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Matthew made a sound, and it made something in the back of my neck tighten. Clearly, it was not general knowledge and the revelation was unwelcome.
But why?
I turned to him, but Kruger was there, blocking my view. “We’re swimmers. Not politicians,” he answered, voice curt. Something menacing flashed in his eyes. “You should have told us.”
I was getting really sick of this bro. “What does it matter?” I sniped, about to unload some of my frustration, but Kruger interrupted, invading my personal space and jamming a finger into my chest.
“You said the people around you were quality.”
Look. I knew my father was a politician who was questionable at times, but the way Kruger was acting, it was as if my dad were an outright criminal.
Hey, are you even a politician if you aren’t a criminal?
Don’t laugh at that, bro. It’s not funny.
Not only that, but I had a very bad feeling that whatever crawled up Kruger’s ass and died was the same thing that put that tortured look on Matthew’s face.
Worst first date ever.
I smacked his hand away from my chest. “Keep your hands to yourself,” I said quietly.
Niles snorted, interrupting our standoff. “As if you all didn’t know.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ryan asked.
Niles seemed amused. To be honest, it was a creepy look on him. “You expect us to stand here and believe that a group of men known for who you are and what you do aren’t selective about the friends you make?”
“We aren’t like that here,” Ryan answered, being the voice for all of them. “We like people for who they are, not who they’re connected to.”
Niles laughed. “How quaint. And also very stupid. Although, I guess that would explain why you would keep this one around,” he said, pointing directly at Matthew.
Matthew stiffened, backing away from Jess and clutching the coffee so hard the lid popped off the top to teeter precariously on the lip of the mug. “What?” he asked, looking like a cornered animal desperate for an opportunity to bolt.
“I don’t know what’s going on here.” Detective Paul chimed in. “But this is not the place. We are in the middle of an arrest. I’m sure the senator has more important things to attend to than college drama, so if we could get back to the matter at hand…”
“Oh, but this pertains to the case,” Niles refuted, suddenly looking so fucking smug. His eyes slid to me, and they were practically gleeful as though he thought he had the upper hand over me for once.
“You’re a shitty lawyer, bro,” Kruger announced. “You’re fired. Rory, you better call up Coin and Coin. P needs a better rep than this clown.”
“You can’t fire me.” Niles sniffed. “And I was never repping him in the first place.”
I made a rude sound and looked at my father.
He frowned and turned to our lawyer. “Niles, what’s this about? This is not what we discussed.”
“What we discussed, Senator, is for me to do my job protecting you and anyone with your name.” He glanced at me, then back at my father. “And that’s exactly what I have done.” He spun, pinning Matthew with a stare. “Do any of these people have any idea who you really are? What you are?”
He was already pale, but Niles’s words leeched what color was left right out of him, turning his pallor ghostly. The lid on the cup gave up its fight and dropped, plopping on the ground near his feet.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matthew said, but his voice, body language, and wary wide eyes called his words a lie.
With a rude sound, the heels of Niles’s dress shoes clipped over the floor so he could place the briefcase on a nearby desk and push the lid up. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? You’ve been playing footsie with a senator’s son for God’s sake.” He produced a folder from the case and spun, holding it up for everyone to see. “The resources used to bury your identity are all available to me as well.”
Coffee splashed over the top of the cup, splattering Matthew’s hand and dripping onto the floor. Shoving my coffee back into Madison’s hold, I went to him, gently taking the cup from his hand and passing it to Jess. Using the hem of the beer-soaked hoodie I was wearing, I mopped up the mess on his trembling fingers.
“What’s going on?” I asked, voice for only his ears. “Do you know what he’s talking about?”
Helpless. It’s the only way I could describe the way he looked just then. Helpless as his world crumbled around him.
