The neon buzz of the meatpacking district lit up the rain-soaked alley as I leaned against a locked steel door, nursing the ache in my ribs. My name\u2019s Saoirse Malone, ex-priest turned skip tracer. Tonight, I wasn\u2019t chasing a debtor. I was chasing the ghost of my brother, Martin.<\/p>\n
The Boyle Twins, butcher-kingpins who ran the district like their personal abbatoir, claimed Martin was skimming. He swore he wasn\u2019t. Last week, his body showed up in a dumpster, teeth shattered, hands missing, heart carved out. Guilt sank my gut\u2014I\u2019d introduced him to the Twins. Told him it was a break.<\/p>\n
A boot scuffed behind me. \u201cWhy d\u2019you care, Saoirse? He was dirty,\u201d growled Declan Boyle, his cleaver gleaming in the wet light. I pulled the revolver I\u2019d smuggled under my jacket. \u201cNobody cuts a man\u2019s heart out to prove he\u2019s stealing. I find out why you really did it, you and Finn are dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Declan barked a laugh. \u201cAsk your brother\u2019s widow. Or can a priest still handle confession?\u201d<\/p>\n
My grip tightened, but I let him go. Declan\u2019s laughter echoed down the empty street. At home, Martin\u2019s wife met my eyes, then her gaze fell to the floor. I stared as she clenched a wedding band in her fist, one that wasn\u2019t his.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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