Karl leaned over the open bottle, being careful not to touch it, sniffed and nodded. One of the officers lifted his radio to his lips.

I walked back and crouched by the note. Someone must have planted it and made it look like it came from Guy.

The wording was perfect. “Party time.” The joke about letting them have the “good stuff.” Even the brand—the same kind Sonny had swiped from the stock at Easy Rider the night of the sweet sixteen heist.

After the rest of the team poured in and secured the building, Paige and Lucas joined us. Karl quietly asked whether I wanted to step out, but didn’t argue when I refused. There was no chaos here to upset me, and I felt better staying with Max and Tony, so I could ensure they were treated as people, not anonymous casualties.

I couldn’t cling to my naiveté any longer. Guy knew how to convince his people that he had their best interests in mind, but as much as I’d liked him he was, at heart, as power-hungry and ruthless as any Cabal sorcerer. He’d killed Rodriguez, Tony and Max, and maybe Jaz and Sonny.

Lucas must think Carlos was behind this, which would explain how the killer got easy access to his father’s and Hector’s homes, and lured William at the office. But he’d have needed help. He’d chosen Guy, a shrewd and ambitious gang leader with a reputation for discretion and caution, everything Carlos was not.

They’d hatched a plan, probably recruiting the Cabal security guards I’d seen. They’d used the guards to rob and beat Jaz and Sonny, planting the seeds. Then, with Jaz and Sonny gone and Bianca dead at the hands of the Cabal guard, Guy could whip the rest of the gang into full revenge mode. Having me disappear—presumably kidnapped—was a bonus he hadn’t counted on, but had undoubtedly used to full effect.

The gang would help Carlos and provide him with an alibi—he’d been with a woman, and narrowly escaped death himself. But then these witnesses needed to be silenced. That’s all Rodriquez, Tony and Max had been to Guy, despite his talk of brotherhood—tools to be used and discarded.

And Jaz and Sonny? Were they dead too? If so, why not display their bodies? Was Guy holding them somewhere, in case they still proved useful?

If we could find them, we might have our witnesses.

LUCAS’S PHONE RANG almost nonstop as he supervised the crime scene, and he was getting frustrated. With two brothers dead, the third in custody, his father in mourning and the entire Cabal in upheaval, the only man they could turn to was the one who didn’t want the job.