Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6, Kathleen Brooks [great novels of all time TXT] 📗

inner circle knows. Us street guys are being kept in the dark, which tells you something right there.”

“Anyone new to town?” Cy asked, his voice deep and barely audible.

“How’d you know that?” Peewee asked. Cy didn’t answer. “There have been some new faces. Real fancy like. Speak with an accent.”

“What kind of accent?” Dare asked.

“I’m not entirely sure. Spanish I think, but it sounded different. They showed up right after that FBI raid that killed a bunch of Myriads.” Peewee was talking about the night Paxton got shot. “Word on the street is they have Engle’s full attention.”

“We got company,” Granger said with a nod of his head down the street. Paxton saw Cy tap his fingers and Paxton “accidentally” stopped recording as a group of Myriad members stalked toward them.

“This doesn’t look good,” Connor said, getting ready to call for backup.

“Wait,” Paxton said, covering the radio. “Let them handle this. You may want to turn around so you don’t see anything you’d feel obligated to report.”

The leader of the pack flicked a blade open. “No talking. Only buying. If not, you need to move along or we’ll make you move along,” he said as he approached Cy.

Cy leveled him with one punch. Then it was chaos. Peewee did what he did best—he ran. Dare was battling one of the gang members over a gun. Granger and Kord were each fighting with someone but it was Cy who cleaned up the mess.

“Who is that man?” Connor asked as Cy added two more bodies to the heap of moaning men at his feet.

The last man standing went to run, but Cy grabbed him by the neck and lifted him until only his big toe touched the ground. “Tell Engle there’s a new man on the block, and I’m taking this area for my own. He could fight, but as you can see, it won’t go well. I’m better financed and better armed than he is. He has one week to clear out or I’ll bring my boys in to toss him out. Got it?”

The Myriad member made a strangled gurgling sound that Cy took for a yes. He dropped him hard to the ground and then watched as he scurried away.

“Well, that drew some attention,” Connor muttered as he pointed to the monitors. Curtains on the residential street had been pulled back as faces filled the windows.

“Yoohoo!”

Paxton along with everyone on the street turned to find the source of the voice calling out. “Oh, crap. It’s the knitting club.”

Cy, Dare, Granger, and Kord turned toward the voice. Three elderly women with salt and pepper hair sat on rocking chairs on the porch of a small brick house. One had a silk scarf partially covering her hair. The other had her short hair in braids, and the third woman’s natural curls were styled to perfection.

“Would you boys care for some lemonade?” the leader of the elderly trio called out as she set down her knitting needles.

“That would be lovely, ma’am,” Cy responded for the group as he headed toward the patio lined with colorful flowers.

“What is he doing? Doesn’t he know they’re dangerous?” Connor asked.

“It’s a knitting club,” Peter scoffed.

“Shadows Landing doesn’t have a knitting club? Everyone knows they’re more dangerous than the CIA,” Connor answered as Paxton nodded.

“Could you say no to Miss Winnie or Miss Ruby?” Paxton asked Peter.

“Oh, crap. I’ve got to rescue them,” Peter answered frantically as Cy climbed the stairs to the patio with Dare right behind him. Granger and Kord stood at the bottom of the steps and smiled up at the ladies as they passed out lemonade.

“Why don’t you have the boys in the van join us?” the knitting club leader asked, although it wasn’t a question. It was a demand and Paxton found himself already reaching for the door before catching himself.

“What boys in what van?” Cy asked. The ladies stopped knitting and stared at Cy, ready to give him a scolding.

“Bless your heart, you’re not a good liar,” the leader said as she wagged her finger at Cy.

“Why does everyone say that? I’m an excellent liar,” Cy huffed as he tossed his hands up in the air.

“No one likes a fibber,” one of the other ladies told him.

“Sorry, ma’am.” Cy motioned for the men to come out of the van. Their cover was already blown, but now it was going to be blown to smithereens, set on fire, then stomped on.

One of the ladies in the rocking chair narrowed her eyes at Paxton. “I know you. I thought you were killed. It does my heart good to know you’re still alive.”

“Hello, Miss Ethel. It’s nice to see you again,” Paxton said to her as she set down her knitting and waved him forward. She lifted her face and waited for Paxton to buss her cheek. “Miss Josie,” he said, kissing the other cheek of the third woman sitting on the patio before stepping forward to the leader. “Miss Trudie. It’s good to see you again.”

Miss Trudie huffed. “We were very upset when we thought you were dead. Then you saunter onto our street without even a ‘how do you do?’”

“I’m not supposed to be here. I don’t want to put you in danger,” Paxton told them.

“Those useless men won’t bother us. I’d stab them with my needles. Now you,” Miss Trudie said, turning to Cy, “you’re welcome to sit a spell with us and tell us about why you’re here.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Call me Cy.” He took Miss Trudie’s hand and kissed it.

“Wow, they’re good. I’ve been with you all day and he’s never told me his name,” Connor whispered.

“There’s no whispering, Sergeant Gibbs. That’s just bad manners,” Miss Josie snapped.

“How do you know who I am?” Connor asked with horror.

“You’ve had six stakeouts on this street in the past year, and you’ve never introduced yourself. Really, were you raised in a barn?” Miss Ethel and her friends shook their heads in disappointment and clucked unhappily at him.

“Now, young man,” Miss Trudie said