, live her life independently of a man and care for her loved ones.

Mace made her journey more worthwhile. Samantha had been a lifeline.

‘If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it, Mum, so thank you for having my back. As for that stranger, he has no idea I’ve had enough toxic men. I’m not going to take any of his shit lying down.’

‘That’s my girl,’ Samantha said, ringing off.

Later, Cece took a relaxing soak to clear her head. As she sat in the tub, she closed her eyes.

Images of the man from earlier that day crowded her mind. She recalled how he’d iced her with his smouldering, emerald, intense gaze.

She shivered despite the heated bath. Wondering who he was and why he was having such an effect on her.

She wasn’t sure she had it to indulge in thinking about him any further, despite how freakin’ sexy he was.

A man best forgotten, she concluded, letting her entire body sink into the water which rushed over her, washing her cares away.

Outside his window, the world lay shadowed.

Most bush creatures were silent this far from the highway, except for the crickets and frogs, up to their usual job filling the night with their chorus.

In his primary bedroom at Falcon Farm, Ash’s room was pitch-black.

A second later, a sliver of a moon slid out from the clouds, and a single shard of light fell into the room.

Fighting insomnia, Ash turned his head and gazed out his window at the faint flashes of stars streaking by and disappearing in the crack-of-dawn sky. He spotted a ghost-like owl.

Or was that a bat flitting past, its wings a blur in the night?

His phone buzzed.

He sat up in bed, blinking at the screen as he answered.

The man on the other line didn’t waste a breath. ‘Sir. It’s Gil. He’s relapsed again. He went out for a bite last night and got lashed. I think he got his hands on something.’

Ash sucked his teeth as he swung his long legs out of bed. ‘Reg, where is he?’

‘Back home at the share pad. I found him cruising the streets a few hours ago. Out of his mind.’

Ash groaned, checking his watch. It was 4 a.m., but sleep had long eluded him. ‘I’ll be right over.’

He headed to the bathroom. He freshened up, snagged some gear, threw on a jacket and army boots and headed downstairs.

He tapped a text to Rose, whom he knew woke up early anyway.

His phone pinged back, confirming that she would watch Jake and take him to school that morning.

Ash stepped out into fresh air, thick with the scent of sweet rain due to a late-night shower over the hinterland.

Fog rolled over the road as he drove towards Byron. The town was dark; the streets deserted, empty of the flood of tourists and sun lovers. Just the occasional car sped by, but nothing else.

Soon, he parked outside a workman’s cottage on the outskirts of town.

The place was a neat, inconspicuous, one-story, five-bedroom home.

It was also a halfway house for men from Ash’s former battalion. Soldiers who’d fought alongside or under his command. Those who’d run afoul of life’s challenges and needed a hand-up.

Sovereign Allied paid the bills for this place. Reg Akimoto, a fellow ex-soldier and Ash’s Sovereign 2IC in Byron, ran it. He also oversaw all their security contracts in the region.

Reg was Diesel’s older brother. He was a good man, built like a tank and loyal to a fault.

Ash prowled to the front entrance. Reg slid the door open before he’d announced himself. The rays of early dawn lit up his rugged face, his eyes shadowed with concern.

‘Boss.’

Ash jerked his chin at the burly, mixed-race, Japanese Australian man in greeting, his expression grim. ‘How is he doing?’

Reg shook his head. ‘Not good. He’s in a bad way.’

Ash stalked inside, sliding off his jacket. ‘Where is he?’

Reg led him along a narrow hallway.

Both men tracked past the kitchen, where three other men stood around, looking worried.

Ash nodded at them, and they saluted back. ‘Sir.’

He paused. ‘You men doing OK?’

They nodded at him, their faces solemn, arms crossed over their chests.

‘Good. Reg and I will take care of Gil. You guys go on with your day.’

They nodded and returned to their breakfasts, preparing to fan out to their gigs in construction, trades or hospitality—work designed to keep them out of trouble.

The kind Gil fell into.

Reg led Ash to a small bedroom at the end of the corridor.

A young, swarthy, dark-haired man lay on a bed, sweat pouring down his face. His eyes were closed, and he panted, his lungs labouring hard.

