Page 67 of XO Karma

“That’s all accurate,” Roger says. “Except he was murdered.”

“Murdered?” I repeat in surprise. “The article said⁠—”

“I know what the article said. He died of old age. The casket was closed for privacy, and he would be missed. Blah, blah, blah.”

“And the real story?”

“He went missing and the body was discovered in the river a week later, sans head.” He raises a brow. “Now I may just be an old paranoid son of a bitch, but pretty sure you can’t chop off your own head.”

I lean back in my seat. “Who did it?”

“No one knows for sure.” He pauses. “Working theory is baby Westerford was ready to take over the family estate and didn’t like Daddy telling him no one too many times. But it’s never been proven.”

“I don’t particularly like Jude, but I can’t imagine he has what it takes to decapitate his own father.”

“People can surprise you.” Isn’t that the truth.

“Anything else you can give me?” I ask, and he glances at the bar, hesitation in his expression. “Roger?” My tone is firm, a stone in my throat. “Spit it out.”

His eyes meet mine. “If you go off and do something stupid like get yourself killed, Martha will have my head.”

“I’m not a little kid anymore.”

His smile softens. “It’s hard for me not to picture you as the fifteen-year-old who took the heat for the dent in your dad’s Maybach, even though you knew how much trouble you’d be in.”

A smile graces my lips at the memory of protecting my younger sister. The same way I still try to. “I could handle myself then and I still can. More so.” And he’s well aware just how much I can handle myself.

He curses under his breath. “Most people have no clue how the Westerfords get their money.”

“I thought they had their hands in the oil business?”

“They did when William was around, but not so much anymore.”

“So where are they getting it now?”

His jaw ticks. “You ever wonder who is supplying the local criminals with their endless weaponry?”

My skin burns. “They’re arms dealers?”

White-hot anger and flickers of memories crash into me. No matter how far I try to get from my old life, it follows me around like a shadow I can’t escape. I fear the only way I’ll ever truly be rid of it is if I join it in the dark.

I hate my father for a lot of reasons. But forever holding spot number one is he owns Hephaestus Weapons, the largest weapons manufacturer in the country. But it’s not just the weapons, it’s the fact that his largest clientele are foreign terrorist groups and domestic arms dealers. He literally doesn’t give a single shit who has his product if they pay, and black-market weapons tend to get at least triple what everyone else gives. And no matter how close I ever thought I was to taking him down, it was never enough. That’s why I left. That’s why I’m here. That’s why Oliver is dead. And now I find out that Cleosville has its own bullshit weapons ties.

“Aster,” he warns, pulling me from my spiral. “You need to be careful. This is bigger than you think. Bigger than Cleosville.”

A fire burns inside me. “There’s an arms dealer posed as an artsy philanthropist poisoning the city, and you expect me to do nothing?” I ran and I ran and I ran, and I’m still in the middle of this bullshit.

“No, I know you better than that… I just don’t want you getting yourself killed in the process. And your dad⁠—”

“I don’t want to talk about him,” I say, cutting Roger off and glancing towards the dance floor. Lily’s nowhere to be seen, and I curse under my breath. Where did they go? “I appreciate the info.” Standing, suddenly more concerned with Lily’s safety than a walk down memory lane, I reach out a hand and Roger shakes it. “If you think of anything else, you know where to find me.” After pulling out my wallet, I toss a twenty on the counter.

He rests a hand on my arm and pauses me in place. “These people aren’t as they seem.”

His warning sends a chill along my spine. “Yeah, well, if I don’t do something about it, who will?” I ask as the weight of the world presses on my shoulders.

He nods, understanding flickering over his worn features. “Be careful, kid.”

“I always am.”