Shanna had missed her calling as an FBI strategist with how well she had played her brother.
“Keyes’s rap sheet’s too long and varied, like yours,” Shanna said, giving a small but seemingly approving chuckle, most likely designed to keep Dev comfortable with the direction of her information. “I decided your rap sheet’s a how-to-become-a-criminal guide.”
She managed to gain a fraction of amusement from her brother if the bow of his chest said anything.
“I want to show you what Keyes has been up to.” Shanna held Dev’s intense scowl until he finally looked down at the iPad. “See this man?” She tapped the screen with her fingernail, indicating a handsome blond guy dressed the way Cash wished he could. “His name is Alec Pierce. An attorney who works for the Dallas district attorney’s office.” She used the pad of her index finger to flip through various photos of Alec. Of course Cash had seen these pictures. Each was strategically selected to show a young, happy, wealthy man enjoying life. “Alec is also the son of the United States Speaker of the House. Speaker Pierce is from Ellis County.”
Dev’s jaw set then the questions tumbled from his lips. He answered many on his own. “Are they fuckin’ with Key? Are they blackmailin’ him? Nah, he’s an open book. Everybody knows his shit. He wouldn’t turn without tellin’ me. Whatever the fuck you’re thinkin’s wrong.”
Shanna’s hand came forward to wave in Dev’s face. “I’m not finished. Give me a second. What Keyes is doing is voluntary. Keyes has been seeing Alec for about the last ten months now. They’re serious about one another.” She showed pictures of Keyes with Alec all around Alec’s residential property. They were in various states of dress, holding hands, holding one another. In those photos, the warmth and love the two men shared couldn’t be denied.
Dev was too expressive. For the briefest of moments, Cash saw the approval. Perhaps he even appreciated what his friend had found.
“What do you want me to do to keep this information from the club?” Dev asked, looking straight at Shanna then over to Cash. The hostility ebbed, leaving genuine concern behind. “My brothers will kill him and not think twice. You need intel? Is that it? What do you want to know exactly? The drug runs are secret. Most of the brothers don’t know about ’em. I’ve only seen various drugs. I don’t know about weapons, but they could be in there. We’re tradin’ lots of shit and none of it’s legal. I’ll get you the information on the next drop.”
“I know all about those,” Cash said. “And the lumberyard on Red Bird Lane in Duncanville. We’re more interested in the larger theft and—”
Dev cut him off in midsentence. “That’s me, man. I got three boxes of fentanyl patches at my place right now. Go get ’em. I take off the top of every run. That ecstasy you took.” Dev nodded. “From a run. It’s all yours. I’ll get you more if you guys wanna just keep it and call it done. Or I’ll stop takin’ off the top. No problem.” Dev glanced over his shoulder to look around the room to make the offer to everyone. Dev’s abrupt change in attitude and his honesty was refreshing. The way he took responsibility was admirable, but not near the sizable theft Cash was referring to.
“Dev there’s more,” Shanna said. Dev’s brief moment of I-can-solve-this faded. His dark brows dropped into a hard V.
She worked the screen, pressing buttons until she was back on the Child Protective Service report. The screen detailed one of the times their father came off a high and turned into a fire-breathing dragon, finding fault with everyone. He took his frustrations out on his family like a punching bag. In his fit of rage, their father had kicked Dev when he was a little more than a toddler. His booted heel slammed down on Dev’s genitals. The injury was a purposeful and intentional act.
Cash waited, not knowing how much Dev had been told about this time when he was barely old enough to walk. His gaze riveted on the man who did in fact look like the devil himself. All those ominous features morphed into hate. The story held Dev captive as he read down the page.
Time stood still.
Cash could sense Shanna’s sorrow in a tangible way. His own heart stung as he stared at Dev, the one person who had penetrated the carefully constructed walls Cash had placed over his heart too many years ago.
His gut did a quick march, instructing, no demanding, he keep the next bit of evidence from Dev. They already had his help by only revealing Keyes’s information.
And if they didn’t, Cash could find another way to enlist Dev’s help.
Money.
The guy needed money. It was in Cash’s authority to offer it up.
He lifted a hand to stop Shanna, but she refused him. Her unyielding stare challenged his command. “He deserves to know what he’s dealing with.”
Shanna’s fingers slid over the page, drawing forward the damning evidence. “These are your medical records from that time.” Shanna pointed to several words she had highlighted on the page.
Testicular trauma.
Sterile.
DNA testing.
Shanna bravely turned the next page.
Dev’s facial expression shifted from shocked to nonbelief to great pain to rage in seconds flat. His chest rose and fell in labored breaths. “This can’t be fuckin’ true.”
Cash read fear and uncertainty in Dev’s focused attention. He grabbed the pad, reducing the size of the document to look at the entire page. Cash swore he could feel Dev’s heart thumping inside his own.
They’d executed the perfect breaking point where Dev’s emotions were concerned. Keyes’s welfare and his beloved children who weren’t truly his biological kids. The girls belonged to Dev’s father.
Cash’s rush of deep, unabated sorrow wasn’t unexpected. He cared deeply for Dev.
More than in any other time in his life, Cash wished he could reach out and offer comfort in whatever way Dev needed.