The rank smell of his body odour filled the room with the scent of stale desperation. The moist night air pressed against his flesh, doing little to cool him. Ash could almost see the heat radiating off him in waves.

‘Shit,’ he muttered under his breath. He walked over to the bed and checked Gil’s pulse. It was racing.

Ash gently shook him. ‘Gil. Wake up, man.’

Gil stirred, his eyes fluttering open. He looked up at Ash, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused. ‘Sir. What are you doing here?’

‘I’m here to help,’ Ash said, his voice firm but kind. ‘Remember anything?’

‘Met some dudes on Main Street; they took me to some bar. We were having a good time, then -.’ Gil’s voice faded off.

Ash shook his head. ‘You need to stop taking that stuff, my friend. You’re killing yourself.’

Gil groaned and tried to sit up but collapsed back onto the bed. ‘I can’t do it, Sir. I’ve tried. It’s too hard.’

Ash sighed, softening the hardness in his voice. ‘You can’t keep living like this. It would be best if you went to rehab.’

‘I don’t need rehab. I can handle it,’ Gil slurred.

He slumped back, eyes rolling. Moisture sheeted off him, and Ash spotted a damp stain under his body.

He turned to Reg. ‘Elevated temperature, sweating, delirium. Any idea what he took?’

Reg nodded, ‘Found this on him.’

He handed Ash a small folded light brown pack. It had a logo stamped on it. Ash looked closer. He peered at the red snake imprinted on the surface.

‘What’s this?’

‘The baggie his coke came in.’

‘They’re branding these days, hey?’

‘Everything’s a brand, my friend. Even coke.’

‘Damn.’

‘They call it ‘Red Adder’, thus the crimson snake logo. From what some of our crew say, it’s the newest, hottest thing on the streets. It’s laced with a high percentage of fentanyl for faster, wilder highs. It kills just as quickly.’

Ash clenched his jaw as he fingered the baggie. ‘Fuck. I know the name, ‘Red Adder’. It’s a cartel.’

Gil let out a moan, and suddenly, his eyes rolled.

‘He needs medical attention,’ Reg said, his voice tight with worry.

Ash nodded, moving in a clip to Gil’s side. ‘Looks like he’s ODding. We need to drive him to a hospital. Now.’

Reg grunted, and together, they lifted Gil off the bed. Carrying him through the house and past his concerned mates.

Outside, they bundled the young man into Ash’s car.

They raced in tense silence to the nearest emergency room.

Ash’s mind scrambled with thoughts of Gil’s predicament as they waited for the doctors to work on his charge.

He couldn’t help but feel guilty for not being more engaged with the young man.

He suspected Reg felt the same, given his hang-dog expression. The men his 2IC cared for at the halfway house were his responsibility. He took his role seriously.

After a long wait, a thin, harried male doctor bustled towards them. ‘Mr Falconer, Mr Akimoto, your friend is stable now. We were able to revive him, but he’s not out of the woods yet. We’ve admitted him to the ICU and will monitor him over the next few days. He should recover well.’

Ash nodded, relief flooding through him. ‘Thank you, doctor. Can we speak with him?’

The doctor hesitated for a moment before nodding. ‘I’ll allow a short visit, but please try not to overexert him. He needs his rest.’

Ash and Reg followed the doctor down a hallway to the ICU. They entered a small room where Gil lay in a ward bed.

Tubes protruded from his arms, and monitors beeped beside him. He looked pale, weak, and fragile.

A wave of guilt and regret washed over Ash. He’d brought Gil into the halfway house and promised to help him get his life back to a better place. Which the young man swore he’d do.

Yet here he was, lying in hospital after an overdose.

Ash walked over to the bed. ‘Hey.’

Gil opened his eyes and gazed at Ash, pupils unfocused. ‘Sir.’

‘How are you feeling?’

‘Like shit.’

Ash gave the young man a raised brow. ‘You don’t say? You gave us both quite the scare. The doc says you’re going to be okay. We’re going to find you the help you need.’

Gil closed his eyes again. ‘I don’t deserve it.’

Ash squeezed his shoulder. ‘Everyone deserves a second chance, Gil. You have to want it for yourself.’

