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“I didn’t do it.” Brown swallowed, his throat working as he tried to stand up.

Filippo, who had been standing behind the couch, slapped a hand down on Brown’s shoulder, roughly keeping him in place. “You will stay here, signore,” Filippo said softly. “Until we are finished with you.”

“I just wanted the panic attacks to stop.” Brown’s hands were shaking as he tucked them under his knees. “You have to believe me.”

Nico let his eyes drift to Bennett’s face. “Did you know? About the panic attacks?”

Bennett grimaced and hesitated, clearly running through his answer, but Nico knew the captain wouldn’t lie. “No, I didn’t. But that isn’t the kind of thing guys share with each other.”

“Not even good friends?”

“No.”

“I-I have a prescription for it. I can show you,” Brown said. “If you let me open my phone, I can show you the note from my doctor.”

Nico shook his head. “You could have lied about these panic attacks to get your hands on the drug.”

“Why would he bother?” Bennett asked. “That would only leave a paper trail to tie him to any crimes.”

Nico ground his back teeth together, now regretting that he’d let Verreault stay for this conversation. He went to the bar to refill his drink, thinking. The paper trail was a good point. But most criminals, as Nico well knew, were dumb. This was how smart criminals, like him, amassed more power and wealth than the rest.

He should kick Bennett out and let Filippo sweat Noah Brown for a few hours. They would surely get a confession then.

“What night was your cousin drugged?” Brown asked.

“March 14,” Filippo answered when Nico remained silent.

“I was out of town!”

Nico turned around as Brown tried to reach into his pocket. Filippo’s hand found the player’s shoulder again. “Slowly, stronzo.”

Brown held up his hands. “I’m getting my phone. I can prove that I was with my wife and her parents in Barrie. We had three days off, so we all went to a ski resort up there.”

“I remember now,” Bennett added. “You said Becca sat in the lodge all weekend with her mom, while you and your father-in-law skied.”

Nico met Filippo’s gaze and nodded once. Filippo told Brown to unlock his phone, then took it and began searching for proof. Brown mentioned a travel app. “I used that to book the room. You can also find photos and texts about the trip.”

Filippo spent the next several minutes clicking and scrolling. Finally, he sighed and looked up at Nico. “Checks out.”

Brown bent over his knees and exhaled, while Bennett folded his arms across his chest, his lips flat and unhappy. “We’re leaving now. Let’s go, Noah.”

It was too much. Nico was not one of his players and Bennett was not in charge here.

Maybe it was time to remind him.

“Stop,” he snapped. Silence descended as everyone froze. “You may go,” he told Brown. Bennett began moving toward the door as well. Stupid, stubborn man. “Not you,” Nico said. “You stay.”

Bennett’s shoulders went stiff, his back rigid, but he stopped in his tracks. Obeying, like a well-trained dog. Nico almost smiled.

But there was his cousin still to deal with. “Po, parleremo domani.” We will talk tomorrow.

Thankfully, Filippo didn’t ask any questions. “Okay, cugino. A presto.”

Nico sipped his drink and tried to appear casual as the room cleared out. Brown hesitated, his eyes on Verreault, but the captain gave Brown a nod, like he was telling his friend not to worry about him. Foolish.

Bennett should be very, very worried.

Nico was fed up with the other man’s recklessness, his need to control everything, even when it put him in danger. Coming to the office . . . storming into this room . . . all incredibly stupid and risky. Either of those encounters could have ended very badly for Bennett.