Page 118 of Wicked Brutal

Arthur pulls his legal pad closer. “That’s exactly what we’re doing. Building the totality.”

“Good.” Danny picks up his coffee. “Because while you guys are looking for a perfect case, Roman is planning a wedding.” That wipes the tiny bit of humor out of the room. And reminds me. Today.

I look at my phone. 6:47. Nothing from Ally.

Arthur sees me. “We need a plan for today.”

“Finally.”

“If Ally learns where she’s going, she tells you if she can do so safely.”

“Obviously.”

“You do not ask her to text while she’s with Tremblay unless she can do it without drawing attention.”

“I know.”

“You do not follow them.”

I look at Dad. “Did you fucking tell him?”

Dad looks innocent. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Traitor.”

Arthur ignores us. “If Tremblay changed his travel plans specifically to see Ally, we cannot assume the lunch is harmless. But we also cannot assume he suspects the pregnancy or your relationship.”

“Nobody said he did.”

“All of you,” Arthur says. “Roman noticed the five of you. He is watching the pattern. You give him nothing new to see.” Kaiden nods first. Then Danny. X. Iz. Me last.

“Fine.”

Arthur looks at the fathers. “The federal prosecutor is handling the existing records. Nobody contacts anyone connected to Aster, Vaughn, Carlisle, Hollis, Vane, Bellamy, Mercer, or Ashford until we’ve coordinated it.” Theodore nods. Dad doesn’t look thrilled, but he nods too. “Thomas and Walter, I want everything public on Roman’s political work. Committees, campaigns, advisory roles, donors, nonprofits, every professional overlap with Pennington, Lucian, Hartley, or Tremblay.”

Dad looks at Thomas. “Easy.”

Thomas’s mouth twitches. “Nothing about this has been easy.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Gideon, we’ll work through the names without direct inquiries.” Gideon nods. “Clifford, I want another look at Aster Foundation from the research and grant side.”

“Done.”

“Theodore, international business connections. Public records only for now.”

Theodore nods. “Zurich, Geneva, Montreal?”

“And London.”

“What about Palm Beach and Middleburg?”

“Everything Ally heard.” Arthur looks at the five of us. “You go to school.”

Xander stares at him. “Everyone else gets international crime and we get calculus?”

“You get to be teenagers.”