Reg cleared his throat. ‘So, man, you’ll be under observation for a few days. I’ll talk to the doctors and negotiate for an early discharge.’

Gil nodded, eyes fluttering open. ‘Thank you. I appreciate it.’

Ash patted the man’s shoulder. ‘We’ll see you soon, Gil. Take the rest you need.’

Reg jerked his chin. ‘I’ll call you to find out how you’re doing.’

Gil nodded and slid back into a stupor.

Ash turned to his 2IC. ‘I want a report on him every couple of hours.’

‘Yes, Sir.’

Ash stood for a moment, gazing at the sleeping man before shaking his head, his frustration palpable.

He turned around and left the room, Reg in his wake.

The two of them walked in silence back to Ash’s waiting vehicle.

Ash paused at his car door. ‘The snake snow. We know where it’s coming from?’

Reg gave a non-committal shrug. ‘I’ve had noises from the boys that it’s moving fast between current and former soldiers. It’s all over most barracks across the East Coast, and now it’s here. I suspect Gil met up with a buddy from the service and got a score off him. We’re also seeing it in the clubs. Some of my bouncer guys have nabbed it from kids on the dance floor.’

Ash’s jaw clenched as he raised a booted foot onto the sports footstep to tie the undone lace on his shoe. ‘If it’s Red Adder, it’s linked to ex-Major General Joseph Mirren.’

‘Mirren? The guy being investigated?’

‘You heard?’

‘It’s only the worst kept secret on the East Coast.’

‘Just so you know, I’m running an investigation into the general. On behalf of a joint task force led by the ADFIS MPs. They’re understaffed and overwhelmed, so they brought us in to help.’

Reg whistled under his breath. ‘Why us?’

‘Plausible deniability. Our security gigs give us access to those he’s dealing with, especially his wealthy clients. Means we can also keep an eye on those who make their lifestyles possible - from limo coke delivery services to money laundering and tax evasion specialists.’

‘How long have we been looking into this shit?’

‘Saint and I have been working on this for months. Now that Red Adder is in Byron, you need to be in on it. We’ve got intel that Mirren is working with them. They’ve industrial-scale supply lines, nation-sized GDPs and arsenals of weapons. For months, they’ve flooded the local drug scene, making top dollar from well-off individuals desperate for a high.’

‘Sounds like a traitor to me.’

‘That’s because he is. It isn’t enough that he got so many kids hooked when he was their CO. Now, he’s prancing around like a self-styled drug lord after leaving the service. His deadly product was now in Byron, risking countless young lives. Worse still, he also betrayed us in Afghanistan. I can’t wait to ice this man for all the fucking pain he’s caused.’

Ash had witnessed the man’s cruelty while serving under Joseph Mirren on tour.

When the call came to look into him, he’d stepped up to investigate Mirren without hesitation. Keen to bring him down after his actions on tour and now, when his dark influence was destroying lives, including those of naive young veterans.

Frustratingly, the man was elusive, always two steps ahead of the law, using his contacts to cover up his misdeeds.

For a second, Ash wanted to rush back to Falcon House. To tear down Cece’s door and demand she come back with him. To meet Gil and witness the effect of her stepfather’s callousness.

He let go of the impossible illusion.

What he needed to do right now was ensure Gil was on the path to recovery. Only then could he focus on the bigger picture.

‘What are we doing about it?’ Reg asked, breaking through Ash’s thoughts.

‘We have a blank cheque to do whatever it takes to bring him down. So let’s use it to our advantage.’

‘How so?’

‘Use all you’ve got to track down where this shit is coming from.’

‘Understood.’

‘Give me concrete evidence. We need to fucking nail him, once and for all,’ Ash said, his voice tight with emotion.

Reg nodded. ‘I’m with you. I’ll stay with Gil for a bit today, then head out later and put some feelers out. Perhaps find out who the source is in town. It’s got to be coming in somehow.’

Ash opened his car door and slid behind the wheel, touching a button to start the engine. ‘Do it. I’ll also chat with Saint to see if he has a bead on the baggies. We’ll need all the ammo we can get our hands on to take this monster down.’