This was where we needed the help of the Patrol. I had one Crowley and a bunch of jackasses that had surrendered, they apparently had guns, and… what? I had nowhere to take them, I couldn’t drag the leader off without the others causing trouble or hurting someone, and I couldn’t easily cuff them with one hand.

I was forced to wait if I didn’t want to let them go.

“Writing a text message to send to Wardens since their phone lines are garbage awful. I’ll have Capricorn on the line. The connection died when he switched. One sec.”

I could hear the background noise over Capricorn’s voice. Byron’s voice, against a backdrop of shouting. “Victoria?”

“Something big’s happening. I caught one of the leaders and he’s smug,” I said.

The Crowley brother smiled.

“Bait?” Chris asked. “What’s the context?”

Sveta approached, standing beside me where she could keep an eye on some of the jackasses.

“I threatened to break his arms and legs. He surrendered, arms up, and said he’ll cooperate if he gets to see the show.”

“If you threaten to break someone’s arms and legs, I’m pretty sure they’ll say anything,” Chris said.

“I like how you say that like you have experience on the subject,” Looksee said.

“I’ve met some shitty people over the years. You can learn a lot from shitty people.”

“Focus, please,” Byron said. The shouting was louder. “One—”

“He cut out,” Looksee reported. “He changed and the connection didn’t translate. I thought I jiggered it right but this is really not my area of expertise. I think it’s because of my phone box…”

She went on, saying more, tinker talk. While she talked, one of the jackasses turned to his boss. “We don’t have to put up with this, Vince.”

“It’s fine. Stay put,” Vince Crowley said.

Middle brother. It made sense that he was here. The other brothers were supposedly present, but this was the guy who was looped in with the Mathers. The Mathers family traded family members to and from other branches, connecting families and cementing ties. The Mathers had also kidnapped kids. Vince Crowley and his sister had been the ones handling the Crowley end of the deal. They were smugglers, thieves, and general assholes who had dodged the reaching arms of the heroes, while providing shelter to the real monsters, and implicitly accepting some really fucked up stuff.

The McVeays had been murderers and zealots, the Mathers were kidnappers, among other things, and Vince and Sabrina Crowley had been enablers. They were smugglers, they’d kept kidnapping victims and sheltered murderers while there was too much attention and heat on them, and they’d almost gotten away with it, despite being up against the whole PRT.