“You haven’t called all week, about the raid. Why haven’t you?”

Channing was quiet a second. “How’s that your business?”

Because Bren was my business. But I answered, “Bren wasn’t satisfied with your non-answers when you called her last week. So she called your father, instead.” He swore from his end. “Dammit.”

“He told her about the raid.”

“What else did he say?”

“Just that there was a raid and that law enforcement only got four out of the thirty arrest warrants. Bren said they were keeping her out of the office all week, but I have to tell you that we went bowling there tonight.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, and her boss was there. The Brock guy. He watched her the whole night.”

“What?” Channing’s tone was low, and tight.

“He was watching all of us, like we weren’t a surprise to him. He was studying us.”

“Studying you?”

“Yeah.”

Channing was quiet again. “They kept her out of the office all week?”

“They get money if they bring in any of those arrests, right?”

“Yeah. Fuck.” It was low and quiet again. It was getting tighter too. “You wouldn’t be the one calling me unless there’s more. Just tell me.”

I leaned forward in my chair. “Let’s say there’s a situation where we hypothetically stole one of the employee’s key card.”

“What? Wait. Bren didn’t have one?”

“They never gave her a card.”

“Shit. That’s weird.”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter because hypothetically maybe a few things aligned where I was able to find a room that had—”

“What did you do?” He bit out, “Was my sister there?”

I was silent.

He groaned. “Fuuuuck, Cross!”

More silence from me.

He growled. “Just tell me what you found. Hypothetically–”

“A room with your pictures on the wall.”

“What?”

“Your dad’s picture. Bren’s picture. My picture. Yours. Everyone in your life. Maxwell Raith on another wall. I’m assuming pictures of other Red Demons.”

He was quiet again, then clipped out, “How many others?”

“There were three walls. Your dad. Maxwell Raith. Another guy’s.”

“Who was the other guy?”

“I don’t know, but I took pictures of the pictures.”

“Good. I want them. All of them.”

“They’re on my phone.”

“Get a computer. Download them into a password-protected drive, and email that to me. Not via text. I want the drive password protected. You can do that?”

“Sure.” That wasn’t a problem. “But I’ll only do that if you loop us in.”

More silence. From him. From his end.

“What?”

I stood. I hadn’t known I was going to take this stand, but here I was. Standing, literally, for Bren. I kept the phone pressed to my ear as I glanced at the house. The inside was all dark. A light from down the hall was lit up. Bren was in that room, waiting.