ackie had known that this situation could be
sticky. The girls were wearing gloves. But he could handle this.

“I hate to break it to you,” the boy, who sounded like he was enjoying breaking it to Mackie, said, “but if you have Sawyer Taft back there, and she’s not alone…”

He gave a brief shake of his head.

Mackie did not like the look of that head shake. “State your name and your business here.” He would not lose the upper hand.

The boy did not state his name. The boy did not state his business. Instead, he leaned forward. “There’s four of them, aren’t there?”

Mackie didn’t answer. He refused to answer. “There might be four of them.”

“In that case,” the boy said, “you’ve locked up both of Lillian Taft’s granddaughters. Also: a senator’s daughter and the beloved only child of the wealthiest man in the state.”

Mackie was going to kill O’Connell and Rodriguez.

The boy shook his head again. “Bless your heart.”