“Then why kill him?”
“That part, I don’t know. Something went bad between them, and Zane must have wanted his brother out.” Ghost shrugs.
“But he kept Emery alive.”
“Emery was her father’s heir. When he died, she inherited all his assets. If she had died in the accident, the money would have been tied up in probate for years. His business expansions would’ve been stalled. Projects they had started would have been paused. Her surviving worked in his favor.”
Chaos looks over at me. “There’s no way she knows about that.”
“Agreed.” Bile rises in my throat. “I have to tell her.”
No one disagrees. A wave of sympathy rolls through the room.
Emery’s uncle hasn’t just been using her to make business deals; he killed her parents. He dragged her into his world. My chest aches just thinking about how she’s going to react to that information.
“The good news is—”
“Good news?” I cut Legacy off, and he winces. “Sorry.”
“No, I get it. What’s the upside?”
“With all this information, I have a few ideas about how we can go after Zane. Tanner might be able to help us reopen the investigation into Emery’s parents’ death. If we can find a way to prove that he had them killed, it might be enough.”
As much as I don’t like the thought of using Zane murdering Emery’s parents as the catalyst for taking him down, it’s our only play.
“All right. Keep me updated.”
“Same,” Steel says, reclaiming the meeting. “Now that we’ve got a lead on what to do about Zane, what else are we dealing with? How are things at Ironside Ridge going?”
Chaos grumbles, shaking his head. “The city council is giving the guys trouble. Some of the locals aren’t thrilled about us setting down roots in ranching country, and they’re using their pull with the big players in town to make things difficult. The guys say they have it under control, but we’ll see.”
“It’s not even an official clubhouse. They’re lucky we’re not gunning for more.” Steel’s fingers clench.
“Lanceleaf Valley is a small town, and it’s nothing like Vegas. I get what we’re trying to build, but I’m just telling you it’s not going to be easy.”
“Do we need to send someone else down there?”
Chaos shakes his head. “They have it covered for now. I’ll let you know if that changes.”
“And your brother?” Steel's eyebrow lifts.
Kincaid is still living on the land, even after the problems he caused for Chaos. I respect Chaos for trying to mend fences; I just don’t know if we can trust him.
“He’s helping out where he can. I’m keeping tabs.”
Steel pops his knuckles. “So long as he isn’t behind any of the issues. I still can’t figure out how you talked me into this. Setting down roots in Texas of all places. What the fuck was I thinking?”
“That you’re not stressed enough,” I joke.
Steel laughs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t I fucking know it.”
33
Emery
Mid-November begins my favoritetime of year in Vegas because the desert is finally bearable. The stifling heat of summer has faded, and here, at the Twisted Kings compound, open desert extends for miles as I stare out at the sunset.
A nice breeze drifts over my bare legs as I stretch them out on the patio chair, waiting for the sound of Hayes’s motorcycle to cut through the silence.
