Page 104 of Hard Bargain

A pause. “Groceries?”

Dominic’s tone didn’t change. “Enough for a week. Real food. Not garbage.”

Another beat. “You want it dropped at one of the properties or—”

“Knox Wolfe’s apartment.”

Silence stretched long enough to register.

“Got it,” he said. “Anything specific?”

“Fresh food. You drop it, you leave. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

Dominic ended the call. For a moment he just stood there with his phone in hand. This didn’t mean anything. The boy couldn’t function properly if he was running on nothing. That wasn’t sustainable. It would affect his work and his focus.

Thinking about it any longer wasn’t going to help. Work would; it always did. He stepped into his office and sat behind the desk, and by the time he pulled the first stack of contracts toward him, the shift had already happened. The kind of work that required nothing from him except focus and control. The kind of problems that stayed where you put them once you handled them.

He read, signed, and made notes where needed. Took two calls about a shipment delay at the docks and another about a licensing issue for one of the clubs. For a couple of hours, it worked. His mind stayed where it was supposed to be. The light outside had shifted slightly, the morning edging toward noon.

He reached for his phone. Cassian picked up on the second ring. “Tell me you’ve got something.”

“I always have something,” Cassian said. “Question is whether you’re going to like it.”

Dominic leaned back in his chair. “Start talking.”

“We’ve got a new name. Keegan. Mid-level, but he’s been moving things for Mercer. Enough that he knows how the setup works.”

“And?”

“He reached out himself. Says Mercer’s been getting unstable. Burning through people, making bad calls.” A pause. “Keegan doesn’t want to go down with him.”

Dominic said nothing.

“He’s offering information,” Cassian added. “But he wants protection.”

Of course he does. “Where is he?”

“Not stupid enough to give a location yet,” Cassian said. “Says he’ll only speak to you.”

Dominic considered that. A man like that didn’t switch sides unless things had gone wrong—fear, pressure, or survival instincts. Maybe all three. He could be useful. It could also be a trap. Either way, it was worth the risk.

“You think it’s clean?” Dominic asked.

Cassian exhaled. “I think he’s scared. Whether that makes him honest or desperate—”

“That’s what we’ll figure out.”

He’d have to see the man in person. And for that, he already knew who he was bringing.

The thought came fast, settling into place before Dominic could dismiss it. Knox would catch things other people missed: the hesitation, the cracks, the instant Keegan slipped, if he slipped at all.

Dominic pushed back from the desk and stood. “Set it up. This afternoon.”

“Location?”

“Somewhere open,” Dominic said. “Not crowded, but not isolated either.”